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Corrales-Casamayor: An Underrated Rivalry
Corrales vs Casamayor - An Underrated Rivalry
By Steve Kim (Oct 5, 2006) Photo © Brendon Pierpaoli
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.
NO CIRCUS
While Shaw might be correct in his assessment of Valuev-Barrett, the rematch between Tomasz Adamek and Paul Briggs for the WBC light heavyweight title should be another gem.
Last May these two put on an action packed slugfest that was won by Adamek via majority decision. Like the other rivalries mentioned above, these two seem to have styles that make for good, entertaining scraps.
THANKSGIVING B.A.D.
I hear that the November 25th edition of 'Boxing After Dark on HBO could feature the return of Jesus Chavez against Julio Diaz for the IBF lightweight title, with Demetrius Hopkins facing 'Contender' runner-up Steve Forbes.
Chavez, the reigning titlist, still has not signed his name on the dotted line. But he will be stripped of his title if he doesn't defend his crown by December 17th. During the time when Chavez was hurt and unable to fight (when he was scheduled to face Barrera earlier in the year), Diaz would capture the 'interim’ title by outpointing Ricky Quiles.
This card - should it come to fruition - would emanate from the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.
The return of 'B.A.D.' in 2006 has been a disappointment, but this doubleheader looks like a good one, on paper at least.
FINAL FLURRIES
According to manager Gary Gittlesohn, Fernando Montiel, the reigning WBO jr. bantamweight titlist, will defend his title in Nicaragua against Adonis Rivas on October 29th....So Acelino Freitas announced his retirement, huh? There are two groups of people whose retirement proclamations I never take seriously: boxers and rappers....I'd love to see a rematch between Celestino Cabellero - who stunningly blew out Somsak Sithchatchawal in three for the WBA jr. featherweight belt - and WBO belt-holder Daniel Ponce De Leon in 2007.....Just my opinion, but 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip' on NBC is my favorite new show. Aaron Sorkin can write like Eddie Futch could train fighters....I also like 'Friday Night Lights' but geez, they badly need a football consultant on that show. If you saw the ending of the first episode, you know what I'm talking about.....
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