Mercedes Texas, native Sammy "El Gallo Fino" Castaneda will headline Saturday night's Reyna Promotions card in Corpus Christi. He will put his undefeated record of 10-0-1 (7) on the line against Mexican junior welterweight Julio Chavez in a six-round affair. The 24-year-old prospect has come a long way in a relatively short time. From cheating death and "disappearing from the face of the earth" as his coach James Payton puts it, to being on the verge of something massive.
The Texas boxing community was first introduced to Castaneda in the Texas Golden Gloves when he battled Vergil Ortiz. Ortiz was in the midst of destroying everyone and was having his way with the Rio Grande Valley native. Ortiz dropped him, and it looked like Castaneda was going to be just another man down. However, "El Gallo Fino" got off the canvas and took the fight to Ortiz. He came up just short but gained the respect of everyone and showed the world "he has that dog in him." as Coach Payton says of his fighter. As an amateur the trainer and fighter first met when Payton was training with former world title heavyweight challanger Eric Molina. Castaneda introduced himself and told the coach he was a fighter. Payton said, "he was a polite kid."
The pair met up two years later when Castaneda made his pro debut in Brownsville. Payton encountered Castaneda, who was by himself getting ready for his pro debut and gave him some last-minute encouragement. Castaneda went out there and scored a third-round knockout. The win was overturned by the Texas Commission, and according to Coach Payton Castaneda "fell off the face of the Earth."
That's when the real fight for Castaneda began. He was battling personal demons that nearly ended the fighter for good. "I was out of boxing for 2.5 years, making bad choices, getting arrested, doing drugs, partying a lot, doing stupid things. It's similar to the Tyson Fury thing; he's actually the reason I got back into boxing." Castaneda recalled. Things got out of control for the fighter who cheated death twice. Once he was dead and brought back. Castaneda explains, "I took some stuff the night before. I was going to church with my family, and I ended up collapsing. I hit a brick, my head hit the brick, and I was completely out. An ambulance came, and I woke up in the hospital. I was out for 40 minutes. If I would have hit my head one centimeter in the other direction, I would have been paralyzed from the waist down." He was given a second chance at life, and as Castaneda says, "No one trains harder than someone who should be six feet under" This second chance has served as his motivation.
Castaneda weighed 225 pounds at this time and was going to use his second chance to pursue his passion and get back in the ring. He told his friend and undefeated lightweight prospect Cristian Roman that he was "coming back" Roman passed the message to Coach Payton, and the coach agreed but gave the 225-pound Castaneda an ultimatum. Payton explained, "I knew his past. I told him I had rules here if he missed a day without a valid excuse, don't come back! If you do drugs, don't come back! If you drink, dont come back! If you don't put in the work, dont come back!" The fighter agreed with his trainer's terms and was immediately put to the test. Payton said he was going to "push him to his limits.'' Castaneda was pushed to his outermost limits and began projectile vomiting while hitting the heavy bag for 30 minutes straight. When coach told him he could quit. Castaneda rejected the invitation and started screaming, "I am not gonna quit!! I'm never gonna quit! I'll die for this!" "El Gallo Fino" was going to make the most of his second chance at life. Payton recalls his pupil finished the workout, and the coach thought to himself, "This kid don't break." It was at that point he knew his fighter "had that dog in him." What shocked the coach is the next day, Castaneda beat him to the gym and was waiting for him. Payton jokes, "There must be something wrong with this kid" Castaneda completed an even more daunting workout on day two, and coach knew he was for real and had something special. Payton describes Castaneda as "first in and last out of the gym." The Mercedes native success can be credited to his pressure, volume punching, solid power, surprising hand speed, and athleticism, but it is his hard work that separates him from the pack. The RGV fighter explained his work ethic " If I'm going to die, I'm going to die here [in the gym]. People think I'm crazy. I'll hit the bag 50-60 minutes straight with the weighted vest on....I have the mamba mentality like Kobe" he added.
Castaneda walked into the gym that day at 225 pounds. 50 days later, he weighed 145 and was back in the ring on December 4th, 2020. "El Gallo Fino'' scored a first-round KO in Matamoros, Mexico. He fought four times in 2021, all in Mexico, going 4-0 (3) and running his record to 5-0 (4). Castaneda faced his toughest challenge in Julio Sanchez in December of 2022. The RGV native lost the first round and got dropped in the second on what appeared to be a slip but was ruled a knockdown. Castaneda found himself three points down after two rounds. Three points down with four rounds to go. Castaneda needed to win every single round to get a decision. With his undefeated record very much on the line, there was no panic. "I'm super calm. I told Sammy we were down. We just need to win every round in fashion." Payton explained, "I told Sammy, Close the distance and change lanes." The hard work and determination paid off, and Castaneda dominated the final four rounds to take a unanimous decision. He followed up that points victory with a masterclass performance against Bryan Springs in February, also on a Reyna Promotions card. The kid that was 225 pounds and cheated death twice just two years earlier is now 10-0-1 (7). While there is still work to do, the kid from Mercedes, who isn't supposed to be here, is on the verge of something special. Coach Payton opened up about his fighter's future "I was just talking with his agent Kerry [Daigle]. I truly believe sometime next year, in April or May he will be fighting for something big. We got three more fights lined up for this year. Middle of next year, he'll be fighting for something big." The next stop for Castaneda is The Robstown Fairgrounds in the Corpus Christi area on June 10th against Chavez, a much different opponent than Castaneda has fought in the past. A rugged pressure fighter from Mexico that will look to bring the fight to the Texan. It's another sizeable test for Castaneda. However, as coach Payton says "Hard work beats talent 10 out of 10." Fortunately for Payton and the rest of team Castaneda, their man is not only loaded with talent but a ruggedness and work ethic that is unmatched.