20.01.08 – by Paul McCreath: Canadian IBF superbantamweight champion Steve Molitor made his third successful defense of his title Saturday night at Casino Rama near Orillia Ontario when he pounded out a decisive 12 round decision over the game Mexican voluntary challenger Ricardo Castillo. The fight card was attended by a capacity crowd of 5200 in spite of severe snow squalls which blanketed the area all day.This was the third strait sell-out for a Molitor defense at this venue..
The bout was cleanly fought throughout and was only marred by a low blow in the 10th round which cost Castillo a point. It seamed that referee Sam Williams from Detroit was a bit hard on Castillo in this case but it mattered little as Molitor was well in control anyway.
Neither fighter was ever hurt during the bout which was far from one sided in spite of the scorecards which favored Molitor 118-109 on all 3 cards. Castillo kept coming forward,applying pressure but most of the time simply could not solve the superb defenses of the Canadian Kid. Steve would spin Ricardo to the side then counter with rapid combinations to the head and body. He was just too fast and slippery for his Mexican foe.
The only problem Molitor encountered came in the 4th round when an apparent accidental clash of heads caused a bad cut beside and over Steve’s left eye. Williams missed the collision so the danger remained that the fight might be stopped by the cut and Molitor would lose by TKO. His fans need not have worried as Steve protected the cut well and his corner kept things pretty much under control. The cut bled in several rounds but never to the extent that Williams would need to stop the fight or even call in the doctor for a look. In the later rounds another cut appeared on Molitor’s eyelid but this proved no great problem either. In the last 2 rounds Steve,a southpaw, began to have even more success with solid overhand lefts to clinch a clear and impressive victory.
The promoters, Orion Sports, are hoping to bring Molitor back again to Casino Rama in April when he is due to make a mandatory defense. This will depend on how quickly his eye heals. Steve said after the fight that this was the first time he had been cut but he handled this adversity like a true veteran and boxing fans in the area will be looking forward to his next appearance. The win brings his record to 26-0 with 10 KOs.