Corrales-Casamayor Pre-fight Press & Predictions

[TKO Tom]

Promoter Gary Shaw has announced the third fight between WBC Lightweight champion Diego Corrales and Joel Casamayor will be televised by Showtime on October 7th. No venue yet.

I like Corrales big in this one. Casamayor has aged greatly and in his last fight against Lamont Pearson that was televised recently on ESPN he looked fat and out of shape. He was listed as 136, but I'll hazard to guess that on fight night he was close to 150. Casamayor's real age has always been a source of speculation. He's listed as 35 but could be even older.

I saw the second Corrales vs. Casamayor fight in person. Back then, Casamayor was still a great mover with great legs, but not anymore. Since that loss, Casamayor has become a little heavier and moves in and out much less frequently. My feeling is that his legs are shot. I think he'll be more susceptible to Corrales' heavier shots as he becomes more stationary.

On a final note, I feel that Joel Casamayor is the dirtiest fighter that I have ever seen - ever. The way he uses that head of his is absolutely criminal. However, he has refined it and perfected it to such an extent and to such a degree that most of the inept referees out there today don't even catch on.

Good fight and one that I am glad was made. One thing you can say about Diego Corrales is that he takes on all comers. The guy is a fighter.

TKS

[JLP 6]

NO, NO, NO. I do not want to see Diego chasing this fool around all friggin' night. This fight makes no sense. Deigo needs to go after the big fish.

[diggity]

Albeit somewhat warranted and timed nicely, I think this is a dumb fight for Corrales on the chance of cuts on fouls alone. Casa has not done a hell of a lot to deserve this lately and I think it's impossible to assume that Corrales is as fresh as the first time they fought.

I give Corrales credit but if this will be a repeat of the second (which I think it will be most likely), I'll pass.

[ricky]

I disagree, IMO this will be a good fight. Although Casamayor didn;t look all that good in his last fight, these are the types of fights he gets up for. You can bet on it, Casamayor will be ready and able to win this fight come fight time. Corraels better be ready to cut that ring off Alot, Casamayor will be moving for this one. That being said I think Corrales should take the W.

[ricky]

SOme of the Greatest fighters Of all time were Dirty SOB's. It's part of what made them so effective. A good fighter needs to be able to sneek a good Head butt in there every once in a while, it's part of the sport. I'm not saying it's right, but it's all part of the game, always has been.

[diggity]

Despite what is said about him, Casa is still one of my favs. He is a very good boxer, he is pretty entertaining to watch despite the fact he is a southpaw, he is not afraid to trade when he has to and I haven't seen someone in a while who is so diverse in his questionable tactics. I thought he at least had a draw versus Castillo.

I do think Casa has a shot to win this fight but you can bet that both are going to try and fight a mistake free fight ala their rematch. I think this mainly because of Corrales. This is not someone who is going to look to go to war for a while until its really called for. I'm pretty sure the fight will look like their rematch unless Casa wants to get a bit more aggressive and bet that Corrales has declined more than himself. I think Casa was not prepared for Corrales to move so much and gave him too much respect.

[GorDoom]

Boxers Casamayor, Corrales familiar foes
RYAN NAKASHIMA for the Associated Press

LAS VEGAS - Joel Casamayor couldn't stop himself from dancing at a Wednesday news conference ahead of his third bout against Diego Corrales.

Casamayor (33-3-1, 20 KOs) got up to mock-salsa when speaking of his familiarity with Corrales' punching style.

"It's like a girl I already know that I've danced with before," he said in Spanish as his manager translated. "It's easy to spin her around."

"Chico" Corrales (40-3, 33 KOs) also has experience on his side going into the WBC lightweight title fight Oct. 7 at Mandalay Bay hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

After losing to Casamayor in a bloody slugfest in October 2003, Corrales came back to work his jab and win a split decision in a rematch for the WBO super featherweight title five months later.

For the rematch, Casamayor's longtime coach, Joe Goossen, switched sides to work in Corrales' corner, giving the fighter key information that helped him even the series.

With Goossen again in his corner, Corrales said he still has the advantage.

"He had nobody telling him exactly what I'm going to do," Corrales said. "He can only speculate, but (Goossen) can tell me fact for fact what he's going to do."

The fight's promoters predict the title bout will revert to the wild punching match that turned their first fight explosive.

"From the start, we got off on the wrong foot and stayed on that foot," Corrales said.

Casamayor agreed. "He's talked a lot of bad things about me. That I'm not a good fighter, that I'm not this, that I'm not that. It's personal. He's brought the hunger back in my heart."

Immediately after scoring a ninth-round TKO over Lamont Pearson last month, Casamayor challenged Corrales to fight again.

Promoter Gary Shaw said it took just one phone call to persuade Corrales to accept. "I said, 'Chico. October 7th. Casamayor.' He said, 'Done.'"

Casamayor said he needs to win the fight to get back into big payday bouts. Corrales said he was eager to defend his title, since his last defense set for June was called off when Jose Luis Castillo failed to make weight.

"I'm not here to play. I'm here to defend my titles, keep my titles, and move on," Corrales said.

[gregbeyer]

i saw diego at the c.b.h.o.f. in studio city last weekend. he was seated at the next table from us. i was struck by his size. in street clothes it is hard to believe he is a lightweight.

if i were him i would not mess around with casa. there is not really much to prove and cuts are a definite possibility fighting a guy so adept with his head and elbows. he needs to get casa out of there early just to be safe.
greg

[Todd]

I agree Greg.

[GorDoom]

Corrales Holds The Key To Victory
By Tom Donelson from Boxing Scene

The upcoming Diego Corrales-Joel Casamayor battle pits two fighters with conflicting styles and genuine dislike for one another. Casamayor is the boxer, slippery and elusive, but has enough power to give Corrales trouble. Corrales is a power puncher with a vulnerable chin, but excellent boxing skills.

And to add to the drama, both fighters may be on the downside of their careers.

Corrales’ last five fights came against Casamayor, Arcelino Freitas and Jose Luis Castillo. The two bouts with Castillo and Casamayor as well as the bout with Freitas were tough bouts that could've taken something out of Corrales. The question is what Corrales has left after going through just a battering.

As for Casamayor, the Cuban’s hand and foot speed is not what it used to be. And like Corrales, Casamayor has had his share of boxing wars that including bouts with Castillo and Corrales. When Casamayor fought Kid Diamond a year ago, he was lucky to come out with a draw. What Casamayor has left is a punch that that can still hurt Corrales if he lands it right.

In their two previous bouts, it was the boxer, Casamayor who showed the bigger punch as he knocked Corrales down three times overall. Corrales managed to knock Casamayor down once in the initial bout, but could never really put him in serious trouble. That is what makes this fight intriguing for both fighters, as they are more vulnerable than in their past contests and both of their chins will be tested.

Casamayor’s advantages are his boxing skills and in the past, his hand speed. The hand speed is not what it used to be, but Casamayor has become more of a puncher later in his career than he was early in his career. Early in his career, he depended upon speed and elusiveness. Later in his career, the Cuban has been force to add power to his repertoire for Casamayor gets hit with punches that he avoided early in his career.

Corrales has always been a good boxer, but he just love to fight and punch. When he fought Castillo, he chose to fight the Mexican’s fight and went toe-to-toe in one of the most memorable wars in boxing history. He managed to split two fights with Castillo, but these bouts were rugged affairs that appeared to take more out of Corrales than Castillo.

In his rematch with the Casamayor, Corrales used his left jab effectively to confuse him and often displayed better boxing skills. On the other hand, Casamayor nearly ended the fight with a when landed a bomb to score a knockdown in the tenth, but it was Corrales’ jab that proved the decisive factor in the fight.

So what will happen in the rematch? Good question. This fight is a bout between two warriors who don't mind mixing it up. Casamayor will try to box as he did early in both bouts but somewhere in the fight, Casamayor will have to move inside. This only makes him more vulnerable to Corrales’ power. The good news is that Casamayor has shown that he can take Corrale’s best shots better than Corrales can take his in return.

For Corrales to win, he must repeat what he did in their second bout. His jab kept Casamayor off balance and he cut off the ring effectively. He pursued his opponent effectively and when needed, he boxed his way out of trouble. He showed the ability to go from Plan A to Plan B. In their first fight, Corrales went toe-to-toe and failed to use his jab. That fight ended in defeat.

The key to this fight is whether Corrales uses his jab effectively. If he does, then Casamayor will have trouble winning. It is that simple. The problem is that Corrales just loves to fight and brawl, regardless of whether or not he is the better boxer in the bout. This crack in Corrales’ armor will only give Casamayor opportunities to nail him with straight lefts from his southpaw stance. On many occasions, Corrales has made many of his fight more difficult because of his brawling instinct. There is no question that he is a big puncher, but at the same time he has the more vulnerable chin.

I like Corrales to win, but it depends on which Diego Corrales shows up. The Corrales of the first Casamayor fight will produce a more exciting encounter, and probably a Casamayor victory. If Corrales repeats his performance of his second meeting with Casamayor, then he stands a strong chance to win.

[GorDoom]

Closet Classic: Casamayor-Corrales I
By Lee Groves from Max Boxing

On Saturday, Joel Casamayor and Diego Corrales will resolve their competitive dispute once and for all when they meet for the third time at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The fight may be for Corrales’ WBC lightweight title but for them this fight is for an even bigger prize – the right to proclaim himself the superior fighter. The contrast between the skillful Casamayor and the explosive Corrales is obvious, and the history between them in and out of the ring adds even more drama to an already exciting storyline.

This rubber match wouldn’t be the attraction that it is had it not been for their tremendous first encounter, which took place October 4, 2003 at the very same Mandalay Bay, only this time it served as the main supporting bout on the James Toney-Evander Holyfield pay-per-view. Both men had reached a critical point in their respective comebacks where they had to prove that they were worthy of a fight with Acelino Freitas, considered by many the best 130-pounder in the world.

Freitas earned that distinction by defeating Casamayor by a split decision marred by foul-induced point deductions against the Cuban. Casamayor (29-1, 18 KOs) had won three fights since then, and his most recent outing was a razor-thin 10-round decision over the intriguing up-and-comer Nate Campbell eight months previously. Because he struggled mightily at times against the Floridian, there were whispers that the 32-year-old Casamayor was on the decline but his camp countered by saying Casamayor took the Campbell fight on just two-and-a-half weeks notice and consequently wasn’t totally primed for the challenge Campbell presented.

There would be no such excuses for the Corrales fight. The bout was billed as an IBF junior lightweight title eliminator, meaning the winner would likely get the next title shot. He also received excellent sparring from top lightweight Juan Lazcano, who was preparing for a fight with former lightweight champion Stevie Johnston. Finally, his turbulent personal life had reached a more serene point as he had recently converted to Christianity and was baptized before 2,000 onlookers three weeks before the Corrales fight.

For Corrales (37-1, 31 KOs), this was the first big step in his comeback following a 14-month prison stint for domestic abuse, an incident that took place following a 10th round TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2001. After his release he engaged in four bouts, the most recent of which was a third round KO over Damien Fuller 13 weeks before. Based on his name recognition and superior performance during his comeback, Corrales had risen to the number-four spot in the IBF, earning him a crack at the number-three rated Casamayor. Like Casamayor, Corrales received excellent sparring from world-class slickster Cory Spinks.

Corrales and Casamayor couldn’t have been more different physically and stylistically. At 5-10 ½, Corrales was extremely tall for a 130-pounder and against Casamayor he would enjoy a 3 ½-inch height advantage. But Casamayor’s 69-inch reach was just one inch shorter than Corrales’ and his multi-layered ring craft stood in stark contrast to Corrales’ uncompromising, take-no-prisoners aggression. To win, Casamayor had to use his superior mobility to stay away from the ropes and set up his pinpoint counters while Corrales needed to cut off the ring and whack away at the body to drain the strength from Casamayor’s springy legs. His warrior mentality was obvious to everyone as he wore camouflage trunks and an intense, stone-faced expression while Casamayor’s visage transmitted serenity and composure.

As expected, Casamayor began the fight moving swiftly in both directions before smoothly flowing inside with a left to the belly. Corrales concentrated on trapping Casamayor along the ropes, and when he successfully maneuvered him there he landed a solid hook that prompted an immediate clinch. Corrales applied steady pressure to Casamayor, but the Cuban’s defense was more than equal to the task as he slipped underneath a left-left-right and capitalized with a right-left to the body and a harder left to the ribs.

Casamayor focused his offense on Corrales’ long, lean torso but was more than willing to shift his attack to the head when the opportunity presented itself. He pelted Corrales with a counter left to the jaw, but Corrales answered a few moments later with a hook to the face that appeared to startle – but not hurt – the Cuban. For the most part, however, Casamayor controlled the round with his thoughtful movement and his crisp, precise counters.

Casamayor’s trainer Joe Goosen was more than pleased with his charge following the first round.

"Very good, verrrrry good," he said. "You’re seeing everything and that’s what I love. You’re using your feints; you’re using your smarts."

He was also using his head, and not just for thinking. A headbutt late in the round opened a cut over Corrales’ left eye, and since it was located directly over the orbit the blood could have affected Corrales’ vision enough to justify a stoppage. But cutman Ruben Gomez was able to keep the blood flow under control. What he couldn’t control was Casamayor’s fouling tactics.

Casamayor began the second quickly as he landed a solid left cross to the jaw but he also attempted to sneak in an uppercut while holding the back of Corrales’ head, an infraction that drew a caution from referee Tony Weeks. The 1992 Olympic gold medalist was a master of the darker arts of fighting and his vast experience in the amateur and pro ranks have taught him just how far he could go before drawing warnings. He didn’t always get away with it as point deductions cost him a victory over Freitas and as a result his reputation preceded him. In the clinches against Corrales, Casamayor subtlely rubbed his head against the cut in an effort to open it up further and kept a close eye on where Weeks was located. Most of the time, however, "El Cepillo" operated at long range, moving skillfully side to side and making himself a difficult target for Corrales to line up. Corrales briefly trapped Casamayor on the ropes and ripped a left to the body, but Casamayor spun out of danger.

Casamayor caught Corrales with a solid lead cross to the face while Corrales whiffed on a home run hook. The Cuban made him pay for that miss by smacking home another left cross. As the round proceeded, Corrales had some success with jabs and singular hooks but wasn’t unable to land anything with significant power. A final right-left near the bell enabled Casamayor to put another round in the bank.

Casamayor’s movement served two specific purposes. First, Casamayor knew that Mayweather benefited greatly from lateral movement to set up the punches that would eventually floor Corrales five times – and the power of those punches were magnified because "Pretty Boy" caught Corrales coming in. And second, it forced "Chico" to constantly reset his feet and prevented him from generating his fight-ending power.

Corrales’ trainer Kenny Adams knew this and tried his best to turn the tide between rounds.

"You’re not letting your hands go," Adams said. "You’re looking for one little shot for him. You’ve got to use that stick, OK? Utilize the jab, then turn the hook off the jab and drop the right hand. The right hand is right there but you’re waiting too long to get there. Quit resetting! Don’t reset!"

Corrales did his best to follow instructions in the third as he continued to pursue behind more jabs, but those jabs failed to reach the elusive Casamayor.

His troubles would worsen 25 seconds into the round.

Casamayor ducked underneath a hook and weaved his way inside Corrales’ reach. With a subtle movement of the head, he created just enough space to nail Corrales with a tremendous left cross to the button. Corrales fell to the canvas on his rump and he wore a chagrined expression as he arose at two. He walked to the farthest neutral corner and smiled ruefully as he took the remainder of Weeks’ mandatory eight-count.

No longer the cautious boxer, Casamayor reached in with a left cross but was met with a sharp Corrales hook. But the Cuban walked through the blow and buckled Corrales’ knees with another huge cross to the jaw. But in his haste to finish off Corrales, Casamayor again reached behind the neck and drove two left uppercuts into Corrales’ immobilized head. The uncharacteristically blatant foul forced Weeks to deduct a point from Casamayor, neutralizing the mathematical advantage the earlier knockdown produced. Angered – and still convinced that Corrales was still buzzed – Casamayor got off his bicycle and looked to exchange with "Chico." But at 128 ½ pounds Corrales was in superb physical condition and that enabled him to regain himself quickly, so Casamayor wisely returned to his stick-and-move tactics. Corrales still had problems reaching Casamayor, especially with the left, while Casamayor repeatedly connected to the head and body with his powerful left. Corrales remained steadfast and patient, believing his constant pressure would eventually pay dividends. But to get what he wanted, he had to march through plenty of enemy fire, much like the soldier image he portrayed with his camouflage trunks. That payoff would have to wait as Casamayor polished off another round by rattling off a right-left-left combo and a snappy left cross to the neck.

Corrales seemed frustrated as he shook his head and smiled wanly as he approached his stool. He still believed he was going to win, but he also believed it wasn’t going to be easy. Adams also believed in his man as he told Corrales "you’re finding yourself," as he sat on the stool. Along with the encouragement, he had a change in tactics.

"Don’t try to play games with him," Adams said. "Now, we’re going to move the opposite way – move away from the left hand. In other words, I want you to move back to the left. But at the same time you’re going to try and turn the hook and right hand out. Bring the right hand back up; you’re dropping the right hand, you hear?"

Corrales knew he was keeping his left too low but old habits are tough to shake off, especially in the heat of battle. And Chico would pay an immediate price.

Casamayor was back on the move in the fourth, but this time the motion was used to set a trap. Casamayor took a short step to his left and used a foot feint to establish position. Then he planted his feet and drove a huge, crackling left to the jaw that stiffened Corrales’ legs and sent him reeling to the canvas near Casamayor’s corner. Corrales was caught with his left hand at chest level, enabling Casamayor to step in and take advantage.

The bewildered Corrales was up at four, but he received a few extra seconds of rest because the overanxious Casamayor had strayed from the neutral corner before Weeks completed his eight-count. Casamayor was convinced Corrales was seriously hurt this time, so he went inside and let his hands go. Two left crosses nailed Corrales, who did his best to hold on. A looping left to the jaw and a longer left moments later added to Corrales’ woes. He was sure that victory was just a few punches away, so he tossed aside his previous caution and went for the kill.

But no matter how troubled Corrales was, his ever-present punching power served as the ultimate wild card that could deliver him from danger at any point of a fight. With 1:58 remaining in the round – and less than 45 seconds after he was on the floor – Corrales pulled out that wild card.

As Casamayor charged in behind another long left, Corrales stepped in and cracked him with a gorgeous short hook to the jaw that dropped Casamayor like a shot. With a shocked look on his face, "El Cepillo" fell backward and hit the canvas hard. Thankfully for Casamayor, it was a flash knockdown and he wore a composed look as he arose at four. The sudden knockdown served as a fresh reminder of why he adopted such a cautious approach at the beginning, and he intelligently returned to those tactics when the action resumed.

Hungry for the knockout, Corrales chased after Casamayor, but the Cuban deftly ducked under the blows and motored side to side before initiating a clinch. Corrales tagged Casamayor with two more inside lefts before Casamayor clinched and rubbed his head underneath Corrales’ chin. With 30 seconds remaining, a quick hook-right combo stunned Casamayor badly and "El Cepillo" limited the damage by falling into another clinch. Corrales was still whiffing on many of his hooks, but his relentless pressure was beginning to take effect as Casamayor wasn’t moving as swiftly. For the rest of the round, Casamayor had the look of a man growing somewhat weaker while Corrales suddenly resembled a powerhouse. A knot erupted on the right side of Casamayor’s head near the temple, and the swelling was a physical representation of the shifting tide.

But like Corrales, Casamayor was a resilient sort and the rest between the fourth and fifth rounds did him a world of good. His legs appeared stronger and his punches stiffer as a solid left and a right-left-left combo found the mark. A looping left cross forced Corrales to seek the sanctuary of a clinch and a few moments later another searing left buckled Corrales’ legs. A right jab to the body and a cross to the head powered through and a right jab snapped Corrales’ head. Meanwhile, Corrales had stopped trying to cut off the ring. Instead he was standing upright at ring center, in perfect range for Casamayor’s blows. Though Casamayor was landing crisply, Corrales didn’t seem to be in imminent danger of falling. He was just absorbing Casamayor’s measured attack without much retaliation.

As the seconds passed, Casamayor became the pursuer while Corrales sought to box more. The marks of battle were evident as the knot on Casamayor’s head was somewhat larger while a swelling erupted around Corrales’ mouth and blood came out of "Chico’s" nose.

Casamayor turned up the pressure in the sixth as he walked to Corrales behind hard, snapping jabs and a straight left to the body. Corrales answered with a quick cuffing hook but Casamayor retaliated with a left to the jaw and a straight right-left to the belly. A jolting jab rocked back Corrales’ head and suddenly the swelling on the right side of Corrales’ face grew noticeably larger. His face was misshapen and bloated, and his strength seemed to be waning as he chose to follow Casamayor around the ring instead of trying to cut the ring short.

With 48 seconds remaining, a jolting left smacked against Corrales’ face and a follow-up right forced "Chico" to retreat. Blood was gushing out of his mouth by the time another right-left crashed home. Still, Corrales was a warrior at heart and he sensed his chance at victory was slipping away – so he made the decision to fight his way out of trouble.

Two huge hooks nailed Casamayor, who stepped away awkwardly after absorbing those bombs. By this time, the crowd was cheering wildly for Corrales who had become the underdog in their eyes. Corrales turned up the heat but Casamayor danced the rest of the round away and avoided any more serious trouble.

It was a typical display of courage and resolve on Corrales’ part, and that was what made what happened in the next few seconds as difficult to swallow as the blood that Corrales was surely ingesting.

Dr. Margaret Goodman, the chief ringside physician, saw the thick blood Corrales had spat out and advised Weeks to stop the fight between rounds six and seven.

"Give me one round! Give me one round!" Corrales pleaded. But Dr. Goodman was unswayed. The strong left hand Casamayor landed in the final minute produced two dangerous cuts inside the mouth, and one of the cuts went through the entire lip. The volume of blood was such that choking was a very real and dangerous possibility.

But as unmoved as Dr. Goodman was medically, Corrales was just as convinced he could fight on. Angry and distraught, he stalked the ring and refused initial treatment for his injuries. The crowd, seeing Corrales’ brave rally in the final minute, voiced its displeasure because they thought the stoppage prevented Corrales from staging a dramatic comeback – a comeback they felt cheated out of seeing. When Casamayor approached Corrales to congratulate him, "Chico" had one thing on his mind – a rematch. Three times he asked Casamayor to commit to an immediate rematch, but Casamayor gave him no such assurances. For now, however, a rematch would have to wait until Corrales was sufficiently healed.

"He had two really bad lacerations through his mouth and he was bleeding profusely," Dr. Goodman told Showtime’s Jim Gray. "That makes you in danger of swallowing blood and you could aspirate very (easily). It was very dangerous to allow that to continue. It’s a tough call (to make because) he’s a great fighter, a great champion; it’s certainly nothing I wanted to do."

"I’m a fighter, that is what I’m here to do and this is part of the job," Corrales said of his willingness to continue. "I had him hurt and I probably would have finished him off this round. He was hurt real bad. I hurt him all through the fight and I was definitely still in the fight. A little blood, a little cut, I’m not gonna die from this."

Corrales revealed that the sharp left Casamayor landed in the final minute of the round produced the fight-stopping injury.

"As soon as he hit me, the mouthpiece went through my lip," Corrales said. "I knew it instantly, as soon as he hit me, BANG, a gob of blood just gushed out of my mouth. The mouthpiece split and I don’t know if I had my lip underneath the mouthpiece or how I did it. I don’t think there are many people who are as scrappy, as gutty and willing to go through the kind of stuff I’m willing to go through. Pain? I’m in the pain business…how could you stop this fight? Why not let this fight go on? If I’m gutting it out, if he’s gutting it out, if we’re both gutting it out, who cares?"

"Every time he was hitting him, he hurt him," said Luis DeCubas, who was serving as Casamayor’s translator. "If he didn’t get him now, he’d get him later on. It would be no problem."

"I was in great shape and I recuperated right away," Casamayor said through DeCubas. "I knew that if I boxed him the knockout would come. I shouldn’t have traded with the guy. I knew that the game plan was to box in the first five or six rounds and then from there we’ll start picking him apart."

When asked if he would give Corrales a rematch, Casamayor was less than enthusiastic.

"No," he said. "He was one of the 10 best pound-for-pound fighters in the world right now and that’s the reason we took the Corrales fight. Freitas hasn’t been fighting anybody and now we can give him the opportunity because the fans know who is the best 130-pounder in the world pound-for-pound."

Epilogue: Casamayor may have won this fight, but Corrales ended up getting what he wanted. Casamayor never got his rematch with Freitas but Corrales received an immediate rematch with Casamayor five months later. In an interesting twist, Goosen left Casamayor to work with Corrales and his boxing-oriented blueprint helped "Chico" earn an early points lead and survive a 10th round knockdown to earn a disputed split decision.

From there they went their separate ways. After Casamayor beat Daniel Seda over 10 rounds, he received a shot against WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo. Though he boxed smartly throughout, two of the three judges preferred Castillo’s aggression, allowing the Mexican to retain his title. In June 2004, Casamayor fought a draw with Almazbek "Kid Diamond" Raiymkulov that many thought he deserved to win. The Raiymkulov fight was Casamayor’s only outing of 2005, but he returned the following year with solid wins over Antonio Ramirez (KO 5) and Lamont Pearson (KO 9) to earn the rubber match with Corrales. Casamayor, now 35, sports a record of 33-3-1 (21 KOs).

For Corrales, the two Casamayor fights were just the beginning of a formidable fistic gauntlet that has transformed him into one of the sport’s most beloved warriors. Five months after beating Casamayor in their rematch, Corrales stepped up in weight and challenged WBO lightweight champion Acelino Freitas. Outboxed throughout most of the early rounds, Corrales scored knockdowns in the eighth and ninth rounds before a third – and final – knockdown in the 10th prompted Freitas to surrender. Nine months later, Corrales and Castillo would produce one of the most thrilling finishes in boxing history as "Chico" overcame two knockdowns in the 10th only to rally and stop Castillo at the 2:06 mark. Five months after their classic first encounter, Castillo and Corrales met again but Castillo was unable to make the 135-pound limit. Ever the warrior, Corrales put the fans and the sport ahead of his own interests and fought anyway. Corrales paid the price for his courage as a scorching left hook took him out in the fourth round. The two were scheduled to fight a third time but the fight was cancelled due to Castillo’s continued inability to make 135. Thus, the rubber match with Casamayor represents Corrales’ first outing since October 8, 2005. The 29-year-old Corrales’ record is 40-3 with 33 knockouts.

[GorDoom]

Casamayor's Conference Call Calamity
by Rick Folstad from Sweet Science

There’s the sound of contempt on the other end of the phone. Or is it chaos mixed with a strong dose of bedlam?

Maybe it’s just anger.

Lots of it.

Whatever it is, it’s speaking loudly in Spanish, and you don’t need a translator to figure out what the message is: Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor doesn’t like Diego “Chico” Corrales. And he’s doing his best James Toney impersonation to make sure that’s both understood and heard by everyone around a phone.

Casamayor is not quite up to Toney’s high standards of conference call calamity yet, but it’ll work for now.

Still, his tirade could be just another sales pitch for their WBC lightweight title fight set for Oct. 7 at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas (SHOWTIME).

You know, “hate” sells. “Real hate” packs the house.

This will be the third time these two will have legally mixed it up, and heading into the fight, the score is dead even at one win each.

Both are expecting to win the three-fight series.

But right now, on another one of those interesting conference calls, Casamayor (33-3-1, 21 KOs) is spewing while Corrales (40-3, 33 KOs), the defending champion, quietly tries to answer questions.

Asked how he feels about Casamayor, who he’s never invited to dinner, Corrales just kind of shrugs it off.

“He doesn’t like me and he doesn’t have to,” Corrales says. “He‘ll never make me or break me. We don’t have to like each other to go to work. He can never like me and I won’t lose a wink of sleep over it.”

We’re pretty sure Casamayor doesn’t like him.

“I don’t plan on Diego seeing the 12th round,” Casamayor says through a translator. “That chin is touched.”

As in fine china.

It seems as though Casamayor is a little confused. He doesn’t understand why Corrales doesn’t like him when Corrales doesn’t even know him. And that sort of ticks him off.

“He talks a lot of garbage,” Casamayor says. “He talks about me and says I’m not a good person and he doesn’t even know me. That’s why on Oct. 7, I’m going to break his head. I’m going to put his mouthpiece through his mouth again like we did at Mandalay Bay. He’s lost every October fight he’s fought, and he’s going to lose another one.”

Close. Corrales has lost three fights, two of them in October.

Still, Casamayor is on a roll. It’s his chance to vent, maybe take a few verbal swings at the injustices he believes have been delivered by Diego.

“He talks a lot of sh-- and garbage about me and my family and he doesn’t know me,” Casamayor says. “If he had a conversation with me, he knows me and I’d understand. But I don’t talk about him and his family.”

Asked if he’d been talking about Casamayor’s family, Corrales didn’t get a chance to answer.

It was still Casamayor’s ball, or at least he thought so.

“He can talk all the sh-- he wants, but we’ll settle it Oct. 7. If he wants to fight in the street, we can do that too.”

“Hmmm,” Corrales wisely says. “That’s what you don’t want to do.”

There’s not a lot of money in street fights.

While Casamayor makes the accusations, Corrales claims he’s innocent of all charges. Or at least most of them.

“If I’m going to say something bad about someone, I’ll say it to his face,” Corrales says. “But I never bring anybody’s family into it. That’s just not me.”

So, did Corrales ever call Casamayor a – gasp – bad person?

“Yeah, I said he was a bad person,” Corrales admits. “I don’t like him. We don’t have a good relationship and we never have.”

But I bet Casamayor makes weight.

[GorDoom]

Casamayor hungry for title
BY SANTOS A. PEREZ
from the Miami Herald

Casamayor, a Miramar resident and former WBA super-featherweight champion, had just beaten Lamont Pearson in a fight televised July 7 on ESPN2. He took advantage of a postfight interview, unloading a verbal assault toward Diego Corrales.

Corrales was the network's guest for the Casamayor-Pearson fight. With access to Corrales via the satellite feed, Casamayor accused Corrales of dodging a tiebreaking third fight.

Less than two weeks later, Casamayor's ploy worked. Both fighters' representatives reached a deal for Corrales-Casamayor III on Saturday night in Las Vegas (9 p.m., Showtime). The bout, for Corrales' World Boxing Council lightweight title, will be at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

''Once the sparks flew on TV, the fight was going to have to happen,'' Corrales said in a conference call last week that also featured Casamayor.

Now that he has successfully lobbied for the fight, Casamayor, 35, realizes that to remain a factor in the 135-pound weight class will depend on his performance against Corrales. For the native of Cuba and 1992 Olympic gold medalist, a loss could remove him from future marquee fights and title opportunities.

''I feel just as I did when I came from Cuba, with the hunger to be a champion,'' Casamayor said.

In securing a third fight against Corrales, Casamayor finally will have the occasion to avenge a previous loss. Casamayor stopped Corrales in six rounds in October 2003, but Corrales won a split decision in their rematch six months later.

Casamayor (33-3-1, 21 KOs) has failed to land rematches against Jose Luis Castillo and Acelino Freitas, both of whom defeated Casamayor in disputed decisions.

''I'm going to need to win by knockout because I get robbed in all my [close] fights,'' Casamayor said. ``I'm not only going to be fighting against Corrales but also Las Vegas, the judges.''

Corrales (40-3, 33 KOs) also needed a separation from the Castillo debacle. When Corrales' third consecutive fight against Castillo collapsed because of Castillo weighing four pounds over the weight limit a day before the fight, Casamayor was no longer an afterthought in Corrales' plans.

And Casamayor's performance with the microphone certainly made him relevant again.

[Mexal]

If I was Corrales I would'nt have taken the fight, but since it's now on I say this fight will be different than its predecesors in its outcome. Give me Corrales by KO. I now Casamayor has a very good chin and Corrales has always been vulnerable, but Corrales will prevail in the mid rounds.

[doomeddisciple]

If I was Corrales I would'nt have taken the fight, but since it's now on I say this fight will be different than its predecesors in its outcome. Give me Corrales by KO. I now Casamayor has a very good chin and Corrales has always been vulnerable, but Corrales will prevail in the mid rounds.

A lot of people are commenting on Corrales saying how he's more shop worn than he was in the first fight with Casa.

However, I'm thinking a lot of people are neglecting to note how average Casamayor looked in his last outing on Friday night fights back in July.

I was surprised Chico took this fight after commenting how dirty a fighter he felt Casamayor was after the first two fights, I'd like to see a Chico KO, but this fight is a total pick-em in my view.

[TKO Tom]

Names Will Never Hurt Them
by TK Stewart
www.boxingscene.com

October 3, 2006 - Plain and simple, Diego Corrales and Joel Casamayor just don’t like each other. Let Diego tell you in his own words the feelings he has for Casamayor who he will fight for the third time on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas: "When I'm done with him there won't be enough of him to send back to Cuba. I'm going to torture him. I will retire him."

These two 135 pound billy goats locked horns in 2003 and again in 2004. Casamayor won the first fight on a sixth round TKO and Corrales won the second fight only by the slimmest of split decisions. There’s a lot to fight for in this one. Not only is this is the fight that will settle all of the name calling - the victor will also be the undisputed world lightweight king.

Oh, and by the way, Joel Casamayor doesn’t like Corrales much either. Let Joel tell you in his own words the feelings he has for Corrales: "He talks a lot of garbage. He talks about me and says I’m not a good person and he doesn’t even know me. That’s why on October 7th I’m going to break his head. I’m going to put his mouthpiece through his face again like I did at Mandalay Bay the first time. He’s lost every October fight he’s ever fought - and he’s going to lose another one."

Of course the way all of this came about for the third time was because of angry words. At the time, another fight between Corrales and Casamayor wasn’t on anyone’s radar screen. It all started back on July 7th when Diego Corrales was the in studio special guest on ESPN Friday Night Fights. It just happened to be the same night that Casamayor fought Lamont Pearson on the network. After the fight was over each was asked to say a few words – and that’s when things got ugly again.

Asked to comment on Casamayor’s performance against Pearson, Corrales was blunt and to the point. "I tell you what Joel, let me tell you. I hope you didn’t think you looked good."

Casamayor responded harshly: "Why don’t you give me the opportunity? We were supposed to get the rematch after we beat you the second time too. We backed you up the last six rounds of that fight and had you down! And later we had a rematch clause and you didn’t want to fight us! We had to go fight Daniel Seda! You’re supposed to be such a bad man on the planet, why didn’t you make it happen? Make it happen brother! Let’s do it, we’re number one! The fans wanna’ see it! I knocked you out!"

The third fight was conceived at that moment and three months to the day since they exchanged heated words they’ll meet again in Vegas.

This third match has lots of intangibles that make it tough to pick a winner. Corrales is coming off a fourth-round knockout at the hands of Jose Luis Castillo. Casamayor, on the other hand, has appeared rusty and well off his best form against sub-par opposition.

Corrales has always struggled with his weight and again he’ll again have to push his body and soul to its very limits to hit 135 pounds. Corrales resembles a mix between a premature baby and a prisoner of war on the days he has to step on the scales for official weigh-ins. His gray skin is dry as chalk and his dark brown eyes look like small pebbles inside deep, hollow sockets. Whether the effort to make weight will sap his strength is a huge question mark every time Corrales fights.

An observer who saw him only a month ago made this observation and thinks Diego has many pounds to shed before he’s a 135-pounder again: "I saw Corrales at the California Boxing Hall of Fame dinner in Studio City. I was struck by his size. In street clothes it’s hard to believe that he’s a lightweight."

Casamayor is listed as 35 years-old, but his real age has always been of great speculation and he may be even older. Since accurate birth records are hard to come by in his home country of Cuba, Joel Casamayor may not know how old he really is. Whatever the case, Casamayor does not possess the same legs he once did. Gone are the graceful, nimble movements of his prime years. As he has aged, Casamayor has become a more stationary fighter and he glides in an out much less frequently which will make him an inviting target for Corrales’ damaging short punches.

Casamayor is perhaps one of the most skilled fighters ever in the manner in which he uses foul tactics. His shaved head is a wrecking ball that he uses to ram opponents in the face with. So subtle are his dirty moves that referees often don’t pick up on them but Casamayor’s head is his third fist.

It’s the questions of what each man has left that will really be answered on Saturday night. Boxing history tells us that when two fighters come together at times when they are a bit past their best – great fights can happen. Especially in this case where the stakes are so high and each man truly believes that he has a personal score to settle. Corrales, the champion, is the betting favorite at the Vegas sportsbooks.

For his part, Corrales is looking to get this Cuban albatross untangled from around his neck and move on with his life. "I think we have bad blood between us because we started off on the wrong foot and we stayed that way. We're like oil and water. We don't mix. I know he's going to bring an explosive performance because this means everything to him. But it means everything to me too. I'm looking to close this chapter in my career."

As for Casamayor, he’s looking forward to Saturday night and he views Corrales as damaged goods. "This fight is going to happen, and it is going to happen ugly. This is personal. Corrales got into it with me. He’s been in a lot of ring wars. He's burnt. I just need to touch him on the chin and he will go. Corrales can talk all the shit he wants, but we’ll settle it October 7th."

Sticks and stones might break their bones. But names will never hurt them.

TK Stewart is a 2005 Boxing Writers Association of America Barney Award winner. He works for the Bangor Daily News and can be reached at tstewart@bangordailynews.net

[GorDoom]

Corrales Continues to Travel the Path of Most Resistance
By Steve Kim from Max Boxing

On the afternoon of June 2nd at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, just minutes after it was announced that the rubbermatch between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo would not take place the next night due to Castillo's inability to weigh in at 135 pounds, Corrales' promoter, Gary Shaw, would announce to the media and the disappointed fans who had come expecting to see a fight that weekend, that Corrales would be back in action in the early fall, on Showtime, against a lesser opponent.

And there's nobody in boxing who deserved a respite from boxing's elite like the 40-3 Corrales, who since October of 2003 has taken on Joel Casamayor (twice), Acelino Freitas and Castillo (twice) - all in succession. It's boxing version of the Bataan Death March.

In an era when fighters act more and more like managers and hide behind network contracts, Corrales is perhaps the game’s last true gladiator - a boxer who, now get this, is more than willing to take on any and all challengers.

And that's exactly why he's facing his Cuban nemesis, Casamayor, once again this Saturday night (Showtime 9 pm ET/PT) at the Mandalay Bay.

“I told Gary that this year or early next year I wanted to do nothing but big fights, mega-fights and this fight popped up," Corrales would explain to Maxboxing. The seeds of Corrales-Casamayor III were planted when 'Chico' co-hosted an early July edition of Friday Night Fights on ESPN2, where Casamayor would dispatch Lamont Pearson in nine rounds. "I was commentating and he started talking all that nonsense and doing a lot of lying. It was, 'Y'know what? This is just ridiculous,' and they called me and said, 'They're offering you Cas.' OK. It was that simple."

The bottom line is these two don't like each other.

Since before their initial matchup a few years ago, Casamayor has continually disparaged Corrales, causing the normally mild-mannered native of Sacramento, California, to lose his cool more than once.

“We hate each other? We don't like each other? I thought we got along great," joked Corrales when asked about their relationship. "I don’t know, the guy just doesn't like me and he's never been cool with me and I hate disrespectful people and he's very disrespectful. So it's pretty simple. He's always been disrespectful with me and as we see he's still keeping it up now."

In various interviews and conference calls leading into this fight, Casamayor hasn't curbed his vitriolic statements toward Corrales. Only this time, Corrales is going by the 'sticks and stones' theory.

“It’s all the same to me. All the same, means nothing to me," he says of Casamayor's words. "I feel like anyone who wants to be a jerk, just knowing how I am, they just want to get a rise. Well, I'm not going to give him that. They're not going to get a rise out of me."

Joe Goossen, who has worked with both fighters, says of the animosity: "Look, these guys take words very seriously. I know Joel, he's a pretty respectful guy, I don't think he does as much talking. The defamatory statements about Diego - I think that comes from his PR stance and his PR people."

Perhaps the person Goossen is speaking of is Casamayor's brash and outspoken manager Luis DeCubas, who's known to interpret his fighters’ words rather loosely, shall we say.

" Joel has said some things, but y'know, that can't hurt anybody. It can't knock you down. So I don't concern myself with that. I don't think Diego does, he laughs at most of it. But yeah, I know some of it gets under his skin."

Corrales, on this day, sounds a bit worn out. Perhaps it's the strain of getting down to 135 pounds as a 29-year old with a 5'11 frame and the rigors of another tough training camp with Goossen in Van Nuys. But regardless of how he feels about Casamayor, he at least has an opponent that he can be assured will make weight.

He's just glad to be getting back into it. Getting over the June snafu wasn't easy for Corrales.

“It took me awhile, I was upset," he says of the aborted bout with Castillo. "You gotta think, you spend all that time working and I removed pieces of my life, to having a nanny, to taking my wife and my newborn baby out of the house to have them with me and have someone take care of them, take them to school. I mean completely re-arranged my life for someone who didn't care enough to even make the weight; that's ridiculous."

Corrales reiterates that he will not face Castillo again at any price. But you get the strong sense he'd almost fight Casamayor for free. They have split two fights that have contrasted in styles and tempo.

Their first hookup in 2003 saw Casamayor play the role of puncher, sending Corrales to the floor twice. But every time it looked like Casamayor would take full control of the proceedings, Corrales would stun Casamayor as he tried to finish things off. Corrales would score his own knockdown after hitting the canvas. But after round six, as Corrales seemed to have battled his way back and stunned Casamayor, the bout was stopped by Dr. Margaret Goodman in the corner due to cuts in Corrales' mouth that had him spurting out blood like a spigot.

But c'mon, this is Diego Corrales we're talking about.

"Look at the bleeding, it stopped," he says, still protesting that stoppage. "It looked freaky - and don't get me wrong - I tell everybody that, but I thought it was kinda cool. But as soon as the fight was over and she stopped the fight, the bleeding stopped. So it was nothing, it was no big deal. I mean you could see my teeth, you could see everything there. OK, great, it's a hole. That's what happens when you get holes, you could look through a donut. It's a hole."

As he speaks, you're reminded of a classic Monty Python skit. As he's shown in the past, it takes a lot to get this guy to stop coming.

Corrales insists all he needed was one more round.

“We wouldn't have had a round eight, nine, and ten," he says. "We probably would have had seven. That's why I asked for one more round. All I wanted was one more round. I mean for me to touch that dude on the head and buzz him that bad. I'm sorry, you can't walk through a round without getting hit again."

In their rematch five months later, armed with Casamayor's former trainer, Goossen, he would surprisingly outbox the Cuban to capture the WBO 130-pound title. But once again, he would get sent to the canvas. In what is an eye-opening statistic, Corrales has only scored one knockdown of Casamayor - to his three - in their duels.

“They’re good timed shots; he's a precision puncher," he admits. "He punches on the mark, he's not missing his shots so that's the one thing he's doing. He's a good sharp puncher." But he also points out, "This is not my first fight stepping back up. I've been on this level now, consistently, for four years. So I'm not worried about that anymore. I've been with the top of the top the whole time. Where he has not, he's only won three of his last six (one draw and two losses) and hasn't been on this level."

But you have to figure that Casamayor's focus coming in will be much sharper than it was for a Pearson or Antonio Ramirez. When asked what could be expected on October 7th, Corrales says: "It's really going to depend on what he does. I gotta sit back and play it smart and do it the right way. So you're going to see a very smart person out there in Diego Corrales. With Joel, I don't know what he's going to do.

“So I'm preparing for everything."

[GorDoom]

Diego Corrales the New Alexis Arguello
by David A. Avila from Sweet Science

Diego “Chico” Corrales defends his WBC lightweight world title on Saturday Oct. 7, against Cuba’s mean-spirited Joel Casamayor (33-3-1) but what gets lost in translation can’t be described in the boxing ring.

During the last three years Corrales (40-3, 33 KOs) has slowly captured the hearts of millions of fans, but not with his deadly punching power. It’s his gentlemanly conduct and sportsmanship that attracts the most attention.

“Diego can’t walk anywhere without people crowding around him,” said Giovanni Flores, a boxing fan who spotted Corrales in Hollywood one night. “Everybody wants to talk to him or buy him a dinner. He talks to everybody like he knows them.”

Not since Alexis Arguello roamed the prizefighting circuit in the ‘70s and ‘80s has a boxer like Corrales endeared himself to the public with extraordinary manners and goodwill.

In boxing there are many well-mannered prizefighters or ambassadors that come to mind – such as Sugar Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, Evander Holyfield, Chris Byrd, Jermain Taylor and Juan Diaz – fighters who refuse to badmouth or bait opponents into a war of words. Corrales takes it another step and heaps praise on potential opponents such as Coachella’s Julio Diaz or Florida’s Nate Campbell.

“Julio Diaz is a great fighter. He has tremendous talent,” Corrales said enthusiastically.

Corrales had this to say about Campbell: “He has all the tools to be a champion for a long time.”

What kind of attitude is that for a devastating knockout artist like Corrales, who has one of the greatest knockout ratios of all time for a lightweight? Only one fighter has gone the distance against Corrales since 1999 and that’s Casamayor.

“Corrales is a one-dimensional fighter. I can beat him any way,” said Casamayor, a former titleholder as a junior lightweight.

Lately, the Cuban has attempted to bait Corrales into a psyche war but it hasn’t materialized. Casamayor accused Corrales of speaking ill of his family.

“I never brought anybody’s family into this,” said Corrales during a telephone press conference. “I predict a great fight.”

That’s about as ornery as Corrales gets outside of the ring, but inside those ropes, it’s another story.

Before Corrales fought Jose Luis Castillo in their first bout in May 2005, both exchanged cordial words and no one expected the furious battle that became not only the fight of the year, but the fight of the 21st century.

“When I see that fight I get goose bumps,” said Julio Diaz, who is primed to fight for a world title at the end of this month.

The New York Jets football team recently showed that fight to pump up the team before a crucial game a few weeks ago.

Corrales is one of the few professional fighters that others in his field will pay to see fight. If you look at a tape of the first Corrales-Castillo match you can spot James Toney, Winky Wright, Shane Mosley and many others rooting for the 135-pounder.

There’s not a nicer guy outside of the ring than Corrales. But inside the ropes, the face changes, the posture becomes bent, and those fists look like two battle-ready clubs ready for some more notches.

Back in the early ‘80s Nicaragua’s Arguello was a similar character.

When Arguello fought the wound-up Aaron Pryor for the WBA junior welterweight title in 1982, the pair met in a press conference for the first time.

Pryor snarled into a microphone that he was “the real champion” and looked at Arguello who replied, “and a great world champion.” Pryor stumbled a bit not expecting that from his opponent, and then said, “oh, thank you man.”

But once inside the ring Pryor and Arguello set the sports world on fire with their momentous battle. The world saw the ferocious Pryor win that fight and the second, but the conduct displayed by the pair after the fight won the hearts of millions of fans who still applaud Arguello today like some lost prince.

A year earlier, in Atlantic City, Arguello met a young bull of a fighter named Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini for the WBC lightweight title. After 14 rounds a left hook left the young Italian fighter on queer street and it was soon over as the Nicaraguan’s firepower proved to much for the younger fighter. But after the fight, Arguello spoke into the microphone, hugged his fallen opponent, and told the world how he loved Mancini’s father and him and predicted a world title for the kid. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.

It’s moments like those that make boxing the sport among sports. The three epic battles in 2002 and 2003 between Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward inspired many with their ferocity inside the ring and classy behavior toward each other outside the ring. Much like Arguello.

“Arguello had that sense of class that you can’t teach,” said Dean Campos, a boxing trainer out of Montebello. “Diego Corrales is a lot like him.”

When Corrales steps inside the ring to face Casamayor for the third time, don’t expect a smile on the tall, lean boxer. But after that fight, win or lose, the gentleman of boxing returns.

“This is my sport, I love it,” Corrales says. “I want everybody to love my sport as much as I do.”

[GorDoom]

I love the revisionism going on here.. Yes, Diego is telegenic & comes off as a nice guy. I met him recently at the HOF function in LA., & he came off as a real nice guy.

BUT ... This is the same guy that assaulted & beat the crap out of his 90 pound, 6 months pregnant wife.

When it come to him I can't get around that.

GorDoom

[GorDoom]

Corrales vs Casamayor - An Underrated Rivalry
By Steve Kim from Max Boxing

For a series that has had its fair share of action, animosity between the participants and more plot twists than an episode of 'Lost', for some reason the rivalry between Diego Corrales and Joel Casamayor doesn't get nearly the same respect and notoriety as those between Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales and Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward.

On October 4th, 2003, at the very same Mandalay Bay Events Center these two will complete their trilogy in on Saturday night (Showtime 9 pm ET/PT), Casamayor would abandon his usual movement to send 'Chico' to the canvas twice with hard, accurate left hands. The boxer had become a puncher. But every time it looked like the Cuban would finish things off, he learned why there's an old adage about never following a puncher.
He would hit the deck once himself while attempting to capitalize on his own knockdown, and in the sixth it seemed that a dazed Corrales had turned things his way, buzzing Casamayor late in the round.

But with blood spurting out of his mouth like 'Old Faithful' due to a faulty mouthpiece that cut the inside of his mouth, Corrales was not allowed to come out for the seventh frame.

Six months later on March 6th, 2004, Corrales would even the score by surprisingly out-boxing Casamayor from the outside and utilizing his range-finding jab.

Overcoming another trip to the floor (Casamayor’s third knockdown in the series to Corrales' one), he would win a disputed split decision. The puncher had become a boxer.

In what was more than just a sidebar to the rematch, trainer Joe Goossen would pull a Jon Gruden (who led the Tampa Bay Bucs to a Super Bowl victory against his former Oakland Raider club in 2003) by working Corrales' corner against his long-time pupil Casamayor.

So how come this rivalry is treated like Stanford-Cal instead of Ohio State-Michigan?

“The only thing I can think of is that Barrera and Morales are from Mexico and Diego Corrales is not a true Mexican in that sense, as compared to Barrera-Morales. And Casamayor is Cuban," is how Gary Shaw, who promotes Corrales, explains it. "So it obviously doesn't have the same panache as maybe the fighters coming out of Mexico."

Goossen, has his own theory: "I tell you why. It's really taken a back seat because of the proposed (Jose Luis) Castillo-Corrales series that really overshadowed this one. If there was no Castillo-Corrales trilogy that was in play, I think this would be played up a lot more, definitely. But at this point it's been overshadowed by one of the greatest fights I've ever seen."

One of the interesting elements to Corrales-Casamayor is that both boxers have won a bout going outside their natural element.

"The interesting thing about their rivarly so far- and to me it's intriguing – is that they've had two different kinds of fights," points out Al Bernstein, who will call the rubbermatch for Showtime, just as he has the first two match-ups. "The first one was a slugfest, very exciting with controversy, of course. And then the second one, while I think a very interesting fight, was a little more tactical. So that speaks well of them because it tells us that collectively the two of them can fight in a number of different styles."

This series has followed a similar arc to other trilogies - a blazing first fight, followed by a much more subdued rematch. But Barrera-Morales, Gatti-Ward and Ali-Frazier (perhaps boxing most historic dispute), all concluded with rousing third sets after relatively uneventful return bouts.

Everyone involved seems to think that the third go-round will look like their first dust-up.

"Because - and I'm thinking as the trainer on the other camp right now - they lost a lot of early rounds," reasons Joe Goossen. "And if they do that again, they put themselves in a big hole. So I don't think they can afford to do that, and thinking logically, they gotta come after us a little bit more and if that's the case, I like it."

Shaw concurs with Goossen: "Becauase for Casamayor its do-or-die and he's not going to stand there and try and box Corrales. He's going to trade with Corrales. He's had Corrales on the canvas and he believes he can do it again. For Diego, whatever his game plan is, he's a warrior and he likes nothing more than to go on the inside and trade. So if Casamayor is there to trade, that's exactly what he'll do."

One of the factors that can make the later fights in a rivalry more entertaining than their predecessors is that when boxers start logging more and more miles on their odometers, their reflexes dull, reaction time slows and the ability to defend oneself diminishes. That was certainly the case it seemed in the grueling 'Thrilla in Manila' between Ali and Frazier.

Some believe that Casamayor - who has lost three of his last six outings - does not possess the same quickness and elusiveness that he did a few years ago. While Corrales, who could be rusty after a year layoff (which may have been sorely needed), has traveled more rough terrain than any current elite practitioner of the sport in recent years.

They're both at the stage where they could make for a memorable night, and don't forget, these two don't particularly like each other.

Shaw doesn't expect his bout to be overshadowed by the bout between Nikolai Valuev and Monte Barrett for the WBA heavyweight belt on HBO, which also takes place Saturday night.

"I don't call that a heavyweight championship," he says dismissively. "I call that a circus. So the question is, do they want to see a real fight or do they want to see a circus? If they want to see a real fight - they'll tune into Corrales-Casamayor. They want to see a circus - they'll put on Barrett-Valuev."

CONFLICTED

Goossen swears that for the rematch between Corrales and Casamayor there were no mixed feelings going into that contest, despite flip-flopping corners.

“I wasn't conflicted going into that fight," he claims. "I would argue that afterwards emotions sat in and came in play. But that was after the fight. I didn't let it interfere with anything before or during. But afterwards I came to the realization that here's a guy I worked with for five years, we climbed a lot of mountains together and we were very successful and I think he was yanked out of my gym unceremoniously and I didn't think it was his fault at all for that move.

“So I felt a little bit of sadness for him that due to circumstances out of his control and mine, he had to suffer for it."

Even by boxing standards, it was an unusual situation.

“I was watching the tapes again to review things," says Bernstein," and I was reminded of how amazing that was. And even though there may be other underlying feelings for public consumption, Joe Goossen still to this day says he's got no issues with Casamayor and not even that big an issue with the manager."

Well, I don't know about that. I don't think Goossen has Luis DeCubas on his Christmas card list anymore.

[GorDoom]

Diego Corrales: "Here We Go Again"
by Amy Green from Sweet Science

Under the dictionary.com definition of grudge, I found this statement pertaining to the word: resentment that manifests itself usually in trifling retaliations. October 7 will mark the third and final "trifling retaliation" between Diego "Chico" Corrales (40-3) and Joel Casamayor (33-3-1). Corrales promises no less than "torture" for his nemesis in the upcoming fight and is intent on leaving Mandalay Bay with his WBC and RING lightweight titles in hand.

Much hype has been made about the dislike between these two fighters and Corrales shed some light on the "war of the words." When asked what the first thing he thinks of when he hears Casamayor’s name, Corrales responds with a laugh. "Here we go again", he says, and gives his opponent a little acknowledgement. "But he’s a great fighter, he’s a good fighter."

With time off after the failed third fight with Jose Luis Castillo, Corrales devoted time to his family and kept training, and didn’t actively seek this Saturday’s fight with Casamayor, nor tell Gary Shaw and James Prince he wanted the fight.

"No, I didn’t actually,” said Corrales. “What happened was I was doing the commentary on ESPN and commentating on [Casamayor’s] fight and he got to mouthing off back and forth and telling lies, saying stuff that wasn’t true. And irritating me. They called me with the fight and said ‘Hey, do you want the fight to happen?’ and I told them yeah. It was that simple."

Corrales freely admits all the pre-fight words that have been flying are not hype – it’s for real. "I haven’t really exchanged any pre-fight words with the guy. I mean, he’s got his opinion of what’s being said, and I really don’t care. I don’t like the guy, no. I mean that’s very true. He doesn’t like me. I don’t think he really knows WHY he doesn’t like me. So, it’s not hype. I haven’t said anything, I mean other than the fact that because he keeps badmouthing me what’s gonna happen is gonna be torture for him, for running his mouth. But that’s not hype, that’s true."

"The guy has always been disrespectful," Corrales stated, in an attempt to explain the bad blood that exists between these two warriors. "I treat anybody I fight with respect. I feel like our job is our job – we gotta get in the ring and we gotta fight. But we can still be gentlemen about everything." But Casamayor is unwilling to exist in their workplace in that fashion. "For some reason,” Corrales continued, “me and him, he can’t deal with me and I don’t like his disrespect. I believe what I say and what I’ve done, I’ve earned the respect of the world, so how can he continue to disrespect me? I don’t know, but I know he does."

In their two previous meetings, Corrales went into the fray being the gusty brawler and then found success by relying on more tactical fighting. When October 7 arrives which Corrales will we see? "That’s for show and not for tell," is all he would reveal. Going into this fight armed with a good deal of bad intentions could possibly make for some heavy baggage in the ring, but Corrales is well aware Casamayor will be prepared for anything. "Well, he’s gonna come and bring his ‘A’ game, so knowing that it’s gonna be a little bit tougher, knowing he’s gonna bring his ‘A’ game for me. Everybody always does. I expect nothing less than that."

As for this third and final bout with Casamayor, Corrales has been quoted as saying, "I want to defend my titles and close this chapter and move on." To what exactly, he prefers to leave to his management, Gary Shaw and James Prince. "I don’t know, that’s actually Gary Shaw and James Prince’s job; I just fight. They just point me in a direction and I go. They make the fights happen and I do what I’m supposed to do."

When his ring career ends, Corrales has revealed some talents of late that would certainly keep him involved in boxing and in the public eye. September 2nd Corrales joined the Showtime team ringside for some guest expert commentary during the Robert Guerrero/Eric Aiken IBF title fight, and during the summer he had an acting role in the Rob Schneider prison comedy "Big Stan," which is set for a 2007 release.

Corrales thoroughly enjoyed providing the commentary during Guerrero’s fight.

"It was a blast. There’s nothing better than talking about what you know and what you love, so to me it was a lot of fun to talk about boxing, I know the game, I’ve loved the sport forever. I’d love to be right there, when my career’s over." Corrales was also impressed with Guerrero’s win, stating he "had a great performance, fought well and kept the pressure on." What Corrales disagreed with during the fight was how Aiken’s corner handled the stoppage. "One thing I didn’t agree with was that Aiken’s corner sat back and made him have to admit he wanted to quit. I think that is damaging to a fighter. You never make a fighter have to quit himself. You always stop the fight for him. That way you keep his dignity together that he doesn’t think to himself: I had to quit; that’s very tough."

As for the movie work, Corrales attacked his role with as much tenacity he would a ring opponent. "I played an inmate named Julio who co-ran one of the prison gangs, it was fun. A lot of fun. Had some great names in there – Rob Schneider, Bob Sapp, Don Fryer, Randy Couture. We had some FUN! And some fun people, some fun names. It was really a blast."

Fun and hard work seems to go hand in hand for Corrales, and the idea of these new career avenues is something he is enthusiastic about. So will be seeing more of this hard fighting champion on the silver screen or the commentator’s chair?

"Ahhh, hopefully a little bit of both," Corrales replied. "I don’t know. It’s great fun. It’s a new challenge, I love the challenge. That’s one thing about me – I have always have enjoyed a good challenge. The big screen it would be fun because it is a challenge. It’s mental and physical. It’s a tough thing to do. You have to keep your head together the whole time and in the role for 12, 13 hour days, and consistent focus. And that to me is cool. I like that, because it really offers a great challenge. It’s hard to do that when you’re tired, you’re hungry, or whatever. And they change the sets. And bring this kind of face to it and bring this face with it is very, very challenging and I enjoy that.

“And talking about boxing is another thing. It’s a great challenge that I enjoy the sport from the commentator’s seat, and talking about what I’m seeing, and that’s me knowing what I’m talking about. They’re both great. Either way I hope I’ll do both."

The movie star days and commentating chair are still quite a way into the future for Diego Corrales, and Joel Casamayor is the only coming attraction he’s focused on. Corrales parted with a few words of advice for boxing fans and Joel Casamayor. "RUN. The fans need to run to their seats, and Cas just needs to run while he can."

[GorDoom]

Joel Casamayor: “If I beat the s#!t out of Corrales like I’m gonna beat the s#!t out of him, the judges CAN’T rob me”
Interview by Coyote Duranfrom Dog House Boxing

What can you say about Joel Casamayor that hasn’t been said? Is he arrogance personified or just a down-and-dirty fighter who never lets an opportunity to be bigger and better pass him by?

Casamayor, 33-3-1 (21), is a little bit of both and then some. Hell, he’ll even tell you he’s arrogant. But in the midst of his haughty self-proclamation, there lies a crafty stylist who craves a vicious battle, if nothing but to prove a point: That even ten years after his professional debut, the Cuban expatriate exists only to become and remain the best in the lightweight division.

Fortunately, the cable/satellite-addicted masses who just haven’t quite got the need and/or funds to sustain a hunger for premium cable (for the love of Mike, at least score Showtime for Dexter featuring Michael C. Hall, Sundays at 10 PM/ 9 central!) get a treat this Saturday night, October 7th, in the midst of a free preview weekend, when ‘El Cepillo’ meets World Lightweight Champion Diego ‘Chico’ Corrales, 40-3 (33), for the third time (live at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada) in what has become a grudge-packed series that sees each man at one win apiece.

Still harboring a burning desire to undo a split decision loss to Corrales in March of 2004, Casamayor recently took some time out to vent to The Doghouse and vent he did. Not one to ever mince a word much less waffle on an opinion, the 1992 Olympic gold medal winner and former WBA super featherweight titleholder (aided by manager/super nice guy Luis De Cubas Jr. in the language gap department) gave us his views on what to expect this coming Saturday night when he

faces what I would deem to be a pretty pissed-off Diego Corrales in a potential ‘Fight Of The Year’ candidate. Casamayor also let loose on who he’d ultimately like to face in the very near future, his former trainer Joe Goossen and what he would’ve done if he had the option to face an overweight Jose Luis Castillo.

Arrogance personified? Yep. But opportunity is knocking and Joel Casamayor’s there to answer the door.

[GorDoom]

Corrales-Casamayor: Third Time’s A Charm
By Dr. Peter Edwards from Boxing Scene

These days, it’s very easy to take shortcuts in the sport of boxing. A trilogy meeting between Deigo Corrales (40-3, 33 KOs) and Jose Luis Castillo went bust after Castillo was unable to make weight. Rather than look for an easy fight, Diego Corrales found the toughest opponent in his weight class - Joel Casamayor (33-3-1, 21 KOs).

On Saturday night, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Corrales get a chance to settle the score when he defends his WBC lightweight title against Casamayor. These fighters do not like each other. The hate runs very deep and the third fight should produce plenty of fireworks.

"I think we have bad blood between us because we started off on the wrong foot and we stayed that way. We're like oil and water. We don't mix. I know he's going to bring an explosive performance because this means everything to him. But it means everything to me too. I'm looking to close this chapter in my career. When I'm done with him there won't be enough of him to send back to Cuba. I'm going to torture him. I will retire him,” Corrales said.

"I don't think the fights between Corrales and Castillo were a big deal. I mean, I've been in the ring with him. I feel I have him figured out. Corrales has been in a lot of ring wars. He is burnt. I just need to touch him in the chin and he will go. I said that because I know I can hurt Corrales, and he knows it, too," Casamayor said.

The hatred began before the first fight even took place. Press conferences were filled with name-calling and predictions of knockouts.

On October 4, 2003, the two men met for the first time on the undercard to Evander Holyfield vs. James Toney in Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay. They easily stole the show from the main event as a worldwide audience saw them battle their way to a six-round fight of the year candidate.

It was heart-pounding fight that saw both men hit the canvas. The highlight was the fourth round, that saw Corrales get decked after Casamayor landed a picture perfect right hand, but Corrales got back to his feet and came back moments later with his own left hook to send the Cuban fighter down.

The punch for punch exchanges resulted in a bad cut inside the mouth of Corrales. There was so much bleeding with the mouth of Corrales that the ringside physician would not allowed him to come out for the seventh round and stopped the fight. Casamayor won by way of a six-round technical knockout. At the time of the stoppage, Casamayor was ahead on all three scorecards, he led 58-54 twice and 57-55 on the third.

In the rematch, which happened on March 6, 2004, Corrales evened things up by changing his game plan tow in a twelve-round split decision. Corrales triumphed 115-112 twice and 114-113 was called on the third card for Casamayor. Unlike their first fight, Corrales decided that it was not in his best interest to go to war with the quick handed Casamayor and instead utilized his jab to outbox the boxer. Another interesting note was Corrales being trained by Joe Goossen for the rematch, the same man who trained Casamayor in their first encounter only a few months earlier.

"Having Joe (Goossen) in my corner is a huge advantage. He can tell me everything thing I need to know about Casamayor. But Casamayor does not have that same luxury about me," Corrales said.

Casamayor may not have the luxury of Joe Goossen in his corner, but he brought in a secret weapon for the third meeting – Roger Bloodworth, a world class trainer in his own right. There is no fear of Corrales’ punching power or Goossen, he plans to knock Corrales out in order to prove his point that he is the best lightweight in the world.

"I am going to try and knock him out. In our first fight, I hurt Corrales, but then got caught with a good shot and went down. But, if he could not knock me out with that shot, he is not going to knock me out with anything. In our rematch, the big slugger Corrales is supposed to be got very defensive minded and tried to jab. He ran the last six rounds. He ran for his life the last three,” Casamayor said. So, I will fight carefully, but aggressively. I plan to come out and dictate the action from the opening bell. My trainer, Roger Bloodworth, and I have been working on starting a little quicker. I know I have to work harder in the early rounds."

There is no predicting how the third fight will play out. Neither man looked impressive in the last bouts, but everyone expects a hot fight between the two rivals. Casamayor has come a long way since beating Wayne McCullough to win a gold medal as a bantamweight for Cuba at the 1992 Olympic Games. At 35-years of age, it’s likely his last chance at a major world title at the top level.

On the other hand, Corrales has come a long way from the fighter that was demolished by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. several years ago. Corrales wants to prove that he is not a shot fighter, and his last performance where he was dominated by Jose Luis Castillo on route to being stopped in four rounds, was due to nothing more than Castillo being the much bigger man.

Joel Casamayor summed up their their meeting better than most.

"We're two strong fighters and come Oct. 7 - we're coming to fight!

[GorDoom]

Corrales-Casamayor III Fight Predictions
from Sweet Science

Live Saturday night from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (Showtime), Diego “Chico” Corrales will defend his WBC lightweight belt against one-time champion and nemesis Joel Casamayor in the third and final fight of their trilogy. Having split the first two bouts, plus the animus the fighters feel toward one another, insures that, if nothing else, we’re in for a helluva ride. Both fighters are older, but not necessarily wiser, so you had better fasten your safety belts. This is how The Sweet Science writers see Diego Corrales vs. Joel Casamayor III.

So much has happened since the second Corrales-Casamayor fight in 2004, that it's almost a brand new fight. Both are older and slower, and that could make for the best fight yet. Corrales may employ the stick-and-move tactics that won him the second, but that's doubtful. He hates Casamayor. So look for a war. In the end, Corrales is the better fighter. He'll win by unanimous decision. But he'll have to come off the canvas (maybe more than once) to do it.
Matthew Aguilar

Last time Diego Corrales showed up for a rubber match, his opponent did not make weight and the WBC lightweight champion was out of a fight. This time Corrales will have to work harder to retain his title. Slick southpaw Joel Casamayor has put Corrales on the canvas three times in their two previous fights, but one of the reasons Corrales is champion is that he is not a guy who stays down. Corrales would do well to rely more on his height and reach, and less on his heart. But even if he chooses to mix it up in spots, he will still come out with the win against a 35-year-old Casamayor who may no longer be at the top of his game. Corrales by decision.
David Berlin

For some reason there's a faction insisting Diego Corrales is burned out. It's more talk, like some voodoo hex. No worries for Corrales coming out of this with plenty to celebrate with a UD and his detractors sitting in silence.
Jesse K. Cox

I think Diego Corrales beats Casamayor via UD with some knockdowns along the way. A tough pick.
Ralph Gonzalez

Diego Corrales looks to end this trilogy with his nemesis Casamayor with a victory and I see no reason to disagree. Not only is Corrales looking to end this chapter of his career, he seeks to silence Casamayor once and for all.
Amy Green

In only real classy fight of the night, it is me against my biases – I've never picked against Casamayor, and though I believe Chico should prevail – Joel is now 35 – I am going to stick with the great little Cuban boxer to win by decision. Just don't follow me to the window. Casamayor at plus $1.70 may be a better bet than Corrales at minus $2, but if I hadn't thought so much of Joel that I went to Kansas City to see him win his first world pro title, I would not be tempted again.
Michael Katz

The culmination of the Corrales-Casamayor trilogy is far more intriguing than Valuev-Barrett. You’d be tempted to label it a puncher-boxer matchup, but Corrales is far more clever a boxer than Casamayor is a banger. All the knockout talk from Casamayor strikes us as a ploy designed to sucker Chico into trying to fight a war that probably would not be in his own best interest. Corrales has vowed that he’ll be smart and box this time. If he does he should make this fight the most decisive of the three.
George Kimball

Casamayor will make weight, and that's the most important prediction here. Corrales struggles mightily to weigh in at 135 even though he campaigned at 130 for a long time. At 5'11" it is amazing that he can do it but the tax on his body still comes into play on fight night. The Cuban Casamayor has an easier time of it and I think he will have more left in the tank as the fight wears on. Corrales can't help but get himself into brawls even though using his jab and height can make things easier for him. These two have fought twice and split the meetings 1-1. But, the most telling tale may be that Corrales has been down three times against Casamayor and Casamayor has been down just once. Over his career "El Cepillo" Casamayor is 33-3-1, and those three losses were a razor thin decision to Acelino Freitas and split decision losses to both Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo. Look for another strong performance by a strong looking Casamayor as he surprises Corrales with a late surge.
Joey Knish

The wear and tear on Corrales' body is immense. Casamayor will be too crafty for Corrales and ultimately pull out a close majority decision.
Evan Korn

With all the bad blood between Corrales and Casamayor, it's doubtful there two will dance around flicking jabs for the duration of the fight. Both guys can fight, both can punch a little and it promises to be an exciting fight. I don't know why really but I'm leaning towards Casamayor via a close decision. Who knows, maybe Corrales will knock him out – or vice versa. Now that I think about it, this fight's a pick ‘em and I pick neither of them to win – this fight is a draw!
Scott Mallon

Corrales-Casamayor III has the makings of a great fight as long as the slick southpaw decides to mix it up in there and not try and dance his way around Corrales. In their last fight, Corrales turned the tide and boxed effectively until getting caught late and holding on for the victory. Corrales is coming off his non-fight with Castillo and before that a KO loss, while Casamayor looked average at best in his last fight. Both fighters have something to prove and the fact that they genuinely don't like each other only intensifies the drama. As long as Corrales dictates the pace, cuts off the ring, and uses his jab effectively, he will have the upper hand. Still, don't let the 2-1 odds deceive you as this could be a very even fight. Corrales says he will leave the lightweight division on top and I believe him. I'm taking Corrales via close decision after an entertaining fight.
Benn Schulberg

Part of me wonders if this would even be a trilogy if Diego Corrales’ mouth had not been severely cut in their first fight. However, Corrales barely beat Joel Casamayor in their rematch and has not fought in a year. A little ring rust in the first few rounds will be all the edge Casamayor needs. Casamayor by split decision.
Aaron Tallent

Corrales – Casamayor is hard to call. When Corrales is on, as he has been lately, he's a strong bet at any odds. But somewhere in hunchville there's a little voice telling me Diego is in for an off night, and if that's the case this Saturday, Casamayor will scramble back to the top of the hill.
Phil Woolever

[ShawnTheBleeder]

I give Casa a good shot here, and lean slightly towards him for reasons I can't fully explain. Maybe it's because I think Corrales is going to show some slippage in this one, which will make for a great fight.
Either way it goes down, be sure to hold on to your drinks, fellas!
Shawn

[Todd]

Corrales is 5 lbs. over the lightweight limit:

LINK

[GorDoom]

Corrales-Casamayor is on!
By Rick Guzman from Fight News

Looks like the fight between Diego Corrales and Jorge Casamayor will go on. If Casamayor wins, he claims the WBC lightweight title outright. If Corrales (who forfeit the title on the scale) wins, the belt remains vacant, however Casamayor would be entitled to an immediate fight with WBC interim titlist David Diaz, even if he loses. There will be a second weigh-in Saturday at noon and neither can weigh over 147 lbs. Corrales will be fined $200,000 bu the Nevada Commission, $100,000 of which will go to Casamayor. There are still undisclosed issues ($$) between the camps, but as of now we have a fight.

[GorDoom]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this exactly the same thing that Corrales' camp crucified & threatened to sue Castillo over?

Hypocrosy thy name is, Boxing.

GorDoom

[Mike DeLisa]

does the phrase "eternal return of the same" resonate with anyone?

[Mexal]

Man, Corrales didn't even make the jr. welterweight limit of 140, I don't know how he managed to make the limit in his last attempt against Castillo, a fight which never took place. This means he should be fighting as a welter, where he might not be as successful if not carefully matched up.