It was five years ago today ...

[pk500]

... that Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo engaged in one of the most epic fights in boxing history. Here's the incredible 10th and final round from that fight:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/imZaiGJgbsw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/imZaiGJgbsw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

RIP, Chico. You are missed to this day.

[Relentless]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

I got that fight on my PC .. ill watch that today or some point this weekend.. Great fight.. great heart by both fighters.. Neither fighters were the same after that............

R.i.P Chico.. this is probably my favorite fight of all time

[pk500]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

I got that fight on my PC .. ill watch that today or some point this weekend.. Great fight.. great heart by both fighters.. Neither fighters were the same after that............

R.i.P Chico.. this is probably my favorite fight of all time

The "Thrilla in Manila" between Ali and Frazier jumps from my mind as an equal for extended savagery and bravery. Same with the Gatti-Ward and Marquez-Vazquez trilogies, too.

It's amazing how Chico and Castillo barely threw any jabs the entire fight because nearly every punch was a bomb, usually thrown from head-to-head or shoulder-to-shoulder range.

You're right: Neither guy was the same after that fight. How could they have been, with the blows they inflicted and received?

That's why I wasn't overjoyed when Vazquez and Marquez agreed to fight for a fourth time. That trilogy also featured insane punishment, and I don't want to see either of these guys get hurt. I already worry about long-term damage for both.

[Artman22]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

This was a great fight. These guys both came to fight, unlike the mosley/mayweather fight

[Relentless]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

This was a great fight. These guys both came to fight, unlike the mosley/mayweather fight

Oh please..

[KG]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

Damn. Time flies.

RIP CHico

[grunt]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

This was a great fight. These guys both came to fight, unlike the mosley/mayweather fight

I guess you didnt see Mosley face after the fight.

[DTX3]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

Corrales-Castillo makes Mayweather-Mosley look like Disneyland.

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

Never gets old. That's heart...and insanity.

RIP Diego

[Artman22]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

I guess you didnt see Mosley face after the fight.

Actually I saw the entire fight hence why I say it was rigged

Mosley got his retirement check and kept it moving..

[Artman22]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

Oh please..

Hey it's my opinion and the opinion of most guys that saw the fight in my house. I respect your opinion. Maybe to you Mosley came to fight

[pk500]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

Everyone: Stop the bullsh*t about Mosley-Mayweather and take it to that thread, please.

Chico and Castillo deserve more respect than a threadjack.

[Relentless]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

I watched it yesterday.. it had me hype in anticipation from the first Ding.. the give and take in that fight was tremendous. Weeks made a great stoppage. Chico showed tremenous heart.. wit..and killer instinct.. and Castillo was so "relentless".. That fight and those two gladiators will never be forgotten

[Gibbz]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

Pure heart.


RIP Chico.

[pietasterp]

Re: It was five years ago today ...

Never gets old. That's heart...and insanity.

RIP Diego

My thoughts exactly - equal parts heart and insanity. To give/take that kind of beating, something's gotta be a little off. Both guys' faces looked like pin cushions by the end. I always wonder how Chico managed to come back with a flurry like that after being clocked twice in the previous minute - and I have to catch myself when I criticize guys for not throwing it all out there like these guys, because this was a never-again-to-be-seen effort by both men. Epic determination and self-disregard.

I have mixed feelings when I watch that fight, though. I remember even when I watched it back when it was live, I thought to myself that in a way, this should not have been allowed to happen. Permanent damage to both men was definitely done that night - it's basically the equivalent of getting hit with a baseball bat to the head many times after 10 rounds of savage power shots landing flush every time. Both corners at varying points in the fight, and even just in the 10th round, should probably have stopped it. I'd say Corrales' corner after the 2nd knock-down (maybe even the 1st?), and Castillo's when it was stopped by the ref. But you can make the argument it shouldn't have come to that - a fighter's corner needs to be his first line of defense against himself. And that's why I'm always a little sad when I see the fight again...