By Joseph Santoliquito

Two of boxing’s elite lay it all on the line for the undisputed 154-pound crown in a thrilling back-and-forth battle Saturday night on PBC on SHOWTIME.

The outcome wasn’t preferred but what led to it is something everyone would want to see again.

Jermell Charlo landed a number of beautiful shots on Brian Castaño. The Argentinean wouldn’t go away. In fact, Castaño kept coming forward. At stake for both fighters was history—becoming the first undisputed 154-pound champion in the four-belt era.

On Saturday night, on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing from the AT&T Center in San Antonio in a Premier Boxing Champions event, neither Charlo, the IBF, WBA and WBC super welterweight world champion, nor Castaño, the WBO 154-pound king, came away satisfied with a split-decision draw.

But the fans did.

Judge Steve Weisfeld had 114-113 for Castaño, while Nelson Vazquez had it 117-111 for Charlo and Tim Cheatham scored it 114-114 in a great back-and-forth fight.

The last undisputed super welterweight world champion was Hall of Famer Winky Wright, who held that distinction after upsetting another Hall of Famer, Shane Mosley, in 2004.

“The draw isn’t what I wanted to hear,” Charlo said. “If anything, I won this fight. I hurt him way more than he did me. Brian Castaño is a tough warrior. He’ll give a lot of people problems, but like I said my power is something serious in this weight division.

“My coach (Derrick James) told me I needed the knockout in the ninth round and I just knew he knew what he was talking about. I trust my coach. This come with boxing – wins, losses and draws.

“He threw a hell of a lot of punches. My skills and my ability and my power – I felt like I won this fight and I deserve to be going home undisputed. I am glad to have fought for undisputed. It’s different. I still hold my titles. I can’t wait to get home to my babies, take a break from boxing and then get back to the drawing board and see what’s next.

“I want to be undisputed. That’s what I want. That’s my destiny.”

Castaño (17-0-2, 12 KOs) did well in the first round, pushing Charlo (34-1-1, 18 KOs) back in the corner. But it also seemed like Charlo was waiting and reading Castaño. It didn’t take long for Charlo to figure Castaño out. By the second, he did. With 1:49 left in the round, Charlo nailed with a counter left hook and Castaño was reeling backward and in trouble.

“I won the fight,” Castaño said. “There were some rounds where he hit me hard. I was hurt in the 10th round and I had to recoup. Same with the beginning of the 11th round. But I did enough to win this fight. I hope I get the rematch. He is a great fighter. I need the rematch.”

However, in the third, it was Castaño who sent Charlo’s eyes rolling back, buckling his knees with a left hook to the jaw with :08 left. It was a fusillade that was enough to win the round for Castaño.

In the fourth, Castaño’s pressure ruled the round. He had Charlo pinned against the ropes, as Charlo got ready to go out for the fifth, James told him, “You’re giving rounds away, J.”

By the sixth, Castaño again had Charlo against the ropes and was landing quality shots. Charlo worked well off the ropes in the seventh, and in eighth, Charlo brought the fight to the center of the ring. He worked his jab and landed a right in the final 10 seconds of the round.

Charlo went back to fighting off the ropes in the ninth, and immediately on his return to the corner, James quickly reminded him, “You’re not listening, you’re not listening, you cannot back up. You’re giving him courage.”

It began reaching a critical stage for Charlo.

That urgency manifested in the 10th. With 1:40 left, Charlo came charging forward with a left hand followed by a right that had Castaño retreating. Charlo slammed Castaño with blunt lefts to the body. Castaño bore the brunt of Charlo’s attack. The round easily went to Charlo.

In the 11th, Castaño went back to pressing Charlo who boxed from the outside.

Before he walked out for the 12th, James told Charlo he had “knock him out, you gotta knock him out.”

Charlo nailed Castaño with the jab and a counter right, but Castaño nailed Charlo with a left hook on the chin with 1:22 left in the round. Charlo closed with a right square on Castaño’s face, though when the last bell sounded, it was debatable who won.

The fight was close enough—and certainly good enough—to hit the reset button and play again.