19.01.08 – Matthew Hurley: On the undercard of the Roy Jones – Felix Trinidad bout at Madison Square Garden tonight a former world-class boxer fights for his fistic future. One more loss on his record and a life spent between the ropes will have reached its conclusion..
DeMarcus ‘Chop Chop’ Corley, a former champion at light welterweight and a fighter in the championship mix for several years, is coming off three straight losses. Despite acquitting himself well in title fights with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto in failed attempts it is his recent fall from the elite of the division with the losses to Junior Witter, Jose Alfaro and Dario Esalas that has put his future in alarming perspective.
Corley, 31-7-1 with 17 KOs faces Devon Alexander, 13-0 with 8 KOs tonight beneath the lights of boxing’s most celebrated venue. He knows that this one fight will either be a step toward his professional rejuvenation or the final bell of his career.
“It’s do or die for me right now,” he said at a recent press conference. “I’m fighting on one leg. I’m like a dog with a broken leg. If I lose this one, I’m out. I can’t call Don King and ask for another match if I lose another fight.”
It is both inevitable and melancholic when a fighter, near the end of his run, sees the finish line and waxes philosophical about where he stands while accepting, with what must be a painful realization, that his days as a professional could well be over after his next bout. Corley, who has been fighting professionally since 1996, understands what he is up against and, like all fighters who take their craft seriously, is resolved to stave off the inevitable with a comprehensive performance.
“If I knock this kid Devon Alexander out it would help me. Just getting past him is not enough. I need to knock him out. He and his team have shown me a lot of respect. I appreciate that.”
Still, while a fighter’s skills will dissipate over years of wear and tear the fighter’s ego will keep him going. That can either be a good thing or a bad thing, but Corley has made it apparent that one more loss and he is done. That doesn’t, however, prevent him from getting wrapped up in the emotion of the moment and believing, if for just one more night, that he is as good as he ever was.
“After the stare down at the press conference,” he said in regards to his opponent, “I told him to bring his ‘A’ game. He asked for me. You’ve got to be careful what you ask for because you might get it.”
The thirty-three year old fighter will know tonight if he will be able to place that call to promoter Don King one more time. But should he lose to his young, inexperienced opponent the long walk back to his dressing room will lead to an even longer walk into an uncertain future. Such is a boxer’s total commitment to his craft that it comes to define both his life and who he is. The transition from pugilist to person often overwhelms fighters when it’s all over. Hopefully, after a long and respectable career, when the time comes to walk away DeMarcus Corley can do so with dignity and the knowledge that boxing fans are among the most loyal and appreciative in all of sports and to a man they honor all of those with the courage to step into the ring and thrill us with their talent, their will and their blood.