José Luis Castillo (born December 14, 1973) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1990 to 2014. Generally considered one of the best lightweights of his era, he is a two-time world champion at that weight, having held the WBC title twice, from 2000 to 2002 and 2004 to 2005; and the Ring magazine and lineal titles from 2004 to 2005. Castillo is best known for his 2005 fight against Diego Corrales, for which he received Fight of the Year awards by both The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America, as well as his much-debated first fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In 2000, having two straight wins over Jorge Paez and Steve Quinonez, Castillo challenged WBC lightweight titleholder and Ring No. 1 ranked Lightweight Stevie Johnston. Heavily favored as underdog, Castillo was slated to lose. Instead, Castillo scored the Ring Magazine Upset of the Year, defeating Johnston by a majority decision, in what was a very close fight. Three months later, they fought to a draw, memorable because miscalculation adding the scores led to an original announcement of Johnston regaining his title, which Castillo learned about when Johnston showed up in his dressing room to return the strap.
BoxRec-style profile
- Birth name: José Luis Castillo
- Born: December 14, 1973 — Empalme, Sonora, Mexico
- Nationality: Mexican
- Height: 5 ft 7½ in
- Reach: 69 in (175 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Pro debut: May 4, 1990 (Win by KO vs Ricardo Contreras)
- Last bout: Nov 28, 2014 (Loss by TKO vs Ruslan Provodnikov)
- Total rounds boxed: 441 (summed from the bout table below)
- Divisions: Featherweight, Super featherweight, Lightweight, Light welterweight, Welterweight
- KO percentage: 86.4% (57 KO wins in 66 wins)
- Titles held (major, with reign dates): WBC lightweight title June 17, 2000 – April 20, 2002 (won from Stevie Johnston; retained in the Johnston rematch draw and against César Bazán and Seung-Ho Yuh; lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr.); WBC and The Ring lightweight titles June 5, 2004 – May 7, 2005 (won the vacant titles from Juan Lazcano; defended against Joel Casamayor and Julio Díaz; lost to Diego Corrales) — all dates per the bout table
Record at a glance
- Total bouts: 80
- Wins: 66
- Wins by KO: 57
- Losses: 13
- Losses by KO: 8
- Draws: 1
- No contests: 0
- Born: December 14, 1973 — Empalme, Sonora, Mexico
- Nationality: Mexican
- Height: 5 ft 7½ in
- Reach: 69 in (175 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Divisions: Featherweight, Super featherweight, Lightweight, Light welterweight, Welterweight
Fight-by-fight record
| No. | Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round/Time | Venue / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 4, 1990 | Ricardo Contreras | Win | KO | 2 (4) | Auditorio del Estado, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 2 | Jun 23, 1990 | Manolo Ramirez | Win | KO | 2 | Empalme, Mexico |
| 3 | Oct 1, 1990 | Jose Alvarez | Win | KO | 2 | Tijuana, Mexico |
| 4 | Dec 21, 1990 | Jesus Escobar | Win | KO | 1 (6) | Gimnasio de la UABC, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 5 | Mar 21, 1991 | Raul Contreras | Win | TKO | 4 | Auditorio del Estado, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 6 | Apr 8, 1991 | Victor Mendoza | Win | KO | 4 | Tijuana, Mexico |
| 7 | Aug 19, 1991 | Miguel Angel Ramirez | Win | KO | 4 | Tijuana, Mexico |
| 8 | Sep 6, 1991 | Jose Manjarrez | Win | TKO | 7 | Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 9 | Nov 22, 1991 | Ramiro Dunton | Win | KO | 5 | Auditorio del Estado, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 10 | Mar 30, 1992 | Cesar Huizar | Win | KO | 1 | Tijuana, Mexico |
| 11 | May 29, 1992 | Ramon Arreola | Win | KO | 3 (10) | Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 12 | Jun 20, 1992 | Ramon Acuna | Win | KO | 2 | Empalme, Mexico |
| 13 | Aug 7, 1992 | Rigoberto Felix | Win | KO | 3 (10) | Plaza La Cachanilla, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 14 | Sep 4, 1992 | Jorge Castro | Win | KO | 2 (10) | Plaza La Cachanilla, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 15 | Oct 2, 1992 | Francisco Valdez | Win | TD | 6 (12) | Auditorio del Estado, Mexicali, Mexico — TD after Valdez was cut |
| 16 | Dec 11, 1992 | Ascencion Lugo | Win | TKO | 3 (10) | Centro de Usos Múltiples, Hermosillo, Mexico |
| 17 | Mar 5, 1993 | Juan Carlos Salazar | Win | TKO | 1 (10) | Auditorio del Estado, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 18 | Apr 30, 1993 | Lucilo Nolasco | Win | TKO | 2 (10) | Auditorio del Estado, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 19 | Jul 9, 1993 | César Soto | Loss | TKO | 2 (12) | Ciudad Juárez, Mexico — ★ Title fight — For vacant Mexico featherweight title |
| 20 | Mar 18, 1994 | Francisco Valdez | Win | KO | 1 (10) | Palenque del Parque Vicente Guerrero, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 21 | Aug 26, 1994 | Alfredo Curiel | Win | TKO | 6 | Empalme, Mexico |
| 22 | Nov 9, 1994 | Javier Jáuregui | Loss | TKO | 10 (12) | Mexico City, Mexico — ★ Title fight — For vacant Mexico featherweight title |
| 23 | Apr 7, 1995 | Ramon Soto | Win | KO | 3 (10) | Auditorio del Estado, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 24 | Sep 29, 1995 | Alfredo Curiel | Win | TKO | 4 (10) | Centro de Espectáculos Aragon's, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 25 | Dec 8, 1995 | Cornelio Lopez | Win | KO | 4 (10) | Estadio Estrellas Empalmenses, Empalme, Mexico |
| 26 | Mar 15, 1996 | Carlos Madrid | Win | KO | 2 (10) | Palenque del Parque Vicente Guerrero, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 27 | May 9, 1996 | Javier Jáuregui | Loss | TKO | 10 (12) | Guadalajara, Mexico — ★ Title fight — For Mexico featherweight title |
| 28 | Aug 15, 1996 | Jesus Arce | Win | KO | 1 (12) | Centro de Espectáculos Rancho Grande, Mexicali, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Won vacant Mexican Pacific Coast super featherweight title |
| 29 | Sep 20, 1996 | Jose Luis Montes | Win | KO | 7 (12) | Centro de Espectáculos Rancho Grande, Mexicali, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Retained Mexican Pacific Coast super featherweight title |
| 30 | Oct 12, 1996 | Roberto Valenzuela | Win | KO | 6 (6) | Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S. |
| 31 | Dec 13, 1996 | Jaime Fernandez | Win | KO | 1 (12) | Palenque del Parque Vicente Guerrero, Mexicali, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Retained Mexican Pacific Coast super featherweight title |
| 32 | Jan 1, 1997 | Jesus Castaneda | Win | KO | 2 (12) | Salón Casa Blanca, Mexicali, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Retained Mexican Pacific Coast super featherweight title |
| 33 | Mar 8, 1997 | Javier Renteria | Win | KO | 1 (10) | Estadio Arquitecto Ricardo Etcheverry, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 34 | Jul 4, 1997 | Rafael Olvera | Win | KO | 7 (12) | Gimnasio Municipal Josue Neri Santos, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Won Mexico featherweight title |
| 35 | Sep 12, 1997 | Hector Javier Marquez | Win | TKO | 10 (12) | Guaymas, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Retained Mexico featherweight title |
| 36 | Apr 17, 1998 | Julio Sanchez Leon | Win | TKO | 8 (12) | Auditorio del Estado, Mexicali, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Retained Mexico featherweight title |
| 37 | Oct 3, 1998 | Julio Alvarez | Loss | TKO | 10 (12) | Mexico City, Mexico — ★ Title fight — For vacant Mexico super featherweight title |
| 38 | Feb 19, 1999 | Eduardo Montes | Win | KO | 3 (12) | Palenque del Parque Vicente Guerrero, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 39 | Apr 1, 1999 | Julian Romero | Win | UD | 6 | Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| 40 | Jun 4, 1999 | Pablo Valenzuela | Win | KO | 4 (10) | Palenque del Parque Vicente Guerrero, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 41 | Jul 10, 1999 | Cristino Mota | Win | RTD | 3 (10) | Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 42 | Aug 14, 1999 | Sandro Marcos | Win | KO | 8 (12) | Guaymas, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Won vacant Mexico super featherweight title |
| 43 | Oct 16, 1999 | Jorge Páez | Win | TKO | 5 (12), 1:04 | Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Won vacant IBA super featherweight title |
| 44 | Apr 8, 2000 | Steve Quinonez | Win | UD | 10 | Blancas Bazaar, Imperial Beach, California, U.S. |
| 45 | Jun 17, 2000 | Stevie Johnston | Win | MD | 12 | The Bicycle Casino, Bell Gardens, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBC lightweight title |
| 46 | Sep 15, 2000 | Stevie Johnston | Draw | MD | 12 | Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC lightweight title |
| 47 | Jan 20, 2001 | César Bazán | Win | TKO | 6 (12), 2:54 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC lightweight title |
| 48 | Jun 16, 2001 | Seung-Ho Yuh | Win | KO | 1 (12), 1:53 | Centro de Usos Múltiples, Hermosillo, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC lightweight title |
| 49 | Aug 24, 2001 | Fred Ladd | Win | TKO | 4 (10) | Mexicali, Mexico |
| 50 | Jan 25, 2002 | Juan Angel Macias | Win | TKO | 8 (10), 1:04 | Avi Resort & Casino, Laughlin, Nevada, U.S. |
| 51 | Apr 20, 2002 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. | Loss | UD | 12 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Lost WBC lightweight title; For vacant The Ring lightweight title |
| 52 | Aug 3, 2002 | Verdell Smith | Win | KO | 3 (10) | Centro de Usos Múltiples, Hermosillo, Mexico |
| 53 | Dec 7, 2002 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. | Loss | UD | 12 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — For WBC and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 54 | Jun 14, 2003 | Gustavo Corral | Win | KO | 5 (10), 0:33 | Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S. |
| 55 | Oct 10, 2003 | Saul Duran | Win | TKO | 8 (10), 1:47 | Jacob Brown Auditorium, Brownsville, Texas, U.S. |
| 56 | Feb 13, 2004 | Derrick Parks | Win | TKO | 2 (10), 2:37 | Edgewater Hotel and Casino, Laughlin, Nevada, U.S. |
| 57 | Jun 5, 2004 | Juan Lazcano | Win | UD | 12 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBC and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 58 | Dec 4, 2004 | Joel Casamayor | Win | SD | 12 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 59 | Mar 5, 2005 | Julio Díaz | Win | TKO | 10 (12), 2:23 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 60 | May 7, 2005 | Diego Corrales | Loss | TKO | 10 (12), 2:06 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Lost WBC and The Ring lightweight titles; For WBO lightweight title |
| 61 | Oct 8, 2005 | Diego Corrales | Win | KO | 4 (12), 0:47 | Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 62 | Feb 4, 2006 | Rolando Reyes | Win | UD | 12 | Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| 63 | Jan 20, 2007 | Herman Ngoudjo | Win | SD | 12 | Paris Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBC-NABF light welterweight title |
| 64 | Jun 23, 2007 | Ricky Hatton | Loss | KO | 4 (12), 2:16 | Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — For IBO, The Ring, and vacant WBC International light welterweight titles |
| 65 | Oct 27, 2007 | Adan Casillas | Win | TKO | 6 (10), 2:38 | Centro de Espectáculos Promocasa, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 66 | Jul 30, 2008 | Sebastián Luján | Loss | UD | 10 | Sycuan Resort & Casino, El Cajon, California, U.S. |
| 67 | Jan 17, 2009 | James Wayka | Win | TKO | 2 (10), 1:13 | Centro de Espectáculos Promocasa, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 68 | Jul 25, 2009 | Roberto Valenzuela | Win | KO | 6 (10), 1:40 | Palenque del Recinto Ferial, Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico |
| 69 | Aug 22, 2009 | Christian Solano | Win | TKO | 3 (10), 1:51 | Auditorio Unidad Deportiva, Los Cabos, Mexico |
| 70 | Sep 12, 2009 | Carlos Urías | Win | TKO | 2 (8), 2:59 | Palenque de Feria, Tepic, Mexico |
| 71 | Mar 13, 2010 | Alfonso Gómez | Loss | RTD | 6 (12), 0:10 | Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas, U.S. — ★ Title fight — For WBC Continental Americas welterweight title |
| 72 | Jun 18, 2010 | Roberto Valenzuela | Win | UD | 8 | Auditorio Municipal, Tijuana, Mexico |
| 73 | Aug 7, 2010 | Daniel Eduardo Yocupicio | Win | TKO | 2 (10), 1:28 | Estadio De Béisbol Héctor Espino, Hermosillo, Mexico |
| 74 | Mar 25, 2011 | Jorge Páez Jr. | Loss | UD | 12 | Gimnasio de Mexicali, Mexicali, Mexico — ★ Title fight — For vacant WBC FECARBOX welterweight title |
| 75 | Nov 26, 2011 | Sammy Ventura | Win | TKO | 2 (10), 2:52 | Campo Futbol Colosio, Playa del Carmen, Mexico |
| 76 | Jul 13, 2012 | Iván Popoca | Win | RTD | 8 (10), 3:00 | UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 77 | Feb 1, 2013 | Antwone Smith | Loss | UD | 10 | UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 78 | Mar 21, 2014 | Felix Bojorquez | Win | TKO | 5 (10), 0:53 | Gimnasio del Estado, Hermosillo, Mexico |
| 79 | May 30, 2014 | José Luis Payan | Win | TKO | 5 (10), 1:13 | Gimnasio Carlos Hernández Carrera, Nogales, Mexico |
| 80 | Nov 28, 2014 | Ruslan Provodnikov | Loss | TKO | 5 (12), 2:09 | Luzhniki, Moscow, Russia |
Titles & notes
Major title reigns (start–end): WBC lightweight title June 17, 2000 – April 20, 2002 (won from Stevie Johnston; retained in the Johnston rematch draw and against César Bazán and Seung-Ho Yuh; lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr.); WBC and The Ring lightweight titles June 5, 2004 – May 7, 2005 (won the vacant titles from Juan Lazcano; defended against Joel Casamayor and Julio Díaz; lost to Diego Corrales) — all dates per the bout table
- Jul 9, 1993 vs César Soto: For vacant Mexico featherweight title
- Nov 9, 1994 vs Javier Jáuregui: For vacant Mexico featherweight title
- May 9, 1996 vs Javier Jáuregui: For Mexico featherweight title
- Aug 15, 1996 vs Jesus Arce: Won vacant Mexican Pacific Coast super featherweight title
- Sep 20, 1996 vs Jose Luis Montes: Retained Mexican Pacific Coast super featherweight title
- Dec 13, 1996 vs Jaime Fernandez: Retained Mexican Pacific Coast super featherweight title
- Jan 1, 1997 vs Jesus Castaneda: Retained Mexican Pacific Coast super featherweight title
- Jul 4, 1997 vs Rafael Olvera: Won Mexico featherweight title
- Sep 12, 1997 vs Hector Javier Marquez: Retained Mexico featherweight title
- Apr 17, 1998 vs Julio Sanchez Leon: Retained Mexico featherweight title
- Oct 3, 1998 vs Julio Alvarez: For vacant Mexico super featherweight title
- Aug 14, 1999 vs Sandro Marcos: Won vacant Mexico super featherweight title
- Oct 16, 1999 vs Jorge Páez: Won vacant IBA super featherweight title
- Jun 17, 2000 vs Stevie Johnston: Won WBC lightweight title
- Sep 15, 2000 vs Stevie Johnston: Retained WBC lightweight title
- Jan 20, 2001 vs César Bazán: Retained WBC lightweight title
- Jun 16, 2001 vs Seung-Ho Yuh: Retained WBC lightweight title
- Apr 20, 2002 vs Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Lost WBC lightweight title; For vacant The Ring lightweight title
- Dec 7, 2002 vs Floyd Mayweather Jr.: For WBC and The Ring lightweight titles
- Jun 5, 2004 vs Juan Lazcano: Won vacant WBC and The Ring lightweight titles
- Dec 4, 2004 vs Joel Casamayor: Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles
- Mar 5, 2005 vs Julio Díaz: Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles
- May 7, 2005 vs Diego Corrales: Lost WBC and The Ring lightweight titles; For WBO lightweight title
- Jan 20, 2007 vs Herman Ngoudjo: Won WBC-NABF light welterweight title
- Jun 23, 2007 vs Ricky Hatton: For IBO, The Ring, and vacant WBC International light welterweight titles
- Mar 13, 2010 vs Alfonso Gómez: For WBC Continental Americas welterweight title
- Mar 25, 2011 vs Jorge Páez Jr.: For vacant WBC FECARBOX welterweight title
Photo: Licrmm via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Featured image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Diputado_Jose_Luis_Castillo.jpg?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=api&utm_content=original
Record source: Wikipedia professional boxing record table (cross-checked against the bout list), retrieved 2026-11-02.
