Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs Luis Castillo Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Murodjon Akhmadaliev has a planned super bout against Japanese sensation Naoya Inoue signed and set for September.

To get there, Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10 KOs) must make sure not to suffer a setback against a gritty Luis Castillo (31-6, 20 KOs) at Domo Alcalde in Guadalajar, Mexico on Friday night.

Akhmadliev would like nothing more than to head into his clash with 'The Monster' Inoue riding a three-fight win streak. He is coming off a third-round TKO of Ricardo Espinoza Franco in December.

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Will Akhmadaliev dominate Castillo toward the mega fight with Inoue? Or will Castillo play spoiler in what would be a significant upset?

With the tension reaching a fever pitch, DAZN News analyzes the keys to victory for both fighters.

Murodjon Akhmadaliev’s keys to victory

Pressure with pace

When pressuring, Murodjon Akhmadaliev tends to set a feverish pace.

And just like that, Akhmadaliev goes from a rather unassuming 5’ 5.5” frame to an imposing force who wears on opponents with unrelenting forward fighting.

This pressure and the pace it creates will be key against Castillo.

Bounce in and out the pocket to dictate the space

In getting inside with brilliant footwork, Akhmadaliev does an excellent job at subtlety bouncing in and out the pocket with great footwork, all while making sure he stays within range.

This movement gives opponents fits as they tend to whiff with punches, paying dearly for their misses by the skilled Uzbek fighter.

Plus, Akhmadaliev is controlling the ring real estate on the inside, stepping into the pocket to unload punches with speed, and slipping back out to avoid harm.

Diversify punches to throw Castillo awry

Akhmadaliev’s diversified punch portfolio often frustrates and confuses opponents so much that they become targets of unsuspected output.

The Uzbek southpaw’s blend of sharp jabs, crunching body shots and hooks come at such a dizzying pace that they leave opponents overwhelmed and tossed into the spin cycle.

Castillo is not a fast puncher and Akhmadaliev’s body attack should slow him down that much further.

Doing this with style in a statement victory is what Akhmadaliev should be aiming for to begin the Inoue buildup with a bang. 

Luis Castillo’s keys to victory

Up the volume

When Marlon Tapales defeated Akhmadaliev by split decision in April 2023, he threw nearly a hundred more punches than the fighter representing Uzbekistan. That high output threw Akhmadaliev out of his rhythm and put him in the unfamiliar spot of being on the opposite end from an aggressor.

Granted Luis Castillo is not Tapales but he could learn something from the Filipino who is responsible for handing Akhmadliev his only pro loss — and that is turning the volume way up.

Castillo might not possess the hand speed, but he has to increase his output to make things hairier on judges’ scorecards.

Resort to the clinch when necessary

Another way to disrupt Akhmadaliev’s rhythm is for Castillo to resort to the clinch when necessary.

Doing this will force Akhmadaliev to reset his offense and could frustrate the former unified junior featherweight world champion as well.

Punching flush in the clinch might even take away some of Akhmadaliev’s bounce in and out of the pocket.

Launch the overhand right

Castillo can get reckless with his overhand right as evidenced by his February 2023 loss to Tomoki Kameda.

Still, it is a heavy-handed weapon for the Mexican fighter and could be a key to a major upset if uncorked at the right time to destructive results.

That said, if Castillo gets a bit too open and careless with the punch, it could leave him open to a sharp counter from Akhmadaliev and his loaded sweet science skills.

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