Everything was set for Robinson Castellanos to bounce back from a 13-month layoff and get back to being a contender at 130 pounds, but a quick stoppage loss in Russia changed plans.
Castellanos was dropped a total of four times in less than two rounds by Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in Russia. In just his 13th fight, Rakhimov got the biggest win of his career against Castellanos, retaining his IBO super featherweight title.
From the start of the fight, it was obvious that Rakhimov would be the aggressor between the two, wasting no time moving forward and throwing body punches. After Rakhimov slipped and fell to the canvas, Rakhimov quickly knocked down Castellanos with a body shot. The second round proved to be even more daunting for Castellanos as he was knocked down three more times with the third knockdown, and fourth overall, being the one where Alexander Kalinkin decided to end the fight before Castellanos had a chance to get back up to continue.
This was Rakhimov's second defense of the IBO title since winning the title last September with a unanimous decision win over Emanuel Lopez. The 24-year-old Rakhimov now sports a 13-0 record as a pro with 10 knockout victories.
For Castellanos, his future is unclear. At 36 years old, Castellanos has not won a fight since defeating Yuriorkis Gamboa in May 2017. Before the loss to Rakhimov, Castellanos' last time out was a WBA super featherweight title fight against then-champion Jezreel Corrales on an HBO boxing card in August 2017.