Diego Corrales: Will “Chico” Be “The Man” at Lightweight?

“This fight is going to be up close and I plan to blood and guts it out and I will win this fight. I just want to fight the best and he is it.”-Diego “Chico” Corrales.

Hollywood gave the world Alien vs. Predator, a movie pitting the two most ruthless killing machines in the history of the universe against one another in a battle for ultimate supremacy. Now, Top Rank and Banner Promotions are giving the boxing world our version of Alien vs. Predator.

On May 7, 2005, live on Showtime from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Jose Luis “El Terrible” Castillo faces Diego “Chico” Corrales in a unification bout that pits the two top lightweights on the planet against each other, for ultimate supremacy of the division. This contest will not only determine who is truly the best lightweight, but will also reveal who is the ultimate beast in boxing, as both of these combatants are seen as the monsters of the sport. “My camp has been great, I mean, I couldn’t have asked for a better camp. It’s been smooth. It’s been a long camp, going on twelve weeks, but it’s been great. Only once before had I been in camp this long, but it’s one of those fights that you got to be on top of everything and I can’t afford to not have a long camp like this,” said Diego “Chico” Corrales to this writer via cell phone from his camp at the Goossen Boxing Gym in California.

Read on for the rest of this essential interview with world lightweight champion Diego “Chico” Corrales, only at SaddoBoxing.com

Corrales has been preparing for the fight of his life against one of the strongest lightweights in recent memory, as Castillo is a vicious mauler that is extremely physical with his opponents. “We do a lot of weight training and we have a very, very strong weight program that is going to combat his strength. I’m a very strong lightweight myself so we should neutralize each other’s strength. I’ve been sparring with this young kid Cruz, I can’t remember his first name, but he mimics Castillo’s style exactly. He is exactly what I’m going to be looking at with Castillo. I mean he stands in front of you to be hit.”

That is a lot easier said than done as top fighters like Stevie Johnston, Joel Casamayor, Cesar Bazan, Juan Lazcano, and Julio Diaz found out that, although he seems to have a very weak defense, Jose Luis is not as easy to hit cleanly as he seems. “I think Castillo is a great fighter and I think he is defensively sound and yeah, you’re right, you do hit a lot of gloves, arms, and shoulders, but I’ll take an arm, or shoulder because my punches will still do a lot of damage. I think really highly of Castillo and people don’t give him the credit he deserves. He is absolutely without a doubt one of the best fighters in the world today. He is definitely the elite lightweight and that is why my camp has been so long. He is definitely the man to beat.”

And in regards to the prediction that Castillo gave this writer last week during our interview that Corrales will get knocked, “Chico” had this to say. “You know, true enough that he has a great chin and I’ve been down in the past, but you know what, even the strongest things break down when they meet something stronger. The thing is that I have late round power and late round energy, and he has late round power and late round energy. What happens in the early part of the fight will determine what happens in the late rounds. We both have finishing power and stamina so there is no advantage in that department. I’m definitely going to outwork him. I don’t think he has ever faced a puncher that punches as hard as I do. And I don’t think he has ever faced a puncher thatpunches as clean as I do. I can punch really good from such short distances that he wouldn’t suspect to feel a punch with that kind of power from such a short range. This fight is going to be up close and I plan to blood and guts it out and I will win this fight. I just want to fight the best and he is it.”

And the best he has been fighting as Castillo represents the fourth fight in a row that Corrales will be facing a top fighter with the previous three being against the then undefeated Acelino “Popo” Freitas, and Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor (twice). This desire to fight the best comes from fighters he idolized in an era, the eighties, which Diego considers the best ever in boxing. “Man, I love Alexis Arguello, Tommy Hearns, absolutely love Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler, that whole era was when men were men. That’s when fighters were fighters. They fought everyone. (Excited sigh from Corrales) A guy with a record of thirty-five and seven or thirty-five and nine was a hell of a fighter because he had fought everyone and I just love that era. It was awesome! I would love to bring that era back and I think that, right now, the best fighters are fighting each other and this era is starting to look like another great one. I mean look at the resumes of Erik Morales, and Marco Antonio Barrera and MAN! They have fought everybody. They have fought every named fighter, and continue to face all of the top guys out there. They are AWESOME MAN! I want to fight everybody out there too, and I pride myself with that. When I retire, I want to look back on my career and, no matter what people think of me, I want everyone to say that I always fought everyone out there. Win, lose, or draw, I want to fight everyone that I can. I’m having fun right now and want to keep working hard and giving fans the best fights possible.”

And in closing, “Chico” had this message to boxing fans: “don’t miss this one (laughing). This is going to be a hell of a fight, so don’t miss it! I know that this is going to be one of those fights where everything on my body is going to hurt for a couple of days (laughing). This is going to be a Great One!”

A great one it should be, as I haven’t even seen the first one yet, but I hope it’s a draw because I can’t wait for the rematch!

Sergio Martinez can be reached at srg_mrtnz@yahoo.com