15.10.06 – By Daxx Kahn: Diego “Chico” Corrales 40-4 (30) not only lost his lightweight title recently but maybe a piece of himself. In what was his third bout with Joel Casamayor, Corrales was really looking for a big win to help get him back into his true form. It seems that lately the fighter has been lacking something in himself. He not only had his belt stripped from him for not making weight (something he had faulted his previous opponent Jose Louis Castillo for) but lost a decision to Casamayor in what was their third meeting.
In the fight previous to the Casamayor fight, he was knocked out by Castillo in the rematch of their first bout. In their first fight Corrales won by TKO but not without some controversy (Corrales spit his mouth piece several times) and what some call good luck on behalf of Chico’s. The rematch did not go Corrales way and he was KO’d by his foe in less than six rounds. This is now two back to back losses for the former lightweight champion from California. Could this be a sign of thing’s to come starting to show or did Corrales just have a few bad nights?
As of March of 2007, Corrales will be a pro fighter for more than a decade. Over this time he has given us some exciting moment’s. He hold’s wins over some very good names. On his resume are Derrick Gainer, Justin Jukko, Angel Manfreddy, John Brown, Acelito Freitas, Joel Casamayor, Jose Louis Castillo and the man he won his first title from as a super featherweight Roberto Garcia. His only losses have come from Floyd Mayweather Jr, Casamayor twice and Castillo. So it’s not as though he has been beat by nobodies but he has also been in some wars and taken some abuse in those fights.
More than average abuse. Even in his TKO of Castillo, Corrales was a mess and on the verge of collapse himself before the stoppage. Mayweather knocked him down so many times I lost count. So with the poor performance against Casamayor and the fact he could not make weight one has to wonder has Diego had enough to start deciding to call it quits?
This may be an assumption that is jumping the gun. I don’t know yet but with the sign’s there it would not be a shock if retirement soon happened. He has stated in public interviews that his body cannot take to many wars and if weight is becoming an issue? The competition only gets tougher as the weight moves up. There are sluggers like Cotto, Hatton, Castillo, Williams in the 140 and 147 pound divisions. Plus boxers like Judah, Mayweather and possibly Mosley who could blind Corrales with speed.
With a career as impressive as his, I hope that Corrales knows he doesn’t have much more to prove in the ring. Three titles in two weight classes is nothing to sneeze at. Also with the self knowledge that his body is feeling the effects of the wars, I think Corrales is smart enough to know when he should give the gloves a hang on the hook. Then again, in the past, I thought a lot of guys were smart enough to know when that time was.
Hopefully, Corrales has a few good fights left in him. It would be good to see a guy who has given so much in the ring go out on a high note. Not to mention the fact he is one of boxing’s genuinely nice guys and it is not often we get to see nice guys finish first. Again, like I said, I might be jumping the gun but the signs are starting to show. His self admission states he may be ready. At the least his next bout should be the tell all and help him decide what to do. For now, I guess we will just wait and see what’s next.