Christian Castillo & Paul Kenny To Meet In #1 vs #1 Match At WNO

For the third year in a row, we'll have a #1 vs #1 matchup at 113 lbs at Who's Number One. This time it features Christian Castillo and Paul Kenny.

Aug 16, 2023 by David Bray

Christian Castillo & Paul Kenny To Meet In #1 vs #1 Match At WNO

For the third consecutive year, we'll have a #1 vs #1 matchup at Who's Number One. In 2021 it was Nick Feldman vs Christian Carroll, last year it was Anthony Knox vs Christian Castillo, and this year, Christian Castillo returns to take on U17 World champ Paul Kenny.

Sep 2, 2023, 9:00 PM UTC

2023 Who's Number One

Both Kenny and Castillo have had their biggest moments on the U17 World Championship stage. Kenny is just a freshman, but he's already brought home a World title at 48 kg. He's proven himself domestically as well by beating last year's U17 45 kg World champ Dom Munaretto and this year's Fargo champ Grey Burnett at the U17 World Team Trials. Now, he'll move up a weight class to take on Castillo.

Paul Kenny's U17 World gold medal match

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Like Kenny, Christian Castillo was a U17 World team member this summer. This was Castillo's second appearance at the event. Last year, the Valiant Prep junior brought a silver medal home from the U17 Worlds at 48 kg. Since that time, Castillo has continued to prove himself. In October, he secured a Super 32 belt, and in April, he ran the U17 World Team Trials gauntlet for the second straight year.

Christian Castillo's Super 32 finals victory

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Castillo is currently the #11 ranked prospect in the class of 2025. He projects as a career 125-pounder, and he's considering a wide range of options during the early stages of his recruiting process. Paul Kenny is still two years away from the official start of recruiting conversations. He'll be a freshman this year at Christian Brothers High School in New Jersey.