Diego Corrales (born August 25, 1977, Columbia, SC) is the current WBC lightweight boxing champion. "Chico" has a professional record of 40-3-0, with 33 wins coming by way of knockout.

Corrales' early life was filled with violence. He was raised in Sacramento, CA, where he was involved with street gangs. At age 13, he witnessed his best friend's death via drive-by shooting.

Corrales was victorious in his pro boxing debut on March 19, 1996. On October 23, 1999, Corrales won the IBF super featherweight title by defeating the previously unbeaten Roberto Garcia via TKO in the seventh round. After defeating Angel Manfredy on September 2, 2000, Corrales' managers vacated his title.

On January 20, 2001, Corrales challenged Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the WBC super featherweight title. In the bout, Mayweather knocked down Corrales five times (three times in the seventh round and twice in the tenth round). After the fifth knockdown, Corrales' corner stopped the fight, despite Corrales' protests. This fight was the first one in which Corrales was knocked down and was his first loss.

After the Mayweather Jr. bout, Corrales had to deal with personal issues. When he was accused of violence against his pregnant ex-wife, Corrales accepted a plea bargain. He spent 14 months in prison.

In 2003, Corrales returned to the ring. After easily winning four fights, Corrales fought against Joel Casamayor. After the sixth round, the fight was stopped because of a deep cut inside of Corrales' mouth. On March 6, 2004, there was a rematch for the vacant WBO super featherweight title that Corrales won by close split decision.

On August 7, 2004, Corrales won the WBO lightweight title from Acelino Freitas via TKO in the tenth round. Freitas was a celebrated fighter and a national hero in Brazil. Freitas won the early rounds of the fight by hitting and running. But he expended too much energy and was battered by the power punching of Corrales. After being knocked down three times, Freitas quit.

On May 7, 2005, Corrales defeated Jose Luis Castillo for the WBC lightweight title, also via TKO in the tenth round. The fight is almost universally regarded as the best fight of 2005. Both men stood in front of each other, battering each other with hard combinations and power punches throughout the entire fight. Finally, in the tenth round, Castillo knocked Corrales down twice. Corrales was put in further jeopardy when he was penalized one point for spitting out his mouthpiece. After the point was taken away, Corrales shockingly connected with a punch that Castillo later called "a perfect right hand." Corrales then trapped Castillo against the ropes and landed numerous punches, causing the referee, Tony Weeks, to stop the fight. Whether or not the stoppage was premature has been debated by boxing fans and analysts. On one hand, Castillo was not given the same chance to recover that Corrales had had. (The rules did not include a standing 8 count.) On the other hand, Castillo was trapped against the ropes with his hands at his sides, apparently knocked out on his feet—a potentially life-threatening position.

A rematch between Corrales and Castillo occurred on October 8, 2005. On the day before the fight, Castillo weighed-in 3½ lb over the 135 lb lightweight limit. Since Castillo did not make the weight, the fight became a non-title bout. The two fighters continued with the same fighting style that they had used in the first fight, trading inside punches throughout the first three rounds. Early in the fourth round, Castillo knocked down Corrales with a left hook to his chin. Corrales wobbled to his feet at the referee's count of ten, causing the fight to end.

Corrales vs. Castillo III, dubbed "The War to Settle the Score," had been scheduled for February 4, 2006, but it was postponed because of a rib injury that Corrales suffered while training. The fight was rescheduled for June 3, 2006. At the weigh-in, however, Corrales weighed the 135 lb lightweight limit whereas Castillo weighed 139 1/2 lb—causing the fight to be cancelled. Corrales recently sued Castillo for punitive damages.

See also

• List of current world boxing champions
• List of lightweight boxing champions
• List of male boxers
• List of notable boxing rivalries
• List of WBC world champions

External links

• Diego Corrales' career boxing record by Boxrec.com
• The rises and falls of Diego Corrales by Jason Probst, 17 April 2003, Sacramento News and Review.

1977 births | Living people | American boxers | Junior-lightweights | Lightweights | Sacramentans | World boxing champions

Diego Corrales