Carrington Stops Castro in Ninth for WBC Featherweight Title

Bruce Carrington claimed the vacant WBC featherweight title on Friday night with a ninth-round stoppage of Carlos Castro at Madison Square Garden in New York, capping a gritty performance on the undercard of the Teofimo Lopez-Shakur Stevenson main event.

The 28-year-old Brooklyn native, now 17-0 with 10 knockouts, entered the ring as the WBC's interim champion and delivered a clinical finish after navigating a competitive bout. Castro, a 31-year-old veteran from Mexico dropping to 30-4 with 14 knockouts, entered following a 15-month layoff and brought seasoned pressure that tested Carrington's resolve. The victory came one month after former champion Stephen Fulton vacated the belt by missing weight, elevating the matchup from an interim defense to a full title fight.

Carrington controlled the early action with a sharp jab that dictated range and disrupted Castro's advances. He mixed in body shots to slow his opponent, taking the opening rounds on activity and precision. Castro, known for his durability and power, began finding success in the middle rounds, landing heavy right hands that briefly staggered Carrington in the fourth and fifth. Those exchanges grew intense as...