09.10.05 – Photo:Tom Casino/SHOWTIME – By Goran Dragosavac: I am one of those who beleives that right strategy and in-fight tactics is a key in wining the fight. Some figters, for whatever reason, are unable to execute right strategy, either because of the lack of conditioning, or simply, lack of natural ability. Well, if strategy is wrong, then all natural talent and physical coditioning will be superceded. Top fighters have natural ability of changing their strategy as they see it fit, others very much depend of input they get in their corner. Last night’s fight between Castillo and Diego Corrales is the showcase of the fight where Corrales’ strategy cost him a fight. Before the rematch, I had read the quote from Corrales’s trainer, Joe Goosen, saying that in their first fight, he wasn’t happy with Diego’s performance from the outside. In other words, according to Joe Goosen – Corraless was doing much better from inside than outside. I could not disagree more.
Whenever Corrales opted to use the range, it was his excellent jab and movement that allowed him to set up his power shots – he was beating Castillo to the punch. However, that was only on rare occasions and for most of the their first fight, we witnessed brutal toe to toe, inside battle.
In their rematch last night, I didn’t see Corrales atempting to fight from outside at all. There was no jabs, there was none of his trade-mark “down the pipe” direct shots, and there was no uppercats.
All I have saw was Chico’s atempt to trade with Castillo, using hook after hook, and staying on inside. Well, his hooks were wider and slowlier than Castillos – due to his height and reach advantage – attributes which turn to disadvantages when fighting in close quarters.
As a result, Corrales was losing most of the exchanges, and ended up getting knocked out in first third of the match.
Well, if that was Goosen strategy to win this fight, then I am simply speechless. Goosen was credited to turn Corrales in a boxer – well, he wasn’t boxing last night. He was trading with the best “trader” in a business.
In their matches with Castillo, both Lascano and Casamayor were outboxing Castillo in beginning, while they were using full range of boxing skills in their arsenal – movement, angles, jabs, and the rest. Once they started trading and fighting in close quarters, when pinned down – they had no chance.
All credit goes to Castillo. He might not be ever best pound for pound boxer, whatever that means – but as inside fighter, he is the one of the best. Also, credit goes to him for making making important adjustment in second fight – by bringing more uppercuts, which brought another dimension to his somewhat predictable and yet effective fight plan.
For Corrales – back to the drawing board. In last night’s match, he made big step backward.
There’s no shame in losing, but when you fall short every second of every round – then you know – you’re not just doing one thing wrong in a fight – you’re doing everything wrong, which speaks about a wrong fight strategy.
Corrales has proven in his previous fights that he can box. Well, last night he didn’t. I’ve never seen him so one-dimensional. How much blame Goosen carries in Chico’s lost, is debatable – but if he really thought that the tall and rangy Chico has more chance on inside than outside, then Goosen should carry all the blame.