Kendo Castaneda and Antonio Moran began the year uncertain of the next move in their respective careers.
Their 2022 campaigns now end with each fighting for a third time and within a win of a $50,000 bonus.
Both boxers made weight for their ProBox TV headliner (Friday, 9:00 p.m. ET) at Whitesands Event Center in Plant City, Florida. Castaneda was 140 pounds, while Moran was 140.2 pounds for their scheduled ten-round junior welterweight bout which serves as the Last Chance Tournament final.
The ProBox exclusive tournament began with the May 20 show, with eight boxers uncertain of their next move. Castaneda and Moran have posted two wins each to advance to the final round, after having endured lengthy losing streaks heading into the year.
San Antonio’s Castaneda (19-5, 9KOs) lost four in a row dating back to February 2020 before scoring a first-round knockout of Sonny Fredrickson in the May 20 quarterfinal round of the tournament. Mexico City’s Moran (28-5-1, 19KOs) outpointed Jeffrey Torres over eight rounds on the same show, rebounding from a lopsided loss to unbeaten contender Arnold Barboza Jr. last August 14 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Moran made it out of the semifinals following an upset win over Michael Dutchover in their ten-round bout on August 5. The same card saw the 28-year-old Castaneda outpoint Joseph Fernandez by scores of 96-94 on all three scorecards.
Friday’s winner will claim the tournament grand prize and very likely land a lucrative opportunity in the year ahead.
The entirety of the tournament has taken place at Whitesands Events Center, which serves as the headquarters and venue of choice for all U.S. based ProBox cards. The series also regularly holds shows in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Cancun, Mexico.
Below are the weights for the rest of the undercard.
Juan Huertas (16-3-1, 12KOs), Panama City, Panama, 134.7 pounds vs. Miguel Madueno (27-1, 25KOs), Gusave, Mexico, 135 pounds—10 rounds, lightweight
Carlos Rosario (5-0, 3KOs), Fajardo, Puerto Rico, 134 pounds vs. Ezequiel Borrero (5-0, 2KOs), Las Vegas, 134 pounds—6 rounds, lightweight
Dominic Valle (4-0, 4KOs), Lutz, Florida, 129.2 pounds vs. Jose Meza (8-7, 2KOs), Durango, Mexico, 130.4 pounds—6 rounds, junior lightweight
Daniel Blancas (3-0, 1KO), Milwaukee, 167.2 pounds vs. Carlos Cruz (2-7, 1KO), Sandino, Nicaragua, 164.2 pounds—4 rounds, super middleweight
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox