07.05.05 – By Frank Gonzalez Jr.: Richard Steele was there. Julio Caesar Chavez was there. And though Meldrick Taylor was nowhere in sight, his spirit had to be hovering around the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas Saturday night at the conclusion of the “Chico” Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo (photo: Tom Casino/Showtime) battle for the WBC and WBO Lightweight Titles.
Though Richard Steele refereed the overshadowed Featherweight Champion, JM Marquez’ near shut out over Victor Polo on the under card, Tony Weeks, the uncontroversial, consummate professional, would referee this one. Weeks did his job well in this fight-though some may disagree with how it ended.
While Castillo vs. Corrales (1) appeared to some to end in controversy, it really didn’t. It was a back and forth battle for nine action packed rounds, with both winning in parts and neither dominating the other for anything longer than a few seconds at a time. From the opening bell, this fight was a war that could have taken place in a phone booth..
Corrales opted to fight Castillo on Castillo’s terms and was having success on the inside with short hook shots and bodywork. You’d think with Diego’s long arms and reach he would have preferred to keep things on the outside and utilize his length but he chose to battle Castillo on the inside, where Castillo is known to have the advantage.
Both guys were landing lots of clean punches and it was hard to score many of the rounds. Castillo suffered a nasty gash over his left eye from a head butt by the end of the fourth round but his cut man was able to keep the bleeding under control. Castillo was successfully landing shots to the body, upper cuts to Corrales’ chin, hooking from both sides and turning Diego’s face to a black and blue pulp by the late rounds. Corrales left eye was a swollen like a bubble and damn near shut by the time the tenth round arrived.
Whatever controversy may linger about the stoppage in the tenth round, all could have been averted had Castillo simply taken a knee in that troublesome moment along the ropes in that fateful tenth round. It would have given him enough time to gather himself and continue into round 11. Had he spit out his mouthpiece, as Corrales did when he was downed, he might’ve gained a few extra seconds to recover just as Corrales did.
After being warned for low blows twice in the ninth round, Castillo opened the tenth with a sharp left uppercut to Corrales chin that dropped him to the canvas. Diego lost his mouthpiece and took some extra time after the count to have his corner replace the mouthpiece.
When action resumed, Castillo landed another left uppercut that again put Corrales down for a second time. This time Diego purposely removed his mouthpiece while down. As he rose, at the count of nine, Corrales was penalized a point (with no prior warning), for intentionally spitting out his mouthpiece.
Corrales was on shaky ground but he ignored his pain and threw punches. He took a few more good shots from Castillo in the process but eventually, caught Castillo with a left, right combination that stunned him. Corrales followed that with a right hook that staggered Castillo. They clinched. The ref broke them up. Corrales landed a left hook and Castillo was moved back, then, Corrales landed a right cross and was building a momentum as he now had Castillo in trouble and he could smell the blood. Diego unleashed a left hook, right cross, right hook combination. Castillo bobbed and avoided a few shots, then threw an uppercut that missed. Diego countered with a stinging right hook, followed by a left hook that forced Castillo into the ropes.
With Winky Wright and James Toney in the expensive seats, screaming and motioning Corrales to keep punching, Corrales let his hands go and crashed Castillo up with a left, right, left hook, right, right, followed by a flush left hook that exploded into Castillo’s face. Castillo hadn’t answered for at least four big punches when referee Tony Weeks stepped between them and
waved it off.
Congratulations to Diego Corrales, who showed all the noblest qualities of a Warrior in his amazing come from behind TKO victory over another great Champion in Jose Luis Castillo.
With Corrales downed twice in the tenth and losing a point for spitting out his mouthpiece-it would have been a 9-6 round in favor of Castillo-if he only had the presence of mind to have taken a knee and the count that comes with it. Instead, it was a TKO 10 Win for Corrales, who showed the heart of a Champion in the face of adversity.
This was a great fight, the stuff legends are made of, a back and forth battle that was tough to score at times because both were landing good shots in turns. Whenever either scored, the other came back and scored equally as impressive. At times, both were stunned and wobbled but it wasn’t until the tenth round that someone actually hit the canvas: Diego Corrales-twice. When that tide turned, Castillo was too beaten up to answer.
The timing of the stoppage might be questionable to some, but it was justifiable. The dangerous question posed to referee Tony Weeks was whether Castillo could have taken any more punishment and survived the round. Castillo’s reputation may have suggested that he could-but Weeks did what he was supposed to do, which is to protect the fighter. Besides, there was no
Standing 8 Count according to the rules for this fight.
It’s hard to make a case that Weeks was partial towards Corrales because he had just taken a point from Corrales for spitting out his mouthpiece. And that was WITHOUT a prior warning. Castillo was warned twice for low blows in the previous round and not penalized and for the most part, Weeks let them fight their fight. When Corrales was in trouble, he had the dubious “benefit” of falling to the canvas, where Castillo couldn’t keep hitting him. Right before the stoppage, Castillo was up against the ropes, on his feet and in a place where he could continue to be battered unless he fell down or the referee stepped in.
It is ironic that the man who fell to the canvas twice won over the man who never touched the canvas once.
Corrales deserves tons of credit. He was down twice in the tenth round, his left eye damn near shut and swollen like a golf ball and yet, he not only found the will to keep fighting but the power to land the blows that put Castillo in a place that no one’s ever seen him in before. Castillo may have a chin of iron but Corrales proved to be the dripping water that cracked the stone. I’ve never seen anyone hurt Castillo the way Corrales did Saturday night.
When it was all said and done, Corrales was gracious and spoke highly of Castillo. When asked his thoughts on what had transpired, Corrales said he was, “Honored and proud to have faced a true champion like Castillo.”
When asked about the stoppage and if it was premature, Corrales said, “The ref did his job” and left it at that.
During the post fight interviews, Castillo complained that the ref didn’t give him the same chances he gave Corrales. He also said he would want a rematch to decide who the best Lightweight is, indicating that the question remains unanswered. In a way, he’s right because that fight could have gone either way and a rematch would be a ‘pick-em’ fight.
The first fight was about as memorable as they come and should be a springboard to a lucrative rematch. Promoters love rematches and so do the fans, especially when it was a close, competitive fight like this one was. 2005 has churned out some exciting fights so far, with more on the menu still to come. Castillo vs. Corrales was so good that it may end up winning ‘Fight of the Year’ honors.
Diego Corrales’ stock is at an all time high right now and if his camp wants a rematch with JL Castillo, I’m sure it will happen. Because the tenth round was so dramatic, with both guys having big moments, Castillo’s stock is still quite in tact. But if Corrales decides against a rematch with Castillo, the best alternative I can think of is a trip up to 140 and a rematch with the man who beat the hell out of him in January of 2001-Floyd Mayweather Jr. The 2005 version of Diego Corrales could be the toughest fighter Mayweather has ever faced. Considering how both fared over a common opponent in Castillo, I’d have to lean towards Corrales in that one.
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