American matchroom prospects Marc Castro, Jalil Hackett upset in Puerto Rico

Two of Matchroom Boxing’s top American prospects were upset Saturday night on the Liam Paro-Richardson Hitchins undercard in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Marc Castro, a lightweight from Fresno, California, and Jalil Hackett, a welterweight from Washington, D.C., lost 10-round split decisions to unknown opponents who they were heavily favored to beat. Both bouts were competitive, but Castro and Hackett lost on two scorecards apiece and were defeated for the first time as professionals.

Argentine Agustin Quintana was a more active and accurate fighter than Castro, who entered the ring as a 13-1 favorite, according to FanDuel sportsbooks. Castro countered the aggressive Quintana at times, but was kept on the defensive more often than not, failed to prevent Quintana from coming forward, and did not defend well enough to win.

Judges Carlos Colon (97-93) and Gerardo Martinez (96-94) scored rounds seven and six respectively for Buenos Aires’ Quintana. Judge Luis Ruiz scored six rounds for Castro, who won 96-94 on his card.

The 25-year-old Castro (13-1, 8 KOs), a decorated amateur, has not progressed as expected since Eddie Hearn’s company signed him amid much fanfare in 2020. Known for beating the emerging American contender three times lightweight Keyshawn Davis in Among the amateurs, Castro was plagued by injuries, inconsistency and defensive deficiencies as a pro.

The 28-year-old Quintana (21-2-1, 13 KOs) won his third straight fight since compatriot Juan Javier Carrasco (then 15-1) knocked him out in the fifth round of their December 2022 bout in Buenos Aires.

Hackett, 21, struggled for the second straight fight since signing with Matchroom in late spring. Martinez and Ruiz both scored a 96-94 winner for Puerto Rico’s Jose Roman over Hackett (9-1, 7 KOs), who won 96-94 according to Colon.

Once one of the hottest prospects on Floyd Mayweather’s promotional roster, Hackett has regressed since stopping fighting on the Gervonta Davis undercards during the second half of 2023. Hackett struggled defensively and seemingly with his conditioning in his debut in Matchroom: a 10-round, unanimous-decision defeat of New York veteran Peter Dobson (16-2, 9 KOs) on July 13 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Hackett still outlasted Dobson by scores of 97-93, 97-93 and 96-94. He wasn’t so lucky on Saturday night.

A determined Hackett got off to a strong start, but Roman appeared to outmaneuver a declining fighter later in a bout that was fought largely on the inside. Roman bounced back during the second half of the bout, when he countered Hackett to the body and head as Hackett pressed the action.

Like Castro, Hackett’s defensive ineffectiveness cost him points Saturday night. The taller and slightly sharper Roman (14-1, 6 KOs) has won three fights in a row since suffering his only loss, an eight-round unanimous decision to Cesar Francis (then 11-0) in October 2021 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.