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I admit that I could barely watch Wayne McCullough on the verge of tears having had his world title challenge to Oscar Larios ended by ringside doctor Margaret Goodman. And I definitely seethed at HBO analyst Larry Merchant’s “The adults have taken charge,” comment in light of the stoppage. Unlike many boxing fans, I have not yet reached the stage where I feel I might strangle Merchant if I have to endure yet another cliche, but unlike Merchant, I am even further from the stage where I can inappropriately criticize or patronize a fighter that risked more in the last half hour than I have in my entire life. If I have to concur with the old geezer on one point though, it is that the line must be drawn somewhere, and while I don’t have the blueprint for this project, the impending Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo rematch strikes me as a fine place to begin a reassessment.
If I am the lone voice of dissent amidst a bloodthirsty chorus clamoring for this rematch, so be it. The original was not an ordinary fight. You understand that a fight is unlike any other when someone the caliber of former undisputed light middleweight champion Ronald “Winky” Wright looks at it and openly admits that he would rather be anywhere else than in such a fight. Of course, the first fight generated all of the typical cliches: “It was the fight of the century” or, “The greatest fight ever seen” and, “It was a throwback to the old days.” I cannot escape the scent of hypocrisy over such comments and the fact that Corrales-Castillo II will be a pay-per-view event. Anyone with the slightest inclination as to the abilities of these two fighters knew what a fight it would be, and yet, less than 5000 people turned out to see it and it took the industry to witness its utter carnage before consenting to adequately recognize it and the potential in a rematch.
The potential I see in a rematch though is that of ended careers, permanent disability or death; not the finale’s we aspire to at any price, especially that of our own entertainment. I am not a fighter, but you do not have to give or take punishment to understand the meaning of pride. That insatiable beckoning at the back of our consciousnesses is what often drives us to do that which we ordinarily would not. For Corrales and Castillo, there is simply no other way. I know that these two fighters want to do what they will do on October 8. I know they have already given boxing so much, but I look at them and wonder if after October 8, they will be able to give any more. Consider the positioning of these two men: the premier lightweight fighters of the day, a stone’s throw from the light welterweight division where money and glory flow together; something their presences could only enhance. It is difficult to look at these champions and accept that we could witness the last of one of them, if they can even enter the fight as a shadow of their former selves.
Greatness in boxing holds a high price and the mere cost of admission for the chance is indifference to fear and consequence. Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo are two fighters more than willing to pay the price of greatness with their lives. People do not often get to realize the adage that it is better to live one day as a tiger than to live a whole lifetime as a worm. On October 8, two warriors will fight again and the world will have its chance to see that old saying alive in the living colors of pain and sacrifice. As you watch the fight, look for the presence of one particular spectator: Fate. Pray that it guides them both safely.
Contact Jim Cawkwell at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk
