LOS ANGELES – The second the word “war” left Brian Castano’s mouth during their press conference Thursday, an energetic Jermell Charlo cued up his armed forces references.

“Well, USA has the best military in the world,” Charlo said. “And we got the best artillery and the best defensive mechanisms. So, there’s nothing that this Argentinean will be able to do when Jermell Charlo comes and drops them bombs on him!”

Charlo’s nationalism evoked a loud response from his supporters in the crowd at The Westin Los Angeles Airport. Castano’s crew of Argentinean fans had been vocal throughout the press conference for their rematch Saturday night at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, which antagonized Houston’s Charlo.

“Hey, we fittin’ to represent,” Charlo exclaimed. “This USA versus Argentina. Yes, it is! Y’all wanna be loud, you in America! You in my sh!t! You in my land, baby! This my land! This my time! Don’t start that sh!t now! Don’t get scared now! This my time, p-ssy! This my time! This our land! You ain’t takin’ sh!t from us!”

Buenos Aires’ Castano contended earlier in their press conference that he doesn’t view their second 154-pound title unification fight as anything resembling a battle between their countries.

“First of all, let me make something very clear – this is not a U.S. versus Argentina thing,” said Castano, who trains in the Los Angeles area. “I’m really thankful for the fact that this country has embraced me and allows me to perform my craft here. And this is not an international battle between me and Charlo. This is two great fighters going up against each other. And I love this country, and the opportunities that it’s given me.”

Later, however, Castano’s military euphemism set off Charlo.

“You’re gonna see a war, electrifying stuff,” Castano said. “The way that we’ve been spicing this up, we’re guaranteeing a spectacle. And you’re not gonna wanna miss it.”

Showtime will televise the 12-round rematch between Castano (17-0-2, 12 KOs), the WBO champion, and Charlo (34-1-1, 18 KOs), who owns the IBF, WBA and WBC belts, as the main event of a three-bout broadcast scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET. Unless their second fight results in another draw or a no-contest, the winner will become just the seventh fully unified champion in any division during boxing’s four-belt era.

Their first fight resulted in a controversial split draw last July 17 at AT&T Center in San Antonio. Charlo, who avenged his lone loss by knocking out Tony Harrison in the 11th round of their rematch in December 2019, is slightly more than a 2-1 favorite, according to Caesars Sportsbook.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.