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12-year-old Romina “La Bambita” Castan was supposed to make her professional boxing debut this past weekend. And she would have, if the president of the World Boxing Council (WBC) didn’t put a stop to it.
Castan, from Mexico, was supposed to fight on Saturday. The boxing match was being hyped as setting new Guinness world record for the youngest professional boxer in history. Castan has been boxing since the age of six and reportedly has won 50 fights over the past six years. Her father, Isaac “Bamba” Castan, was also a boxer.
Prior to the fight, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman wrote on X (Twitter), “The WBC is absolutely against a proposed fight in which a 12 year old girl is to make her pro debut in Veracruz, Mexico. I personally called the promoter and he is dealing with the fighters father who is making all kinds of threats. I will do everything possible to stop this from happening,” adding in Spanish, “We categorically reject this 12-year-old girl’s professional debut! We all thought it was a joke! We will fight to the bitter end to stop this atrocity.”
Later that same day, he wrote on X, “I’m happy to inform that 12 year old Romina Castan will not fight tomorrow. The WBC will guide her father and support her amateur career.”
Romina Castan, who has been nicknamed “The Female Canelo,” was supposed to be making her pro boxing debut in a four-round bout at atom weight for Gustavo Atilano Ramírez and his Tigres Boxing Promotion against 21-year-old Guadalupe Medina (10-0), who was a late fill-in for 16-year-old Adbeel Jaanai Cruz (0-1).
“At the boxing level, I think the contest will be very even, and I feel that Romina’s training will keep her afloat,” Essentially Sports reports Castan’s promoter said before the fight was cancelled. “And well, let’s hope that the victory is also given, so that she debuts on the right foot.”
Fighters in the United States are not allowed to turn pro until the age of 18. However, other countries, such as Mexico, have no such rules. Famously, now 35-year-old Canelo Alvarez (63-2-2) made his professional boxing debut in Mexico at the age of 15 in 2005.