As hard as he worked to win the title, Patrick Teixeira takes offense to any claim that he’s trying to protect his reign in any way.
The reigning junior middleweight titlist is in limbo regarding his first title defense. Brazil’s Teixeira (33-1, 22KOs) has been ordered to make a mandatory title defense versus Argentina’s Brian Castano (16-0-1, 12KOs), with Golden Boy Promotions—Teixeira’s promoter—on the hook to deliver a fight date and location to the World Boxing Organization (WBO), or a reason why the fight can’t happen in a timely fashion.
The threat of a purse bid looms in the event that Golden Boy is unable to deliver on those terms.
Castano and his team have openly questioned when the fight will take place, as previously reported by BoxingScene.com. The unbeaten former titlist has made his way to the United States to avoid any potentials issues that have come with international travel during the pandemic.
His counterpart isn’t quite afforded the same luxury.
Brazil has undergone a massive increase in positive COVID-19 test cases and with the current travel alert set to Level Four (“Do Not Travel”). Given that, bringing Teixeira to the U.S. remains a delicate situation.
“Golden Boy Promotions and I are not to blame for what is happening in my country,” Teixeira told BoxingScene.com. “The Covid got in the way of a lot. I have been training and preparing to fight Castaño for a long time. We never refuse the fight. We had a date and everything was confirmed. On account of Covid, [the fight] was canceled.”
The bout was originally due to take place April 25 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, to stream live on DAZN. The event was shut down due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, although Golden Boy has since set up shop at the venue in running closed-doors boxing events since July.
As per the order from the WBO, Golden Boy was prepared to inform the sanctioning body of the bout once again landing at this venue in December. However, the uncertainty of Teixeira being able to travel abroad—as well as whether he will be granted re-entry into Brazil afterward, given the current spike—leaves the promotional outfit up against an unpleasant deadline, and a defending titlist feeling powerless outside the ropes.
“I’ve been waiting for this situation to normalize so that the consulate can open and I get my visa,” insists Teixeira, who claimed the belt with a 12-round win over unbeaten Carlos Adames last November.. “I don’t want to be a champion in recess, and I will also not lose my title due to the virus.
“We and our lawyers are trying everything to get this visa. I think the WBO should authorize an interim fight for Brian Castano and number two, and not a purse bid. The winner would fight with me next. This just makes me more willing to demonstrate that Brazil is better than Argentina.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox