Corrales-Castillo I revisited

[Wheelchair]

FIVE years ago, Diego “Chico” Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo endured 10 rounds that will remain in boxing's history books.

 

There were empty seats at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas that evening. In hindsight it seems remarkable that this fight was not sold out but Corrales and Castillo were not marquee names. They were not fighters that everyone knew. This fight would change that.

 

“Chico” looked to use his left jab early on. But boxing from the outside was a tactic he used sparingly throughout the contest. Had Corrales decided not to fight Castillo's fight it could have been an easier night's work for him. Before long both gladiators chose to stick to each other like glue. Castillo was rough on the inside but Corrales was not deterred. He absorbed hooks to the body but gave as good as he got. In the last 20 seconds of the round they exchanged their first toe-to-toe blows. The first three minutes ended with a touch of the gloves.

 

Barely a yard separated them at times. Heads were tucked down with every ounce of their will and strength being used to push one another onto the back foot. But neither would back down. For every brutal uppercut Castillo landed, his relentless foe would snap one-twos back.

 

With the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez looking on, the crowd rose to their feet almost every time one of those uppercuts tilted Corrales' head to the skies. Corrales’ better work came in bursts of face-smacking combinations, Castillo’s in single shots, most notably thudding hooks to the body.

 

At times it seemed like the jab had never been invented, as each warrior fought fire with fire. The audience shouted “Chico, Chico” as his handspeed became a factor in the third. But Castillo’s uppercuts answered everything. Towards the end of the round he began picking off his adversary. But Corrales did not cover up. If the plan for Diego was to prove how macho he was, then it was working for all who witnessed it.

 

Throughout Jose Luis’ career none of his 59 opponents had ever stopped Castillo or even put him on the canvas. In the fourth, as each man took another rapid fire one-two, they tucked their chins back down and went inside for more.

 

Referee Tony Weeks did a terrific job in allowing this battle of wills to carry on in this way. He rarely had to split them and, despite the odd rabbit punch and low blow, both men made it a straightforward fight to handle.

 

When the fight entered its second half it looked like Castillo was becoming the stronger. Corrales’ punches seemed a fraction slower. But this in-fighting clinic continued for everyone watching. In the sixth Castillo got to his man in the last 20 seconds. Diego waved him on, inviting more punishment as he was staggered, stopped in his tracks, but the bell saved him.

 

Both men showed the marks of boxing warfare. Castillo was badly cut and bloodied. Corrales had a nasty swelling on his left eye. At the end of the seventh Joe Goossen, trainer of Corrales, told him, “It's all balls now.” His pupil came out like a machine gun, throwing a six-punch combination to show he was not going away any time soon. The crowd rose to their feet once again.

 

By this stage the punches were even more eye-catching than before. Combinations were exchanged. The gumshield of Corrales was literally punched out by the savagery of Castillo. But Corrales rallied once again and landed a massive left hook that put a stop to Castillo’s work. Thankfully for him the bell also put an end to the round of the contest so far.

 

Prior to this bout Diego Corrales had been dropped to the floor eight times. Five can be attributed to Floyd Mayweather Jnr. But so far in this epic his spirit had soaked up every blow landed. And he always came back for more.

 

But in the 10th and what would be the final round of this war, he visited the canvas a couple more times. A short, jolting left hook planted on his previously unbreakable chin saw him sink to the ground. But with his mouthpiece out he rose to his feet at the eight-count in true ‘Rocky’ style. Another couple of left hands though dropped him once more. This time he spat his gumshield out. Yet again, remarkably, he climbed to his feet. A new mouthpiece was given to him and he carried on once again. Surely a part of Castillo's will broke at what he saw.

 

With one big left hand Corrales finally wobbled his unforgiving foe. Allied with a vast amount of savage punches, referee Weeks rightly stepped in to save the seemingly lifeless Castillo.

 

Corrales summed it up honourably: “I wanted to prove my will and that I was a true warrior. I'm a great warrior and a great champion. It was an honour to be a part of the fight.”

 

http://www.boxingnewsonline.net/BN08/detail.asp?id=1731

[Wheelchair]

Personally, I thought that Corrales should have been Dq'd for spitting out the gumshield. Still Castillo got revenge in the second fight.