By Jake Donovan

It's been a long ten months for Victor Castro, who has watched fights fall through while growing stale on the sidelines. The 22-year old gets to ditch his cabin fever as he returns to the ring Saturday evening, fighting on the undercard of a UniMas televised show live from Phoenix, Arizona.

The local lightweight prospect will face Pablo Becerra (7-5, 6KOs) in a scheduled six-round affair at Celebrity Theater in Phoenix, Arizona.

"It's been a good amount of time since I've seen the ring, so I'm happy and excited," Castro said of the hometown showcase. "It's a fight, first of all, so that's good enough. The circumstances for my inactivity - one fight falling through two days before the show, for example, have been frustrating. But I've stayed sharp and am ready to put on a show."

Aiding his cause is famed former two-time World super bantamweight king Israel Vazquez, who serves as his chief second.

The two couldn't be more opposite in their own fighting styles. Vazquez was a vicious puncher-boxer, who was never keen on defense, aside from blocking punches with his face. The tactic led to two memorable title reigns, including back-to-back Fight of the Year entrants with wins over Rafael Marquez in their 2007 rematch and 2008 rubber match. 

Castro fights nothing like his mentor, as he is a thinking man's fighter, though not afraid to mix it up. The style has worked, and to Vazquez' credit he has only tried to improve it rather than change it.

"It's an honor for me to work with such a legend of the sport," said Castro. "He talks a lot, shares his experiences, what works and what we can do better.

"Never once has he asked me to fight more like him. They always say that great fighters make the worst trainers because they expect their fighters to be like them. Israel is not like that. He recognizes my strengths, and builds on that. He knows that I'm not the next Israel Vazquez; I'm the first Victor Castro."

He gets the chance to make a name for himself in front of the UniMas cameras, the perfect audition for what he hopes is a launching pad towards a title shot down the road. 

"I would like to fight at least two more times before the end of the year," Castro suggests, anxious to make up for lost time. "As long as I can get my ring activity back, I intend to fight for a title within two years, either at lightweight (135 lb.) or 140 lb."

Saturday's bout takes place at a catchweight of 137 lb., which is the weight Castro has spent most of his young career. 

The show is headlined by a welterweight bout between unbeaten Konstantin Ponomarev and battle-tested Cosme Rivera. The fight was elevated to the headlining act after unbeaten Andy Ruiz withdrew from the show, citing personal reasons.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox