Diego Corrales

Diego "Chico " Corrales ( born August 25, 1977 in Sacramento, California; † 7 May 2007 Las Vegas, Nevada ) was an American professional boxer. Corrales was world champion of the IBF and WBO super featherweight champion and world champion of the WBO and WBC lightweight.

Legendary was his duel against Jose Luis Castillo on May 7, 2005 in Las Vegas, which was chosen, among other things from the Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year and HBO boxing match for the decade.

Amateur

Corrales was the son of a Colombian and a Mexican woman. He graduated as an amateur 117 fights with 105 wins and 12 losses. In featherweight 1994 he became second at the U.S. Championships in 1995 and took bronze at the Pan American Games. In the lightweight he took part in the 1995 Amateur World Championships in Berlin, but lost in the first fight against Marco Rudolph.

Professional career

Corrales ' professional debut took place on 19 March 1996. He won his first 28 fights in a row, including against world title challenger Victor Claudio Martinet ( 59-7 ) and the subsequent IBF world champion Gairy St. Clair ( 15-0 ). He then punched in Las Vegas on October 23, 1999 at the IBF world super featherweight against Roberto García ( 32-0 ) had this three times on the ground, winning by TKO in the seventh round. His world title he defended the first time on December 4, 1999 by unanimous decision against John Brown ( 20-6 ).

On March 18, 2000, he struck in his second title defense later WBA champion Derrick Gainer ( 33-4 ) by TKO in the third round. In June 2000, he also won against Justin Juuko ( 34-3 ) by KO in the tenth round. In another title defense he defeated in September 2000 Angel Manfredy ( 33-4 ) early in the third round.

On January 20, 2001, he performed in Las Vegas against Floyd Mayweather ( 24-0 ) into the ring and punched to the WBC world super featherweight. He was, however, punches of Mayweather, and went to the ground five times before his corner in the tenth round threw in the towel and the fight against the protests of Corrales has ended. The battle was regarded as t.K.o. defeat.

After the fight, Corrales had to deal with personal problems and was detained fourteen months after he had his pregnant ex-wife in the dispute broke his collarbone and several ribs.

In January 2003, he returned to the ring. After four straight wins, he fought in October of the year against Cuban Joel Casamayor. Both had in the fight to the ground, in the sixth round was canceled due to a heavily bleeding wound in Corrales ' mouth in favor Casa Mayors. Five months later, it came to a rematch with Casamayor for the vacant WBO title he won just and happy, even though he was on the ground again.

He then moved permanently into the lightweight. He went directly against the undefeated Brazilian WBO champion Acelino Freitas at ( 35-0 ). Corrales won the fight and the title after the exhausted Freitas gave up as a result of three knockdowns in the tenth round.

Next, it was on May 7, 2005 for the unification fight with WBC champion Jose Luis Castillo ( 52-6 ). In a spectacular fight Corrales won by TKO in the tenth round, after he had previously been knocked down twice himself and had been deducted a point for an intentional spitting out of the mouthguard.

The controversial circumstances led to an early rematch on October 8, 2005, which, however, should be even more controversial. Castillo exceeded at the official weigh in the lightweight limit. The fight was then performed as a non-title fight. Then Corrales ' weight was on the day of struggle itself, curiously, on the Castillos. However, this time won by Castillo knocked out in the fourth round.

Now a third fight was scheduled. Originally scheduled for February 4, 2006, he was moved to June 3, 2006 after a rib injury suffered in training of Corrales. However, Castillo was the weight limit again not comply, so that Corrales called off the fight.

In 2006 he was defeated in the third fight against Casamayor. Then Corrales went up to welterweight, where he played his last fight against Joshua Clottey and lost on points.

Corrales died on May 7, 2007 in Las Vegas in a traffic accident after his motorcycle collided with a car.

236306
de