Bruce Carrington stops Carlos Castro with devastating Round 9 knockout to claim WBC featherweight crown

In a masterclass of controlled aggression and surgical precision, Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington stamped his arrival as a legitimate world title contender Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, stopping veteran Carlos Castro with a brutal knockout in the ninth round to capture the vacant WBC featherweight championship.

BRUCE CARRINGTON KNOCKS OUT CARLOS CASTRO TO WIN THE VACANT WBC FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE pic.twitter.com/vC1QfwIKDA

— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) February 1, 2026

Carrington’s devastating right hand sent Castro to the canvas with authority, and when the Mexican warrior couldn’t beat the count, referee Jon Schorle waved off the contest at 2:34 of Round 9, cementing Carrington’s perfect record at 17-0 while announcing his ascension to world championship status in emphatic fashion.

The 28-year-old Brooklyn native controlled the fight from the opening bell, leveraging his superior footwork, hand speed, and reach advantage to outbox Castro methodically through eight rounds. Carrington’s jab—a weapon he’d established early—proved nearly impossible for the 31-year-old Castro to solve, finding a home consistently and setting up combinations that kept the veteran on the back foot.

While Castro had threatened to make this competitive, particularly with his body work and occasional wild combinations, Carrington was patient and intelligent, allowing the pace to dictate his openings. By the ninth round, however, “Shu Shu” sensed the end was near. A perfectly timed counter right hand caught Castro as he was loading up on his own shot, and the cumulative punishment of eight rounds of Carrington’s superior boxing had drained whatever resistance remained.

“I wanted to be precise and controlled,” Carrington told ESPN ringside immediately after his victory. “I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life. This is just the beginning.”

The triumph represents a seismic shift in the featherweight landscape. Carrington, who earned his shot after capturing the WBC interim title in July 2025 with a dominant unanimous decision over Mateus Heita, has now proven he belongs among the division’s elite. His 17-fight undefeated record now includes 10 victories by knockout—a devastating knockout percentage that should concern every featherweight in the world.

Castro, a 30-3 veteran who’d lost his last three fights against elite competition, entered the ring hoping experience would overcome Carrington’s youth and physical gifts. That gamble fell short.

“I respect what Castro brought tonight, but this was my stage and my time,” Carrington stated, his first world championship belt draped over his shoulder.

Now adorned with the prestigious green belt of the WBC, Carrington’s sights are already set higher. Undefeated WBO champion Rafael Espinoza and Britain’s WBA titleholder Nick Ball represent immediate opportunities for championship unification, while the featherweight division’s crown jewel—Naoya Inoue—looms large in discussions of the sport’s pound-for-pound elite.

For Castro, the knockout represents a difficult chapter in what has been an impressive professional journey. The warrior gave his all against a generational talent on the rise—sometimes that’s simply not enough.

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