You like speed, power, precision punching, fancy footwork and granite chins? Sergey Lipinets and Walter Castillo provided all that and more—and that’s just in the first 30 seconds of the third round of their entertaining 140-pound brawl this past summer.
12 Rounds of Christmas 2016: Round 3
Coming into the July 15 clash in Tunica, Mississippi, Walter Castillo had a healthy edge in experience over Sergey Lipinets, with nearly three times as many professional fights under his belt. But with seven knockouts in nine career fights heading into the bout, the Kazakhstan-born Lipinets clearly possessed anvils for fists.
Lipinets began dropping those anvils on Castillo moments after the opening bell sounded to begin this round—and he did so from every conceivable angle. But Castillo, a native of Nicaragua, absorbed every thunder bolt to the head and body, marched forward and fired back some big blows of his own.
A former kickboxing champion, Lipinets got the better of the exchanges in the round, even splitting Castillo’s lip with one particularly heavy power shot. But while Lipinets eventually wore down his opponent en route to gaining a seventh-round TKO, Castillo proved he could give as good as he took—especially in an action-packed Round 3.
For a complete recap of Lipinets vs Castillo, visit our fight page. And to view this year’s 12 Rounds of Christmas series, head over to our video page.
