How we will miss Ruben Castillo

Effervescent, irrepressible, blessed with a tremendous sense of humour plus unforgettable, generous kindness and touching humanity, we`ve lost the Great Ruben Castillo at the age of just sixty- eight.

This is no age to depart this world, but by God, Ruben left his mark. Everyone who ever met Ruben smiles and cherishes the priceless memories, for he tried his utmost in the ring and then he was a marvelous and constant friend outside of it. Ruben was such fun. A rebel with a cause. Boxing is not just winning and losing. It`s how you fight and what you input, which forms you into a legend. The essence of being competitive. A warrior of the ring.

In today`s boxing Ruben would certainly be a world Champion. He had the misfortune to be fighting in a golden era, during which he fearlessly took on and lost to Salvador Sanchez and Juan LaPorte on points, and was stopped by Alexis Arguello and Julio Cesar Chavez. Typical of Ruben that he became great friends with Julio and Juan became his best friend. Together they laughed and joked and shared marvelous times. The best of times. Ruben teared up remembering how Juan was there by his side, arm in arm and hand in hand to comfort him when Ruben`s daughter Misty died. Being there counts!

In a pro career of 67-10-2, 35 KO`s which spanned 1975-1997, Ruben who swept into the pro ranks aged just seventeen, fought an extraordinary 540 rounds. Not one of them was dull. In each, he fought his utmost, with technical brilliance, guile, skill, but also and significantly with tremendous guts and iron willpower. Ruben tried and then tried even harder. He was a fan- favorite. Those fans adored him, instinctively knowing in their bones and in their hearts and souls, that he gave his absolute all. By golly, he earned his fanbase.

Ruben stressed that his fight against Julio Cesar Chavez was certainly his hardest and most demanding. Julio has just won the WBC super-featherweight title and aged just twenty-two, was bristling with power, energy and battering ram punching. Julio came into this fight with a record of 44-0, while Ruben sauntered in at 64-5-2. After the fight, a rueful Ruben told Promoter Don king that JC was going places. How prophetic. Don clamored for a rematch to which Ruben characteristically insisted that he didn`t want to be in the same ring, stadium, City or State ever again. He cheekily suggested that Don King should chance his arm and take on Chavez if he was that keen!

For the first four rounds, Ruben held his own and boxed beautifully. But even at this tender age, Chavez showed his prodigious talent as a pressure fighter. He didn`t give Ruben a moment of respite, much less a second to breathe. In round four, two hard and precise right crosses, open a small but deep cut on Ruben`s left eyelid. Then a left hook landed on Ruben`s right cheekbone fracturing it. Typical of Ruben and with bravado, he audaciously waved Julio on and dared Julio to do his worst/best. Julio needed no second invitation, or provocation.

By round six the tide had irreversibly turned. A avalanche flurry put Ruben down and try as he might he couldn`t beat the count. Ruben remembers with a chuckle, softened by the years, that the slight problem was that he couldn`t feel his legs, or for that matter anything else below the waist. Instead of boxing and being boring, he had attacked, throwing clusters of punches, the dice and everything including the kitchen sink, knowing he`d go out his shield, but with all guns blazing. In so doing, he`d also suffered two broken ribs!

A brilliant and expert Television analyst, Ruben introduced fight fans to his knowledge and razor sharp wit, liberally peppering them with his engaging character, jokes and giant character. Stern he wasn`t. Fun he was! The father of six children and married to Cindy, he was a wonderful husband, dad and a valued, unforgettable friend.

Living in California and with Julio Cesar Chavez living close by in Tijuana, they often enjoyed dinner together and Julio who had overcame his battles outside the ring, introduced Ruben to The Bible. It was impossible not to savour, laugh and cherish Julio and Ruben as well as Juan LaPorte and Ruben together. They were pure undistilled magic. Characteristic character!

Ruben was blessed with the God given gift of triggering and eliciting laughter, via character, friendship, inspiration and sheer greatness. Oh how we are going to miss him, how the tears are now falling, but we thank God for his life and all he generously and unstintingly gave us. Ruben was boxing, but he was also so much more than that.

Rest easy our forever friend. We will NEVER forget you. I just know you`re going to make God laugh with your wonderful rib-ticklers.