Mexico City – May 12, 2005. From WBC President Jose Sulaiman: “The World Boxing Council recognizes heavyweight world champion Vitali Klitschko as our pride, and someone who carries the prestige of our sport on his shoulders. “The WBC regrets the injury he suffered, but Klitschko fortunately has already been granted a medical certificate that will enable him to fight again in September.
“In light of the long-lasting inactivity of the heavyweight division, the WBC has decided to approve a fight for the world interim heavyweight title between Hasim Rahman, winner of a final elimination against Kali Meehan, and Monte Barrett, winner of the second final elimination against Owen Beck.
“Consequently, instead of having two official challengers to contend against the world champion, who conquered the vacant title by defeating South African Corrie Sanders, we have decided to approve the bout for the WBC Interim heavyweight title, with the winner fighting next the WBC heavyweight world champion Vitali Klitschko.
“If Vitali Klitschko is able to fight again in September, the WBC would order the mandatory bout between him and the winner of Rahman and Barrett.
“However, if the winner of Rahman and Barrett would not be available to fight Vitali Klitschko in September for the undisputed title, then the WBC would authorize Klitschko for an optional defense against any of the top 15 rated boxers in the WBC, with the understanding that the winners shall fight next for the undisputed title.
“The WBC is very proud of the great fight between Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales, and we believe that it is one of the greatest fights in many years. The WBC does not want at all to take any merits from Corrales or Castillo, and we also respect Corrales’ return from being practically knocked out to come back and win the title, but there has been a lot of furor about the fight.
There have been many protests from most of the press in Mexico and Latin America, as well as the Federal Boxing Commission in regards to the performance of the referee, who, among other things, let approximately 40 seconds go from the moment of the second knockdown to the continuing of the action in the tenth round. The WBC is naming a committee to review the fight.
“The lightweight championship of the world was held under the trademark of the WBC, and is our obligation to respond to all matters that receive a request, and we think that there was something that was done wrong. It is our obligation to those who trust the WBC’s impartiality, rules, and actions.
“The WBC is confirming its 43rd World Convention to be held in La Linea de la Concepcion, in the state of Malaga in Spain. It will be held from October 2, arrival, to October 8, departure.”
Upcoming World Championship and Final Elimination Fights:
May 14 – Las Vegas, Nevada – Welterweight World Championship
Champion Zab Judah (33-2, 24 KOs, Brooklyn, New York) vs
Cosme Rivera (WBC No. 9, 28-7-2, 21 KOs, Huatabampo, Mexico)
Plus Middleweight Final Elimination Bout
Felix Trinidad (WBC No. 1, 42-1, 35 KOs, Cupey Alto, Puerto Rico) vs
Winky Wright (WBC No. 2, 48-3, 25 KOs, St. Petersburg, Florida)
Plus Lightweight Final Elimination Bout
Michael Clark (WBC No. 1, 34-2, 15 KOs, Columbus, Ohio) vs
Sirimongkol Singwancha (WBC No. 2, 47-2, 28 KOs, Phatumthani, Thailand)
May 21 – Chicago, Illinois – Vacant Light Heavyweight World Championship
Paul Briggs (WBC No. 1, 23-1, 17 KOs, Queensland, Australia) vs
Tomasz Adamek (WBC No. 4, 28-0, 19 KOs, Zywiec, Poland)
Plus Welterweight Final Elimination Bout
Miguel Rodriguez (WBC No. 3, 26-1, 21 KOs, Naucalpan, Mexico) vs
Miguel Angel Gonzalez (WBC No. 7, 49-4-1, 39 KOs, Mexico City, Mexico)
June 25 – Atlantic City, New Jersey – Super Lightweight World Championship
Champion Arturo Gatti (39-6, 30 KOs, Jersey City, New Jersey) vs
Floyd Mayweather (WBC No. 1, 33-0, 22 KOs, Las Vegas, Nevada)
July 15 – Temecula, California – Featherweight World Championship
Champion Injin Chi (30-2-1, 18 KOs, Seoul, Korea) vs
Rocky Juarez (WBC No. 1, 23-0, 16 KOs, Houston, Texas)
July 16 – Las Vegas, Nevada – Middleweight World Championship
Champion Bernard Hopkins (46-2-1, 32 KOs, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) vs
Jermain Taylor (WBC No. 3, 23-0, 17 KOs, Little Rock, Arkansas)
July 18 – Osaka, Japan – Super Flyweight World Championship
Katsushige Kawashima (28-3, 18 KOs, Yokohama, Japan) vs
Masamori Tokuyama (WBC No. 5, 30-3-1, 8 KOs, Osaka, Japan)
July 23 – New York, New York – Interim Heavyweight World Championship
Hasim Rahman (WBC No. 1, 40-5-1, 33 KOs, Baltimore, Maryland) vs
Monte Barrett (WBC No. 2, 31-3, 16 KOs, Jamaica, Queens, New York)
Plus Super Welterweight World Championship
Champion Francisco Javier Castillejo (58-5, 40 KOs, Madrid, Spain) vs
Ricardo Mayorga (WBC No. 2, 25-5-1, 22 KOs, Managua, Nicaragua)
August 6 – Tokyo, Japan – Strawweight World Championship
Katsunari Takayama (15-1, 7 KOs, Osaka, Japan) vs
Eagle Kyowa (WBC No. 2, 13-1, 5 KOs, Tokyo, Japan)
World Championship Results:
May 7 – Las Vegas, Nevada – Lightweight World Championship
Diego Corrales (40-2, 33 KOs, Sacramento, California) TKO10 Jose Luis Castillo (52-7-1, 46 KOs, Mexicali, Mexico)
Corrales won the WBC lightweight world title with a tenth-round TKO victory against defending champion Castillo in a breathtaking battle. Both fighters showed the skills, toughness, determination, and heart of true warriors and true champions, and a number of veteran observers rank the fight as one of the top-ten greatest of all time.
An announced attendance of 5,168 was on hand at Mandalay Bay, and the action was close, intense, and sustained from the opening bell – many entire rounds were fought with the fighters head to head in the center of the ring, with very few breaks in the action. There were dramatic shifts in momentum as each fighter steadily wore down the other – Castillo rocked Corrales with uppercuts repeatedly in the early rounds, but Corrales came back and staggered Castillo late in the seventh and eight rounds, and both were rocked by simultaneous left hooks at the end of the eighth.
Both were battered and bruised – Castillo was cut over the left eye by an accidental headbutt in the fourth round, and Corrales’ left eye became swollen by the seventh. At the end of nine rounds, the scores were split 86-85, 87-84 Corrales, 87-84 Castillo.
The fight was not without controversy, however, which involved Corrales, knocked down two times in the tenth round, getting extra time to recover by dropping his mouthpiece after each knockdown. Castillo scored a devastating knockdown with a left hook early in the tenth that put Corrales flat on his side – he got up but dropped his mouthpiece, which resulted in a break in the action to replace it.
Moments later, Castillo scored another knockdown with another left hook that put Corrales flat on his back – he got up again, but again dropped his mouthpiece, which resulted in an even longer break. Then, in one of the most dramatic turnarounds ever witnessed, Corrales staggered Castillo with a left hook, then drove him into the ropes, where he rocked Castillo with a series of punches and referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight at 2:06.