The world of boxing was thrown into mourning following the announcement that the legendary Diego "Chico" Coralles had expired on May 7th 2007 AD in Las Vegas Nevada. Corrales died from the multiple injuries he sustained after the motor cycle he was riding crashed into the rear of a car ahead of him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His professional record remains frozen at 45 fights with 40 wins including stopping 33 of his opponents inside the distance, he lost five fights and his dare devil aggression even in the face of defeat prevented any draws in his career. Mouths still widen in amazement when it was discovered that he was only 29 years old.
One of the toughest fighters to ever lace up a pair of gloves, he first captured the IBA Continental Super Featherweight Title in 1997, he went unbeaten in eleven successive fights afterwards before seizing the highly coveted IBF Super Featherweight Title from Roberto Garcia in 1999. He defended his IBA and IBF successfully against Derrick Gainer and Angel Manfredo along the way before suffering a defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather in a battle for supremacy in the division. In that fight he had all his cannons loaded and ready to fire but they elusive Mayweather beat him to the punch and landed the first strikes that sent Corrales to the canvas five times, forcing camp Corrales to throw in the towel despite his violent protestations.
Undeterred, he went unbeaten in his next four fights before cuts forced a stoppage in hostilities with Joel Casamayor in the sixth round. He recovered and avenged that loss in a rematch after 12 hard rounds which was doubly rewarding to him as he captured the vacant WBO and IBA Super Featherweight Titles.
In his very next fight he stepped up in weight and brutalized the once invincible Acelino Freitas, forcing the previously undefeated and proud reigning champion to quit the fight at the end of the tenth rounds, and Corrales added the WBO Lightweight crown to his already sizeable collection of championship trophies.
In his very next fight he engaged the dangerous WBA King Jose Luis Castillo in another battle for supremacy in the Lightweight Division. The Corralles vs Castillo war of 2003 was a slugfest of monumental proportions and will forever stand in the annals of the sweet science as an epic story of courage and dogged tenacity as Chico virtually snatched victory from the jaws of defeat after multiple flash knockdowns to return fire and savagely stop Castillo against the ropes in the 10th round. Boxing scribes, fans and historians have variously declared that saga, the fight of the year and the round of the year for 2003, and it will certainly rank as one of the top ten fights of the decade.
Seemingly drained from these bloody and brutal campaigns he lost his next three fights including the rematch to Castillo to the despair of his teaming mass of fans. He promised to go back to the drawing board for another campaign despite the rumbles for him to hang up his gloves or to take an extended vacation from the squared circle.
His mind perhaps filled with thoughts of another victorious return to the ring and the sound of his adoring fans clouded his vision for a split second before he collided with the vehicle ahead of him, and now we are mourning our departed warrior king, but no matter what the coroner says, Corrales lives on because I just hit the rewind button to relive the 10th round yet again.
Diego was about impossible to not like and admire as a fighter, and as a human being...he was quite 'flawed' to be certain...but for some reason I couldn't help but like him in that capacity as well.
( * I met Corrales very briefly when in the San Francisco area in 2000, but I did not at all know him personally. But he just came across as a very good-hearted and likeable guy, despite his undeniable flaws...)
I caught the replay of Corrales/Castillo on ESPN Classic........When I saw that it was going to be shown, I remembed the fight very well and the ending......what a brawl! I had the opportunity and honor to referee what may have been his first championship.......it was in Baton Rouge, LA for a "Boxcino" championship. Meeting him then and having him box in the bayou area found that he was very good and a boxer destined for greater things.........He was a very personable young man who every one liked. He was a fighter, who with his warrior attitude in the ring, exemplied what fans want and also what the sport needs. He certainly was entertaining. God bless him.
Mr.Adolph, I caught that fight again recently as well...and it was just simply breathtaking. My own personal favorite round of a fight would probably have to be round 10 of Holyfield-Bowe, but as far as fights (as a whole) go...I don't know if I've ever seen one better than Corrales-Castillo. They just simply don't get much better than that one, if at all. Even those in their 80's and 90's were using superlatives in describing that one. It had all the classic elements: Action; ebb and flow; drama; and even a slight touch of controversy!
Bizzack, I heard a comment about the possibility of controversybecauseofwhen Tony Weeksstopped the fightbut I can tell you in my experience and observationitcould nothave been stopped any better.....sure, he got offof the canvas twice but he was consideredable to return in Weeks evaluation. The only "bit" of controversywould be the replacing of the mouthpieceafter the knockdown and spitting it outand;not beingpenalizedbut therule is to take the boxer and have it put back into the boxers mouth. Asanadvantageto Corrales he got some time to recover.I don't like the rule as I believe it penalizes the boxer who has his opponent hurt and could finishhim if not giving time for replacing the mouthpiece. The reason I don't like the rule is that it is not consistant with the mechanics of replacing a mouthpiece when it becomes dislodged during action and a referee must wait for a lull in the fight before stopping the bout to replace it.I have always contended that if referees are going to adhere to the first rule of safety of a boxer then I contend that thebout should be stopped immediatelyto replace the mouthpieceon every occasion when it is dislodged.Sorry for the words together but I can't preview and correct before sending.Weeks did a great job in the call as Castillo was hurt bad.
Bizzack, I heard a comment about the possibility of controversybecauseofwhen Tony Weeksstopped the fightbut I can tell you in my experience and observationitcould nothave been stopped any better.....sure, he got offof the canvas twice but he was consideredable to return in Weeks evaluation. The only "bit" of controversywould be the replacing of the mouthpieceafter the knockdown and spitting it outand;not beingpenalizedbut therule is to take the boxer and have it put back into the boxers mouth. Asanadvantageto Corrales he got some time to recover.I don't like the rule as I believe it penalizes the boxer who has his opponent hurt and could finishhim if not giving time for replacing the mouthpiece. The reason I don't like the rule is that it is not consistant with the mechanics of replacing a mouthpiece when it becomes dislodged during action and a referee must wait for a lull in the fight before stopping the bout to replace it.I have always contended that if referees are going to adhere to the first rule of safety of a boxer then I contend that thebout should be stopped immediatelyto replace the mouthpieceon every occasion when it is dislodged.Sorry for the words together but I can't preview and correct before sending.Weeks did a great job in the call as Castillo was hurt bad.
Elegantel - I could not agree more, especially as it pertains to Weeks. I thought there was NO controversy whatsoever about the stoppage, and while there was a bit of minor controversy with the mouthpiece -- that was certainly not Weeks's fault. I thought he did the right thing by letting Diego continue, he did the right thing by penalizing him, and he did the right thing by stopping the fight.
The more I think about it...Weeks should get even MORE credit for his part in that classic fight: He could not have done a better job in my opinion.
( * That being said, if Diego had NOT gotten those added seconds, would I think he would have won? I have to be honest -- I think his chances would have been less than 50%. But that truly shouldn't detract at all from that fight; it was just a truly great fight and moment for all. )
Bizzack,
