Carrington KOs Castro In Ninth

On offense, Carrington did his job. He pushed the pace, worked the body, and threw combinations with speed. Castro was forced backward during several stretches as Carrington stayed on him and kept the exchanges active.

Defensively, Carrington remained open.

Castro landed punches in most rounds, particularly during exchanges in the center of the ring. Carrington was hit while throwing and again after his combinations ended, allowing Castro to stay engaged rather than being shut down.

That pattern repeated itself. Carrington would press forward and build offense, then take clean shots coming back. The fight never settled into a stretch where Carrington controlled both the pace and the exchanges at the same time.

Castro stayed competitive because of it. He landed enough offense to keep rounds close and forced Carrington into extended exchanges rather than brief ones. The scorecards were not academic until the stoppage arrived.

Carrington ended the fight in the ninth round. After sustained pressure, he pinned Castro down and let his hands go, landing a clean sequence that dropped him hard. The referee stepped in to stop the contest.

The knockout was well-timed, and brutal. It secured Carrington the WBC title and gave the Garden crowd the finish it wanted.

The performance as a whole was harder to sell.

Carrington is now a champion, but the version of him that showed up Friday night is not one that forces other titleholders at featherweight into hesitation. He can attack. He can finish. He did not consistently shorten exchanges or limit return fire.

The belt is his. The questions remain.

Winning a title is one thing. Holding it against fighters who punish defensive mistakes without needing nine rounds is another.

Carrington passed the test that was put in front of him. He did not pass a harder one that will come next.