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Clottey Scores Two Late Knockdowns, Wins Unanimous Decision Over Corrales
SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI (April 7, 2007) – Photo: TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME - It was too much, too soon for Diego “Chico” Corrales Saturday on SHOWTIME boxing. Attempting to move up two weight classes against a dangerous, world-ranked, full-fledged welterweight, the three-time world champion was battered and beaten up by Joshua Clottey, who scored two knockdowns en route to registering a clear-cut, dominant 10-round unanimous decision.
Gary Shaw Productions and Tony Holden Promotions co-promoted the hard-fought boxing match before a near-capacity crowd of 2,300 at The Shrine Mosque. The crowd-pleasing bout aired on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
It was an exciting, albeit one-sided slugfest from the outset. As expected, there was little dancing or posing and the boxers performed with as much determination and courageousness as any one could expect. Both stood their ground on the inside and connected with their best shots.
 But the naturally bigger Clottey (31-2, 1 NC, 20 KOs), of Bronx, N.Y., by way of Accra, Ghana, was always a tad faster, quicker -- and especially -- stronger than Corrales (40-5, 33 KOs), of Las Vegas, Nev., by way of Sacramento, Calif., who suffered his third consecutive defeat.
Seemingly as fresh late as he was early, Clottey scored one knockdown in the ninth and another in the 10th en route to triumphing by 100-87, 98-89 and 97-90. Corrales had a point deducted in the 10th for spitting out his mouthpiece after going down. His mouthpiece also came out after the initial knockdown.
“Corrales was tough and this was not an easy fight,” said Clottey, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) No. 4 contender, who broke Corrales’ jaw in the middle rounds, rocked and staggered him throughout with pin-point combinations to the chin and cut him over the right eye in the later sessions.
“I expected a hard fight and that is what I got,’’ Clottey continued. “But I knew from the beginning that I had him, that if I fought my fight I would wear him down. This is a huge win. I am very happy. I got an opportunity and I was able to make the best of it. This puts me right where I want to be.’’
Clottey was coming off a close decision loss to WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito in a bout Dec. 2, 2006, on SHOWTIME in which he re-injured his left hand.
“My hands did not give me any trouble tonight,” Clottey said.
 Corrales, a world champion at 135 pounds and two-time world champ at 130, has always readily accepted any and all challenges, so he knew going in he was taking a major risk.
“I do not think I made a bad decision because I was able to fight the kind of fight that I wanted, which was on the inside,” he said. “I was hurting him with body shots. I think my jaw was broken in the fifth round. My corner asked me if I wanted to keep fighting and I said yes.
“My main concern now is getting the jaw fixed. Once that it is taken care of, I am going to sit down with my team and decide if I want to stay at 147 or go down to 140.
“Clottey deserves credit. He caught me with a couple of great shots.’’
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein called the action from ringside with Karyn Bryant serving as special correspondent. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast was David Dinkins Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.
The telecast will re-air on SHOWTIME and the premium network’s multiplexes this week as follows:
Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME EXTREME
Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME TOO
Wednesday at 11 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME
For information on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at www.sho.com/boxing.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
In March 1986, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING was born when “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler defeated John “The Beast” Mugabi in a spectacular and unforgettable 11th-round knockout in Las Vegas. Since that time, the network has aired some of the most historic and significant events in the sport including both Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson bouts.
Always at the forefront of boxing, SHOWTIME has set itself apart by televising “great fights, no rights” on the first Saturday of every month. SHOWTIME is the first network to regularly deliver live boxing in High Definition. In addition, SHOWTIME continues to be a pioneer in sports television with a number of interactive features across multiple platforms making SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts the most enjoyable, immersive viewing experience for the boxing audience.
Clottey Dominates Corrales; Calzaghe Stops Manfredo, Khan too Much for Bull - The Good The Bad and The Ugly
By Ted Sares: First the good. Joshua Clottey vs. Diego Corrales fought ten full rounds of hard core, rock and roll. While we might well have seen the end of one great boxing career, we also may have witnessed the emergence of a new star in Clottey. The Ghanaian warrior showed that his great effort against Antonio Margarito was no fluke. With a 31-2 record “The Hitter” now has to be taken seriously as a top welterweight who is difficult to hurt and who punches with lightening quick combos. Watching Diego hit him with solid body shots that seemingly had no effect suggests that Ricky Hatton might be made to order. Time will tell. At any rate, this was an entertaining fight and was clearly “The Good” part of this piece’s title. By the way, the referee in this one was superb.
The bad was not Art Binkowski or George Garcia. It was their respective opponents. When is the last time you saw a fighter get knocked down three times in the first round only to come back and stop his opponent in the last round.
Archie Moore against Yvonne Durelle? Raphael Butler simply gave up once he saw that his Polish foe was not going anywhere…and that was that.
(Diego Corrales getting his nose attended to in between rounds)As for Travis Walker, he looked dreadful against an opponent whose reach was 68’ vs. Walker’s 82’. Good grief. Again, props to Art and George both of whom showed grit, determination and plenty of heart. Sure, squat George Garcia lost, but he won over the boxing fans. And oh yes, "Fast Eddie" Chambers would eat Walker's lunch.
The ugly took place in Wales. Amir Kahn got to fight a live bag in Stefy Bull who quit at the first opportunity. A terrible mismatch that did nothing to enhance boxing’s reputation.
Then Joe Calzaghe made short work of Peter Manfredo in a bout that was stopped too soon. That was ugly enough, but what was was even worse was Manfredo's sluggish hand speed and reluctance to throw any punches. He looked like he was in a trance. Speaking of hand speed, Joe did what he had to do; Peter did nothing. That was ugly. By the way, the referee in this one was not superb.
When you contrast the Clottey-Corralas battle with what took place in Cardiff, you don’t need me to spell it out.
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