The September 15, 2000, rematch between Jose Luis Castillo and Stevie Johnston at Denver's Pepsi Center produced one of boxing's most unusual scoring controversies. Three months after their first encounter, Castillo claimed Johnston's WBC lightweight title in Ring Magazine's "Upset of the Year," the two met again in Johnston's hometown.
The ESPN Friday Night Fights broadcast witnessed a competitive bout that generated near-identical punch statistics: Castillo landed 195 of 1097 punches (18%), while Johnston connected with 208 of 886 (23%). ESPN analyst Scott LeDoux scored the contest 115-115.
Under referee Richard Steele's supervision, the fight went to the scorecards, with the judges playing a crucial role in the outcome. Initially, Johnston was declared the winner by a majority vote. However, a subsequent review of Judge Ken Morita's scorecard revealed a mathematical error - his 115-114 for Johnston should have been 114-114. This correction, alongside Daniel Van de Wiele's 115-114 for Johnston and John Keane's 114-114, resulted in a majority draw, showcasing the judges' influence on the match.
The unusual situation culminated with Johnston visiting Castillo's dressing room to return the championship belt after the scoring correction was made.
The event, promoted by Top Rank's Bob Arum with Michael Buffer as ring announcer, marked Johnston's final opportunity to regain his title, making the scoring correction all the more poignant.
