January 20, 2001, Las Vegas
WBC First Lightweight Title Fight
Rival Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Diego Chico Corrales became a professional in 1996. In 99, he won the IBF first lightweight championship title by knocking out the hitherto undefeated Roberto Garcia. After several victories over very strong opponents, Diego went to Floyd Mayweather Jr. From the first rounds, handsome Floyd outplayed his opponent due to superiority in technology. Mayweather made the judge three times count down in the seventh round, and twice in the tenth. Soon, at the request of coach Corrales, despite the disagreement of the boxer himself, the meeting was stopped. Before this fight, Corrales had never been knocked down, and this was his first defeat in 34 fights in the professional ring.
March 6, 2004, Mashantaket
WBO First Lightweight Title Fight
Opponent Hoel Casamayor
After losing to Mayweather, most experts thought Corrales had reached his ceiling and was unlikely to be able to fight for the title again. Diego himself contributed to these conversations, having received a 14-month prison term at the end of 2001 for beating his wife. Returning to boxing in 2003, Corrales won four fights and again forced to talk about himself with respect, but in the fifth he was defeated by Cuban Joel Casamayor. By the sixth round of the stubborn duel, both boxers had been on the floor of the ring, and then the doctor considered Corrales' lip cut too serious to allow him to continue the fight. Fans demanded a rematch, and six months later it took place. Corrales made the right conclusions from previous mistakes and, despite the knockdown in the tenth round, won by a split decision of the judges - 115: 112,115: 112, 113: 114.
August 7, 2004, Mashantaket
WBO Lightweight Champion title fight
Opponent Acelino Freitas
In 2004, Diego went into lightweight and won the WBO world champion title, defeating the previously unbeaten Brazilian Aselino Freitas. After seven rounds of an equal match, the eighth for Freitas was the beginning of the end - he was knocked down after a powerful right-hand cross, Diego. At the beginning of the ninth round, Freitas tried to attack, but Corrales managed to keep him at a distance with a jab, and then sent him back to the ring floor. Once knocked down for the third time in the 10th round, Freitas rose again until the end of the count, but refused to continue the fight.
May 7, 2005, Las Vegas
WBC and WBO Lightweight Champion title fight
Opponent Jose Luis Castillo
Corrales won the most striking and important victory in 2005, challenging WBC lightweight champion Mexican Jose Luis Castillo. The fight began with numerous exchanges, and the advantage passed from one boxer to another. Two knockdowns of Corrales in the tenth round almost convinced that Castillo would be the winner of the cut. After Corrales got up, the Mexican rushed to finish off the opponent, but received an oncoming strong blow from the right. The next blow, Diego drove off the taken aback Castillo to the ropes and, realizing that he was barely holding on to his feet, he began to finish off with a series of hard punches, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
April 7, 2007, Springfield
Joshua Clottey's rival
Corrales spent his last fight just over a month ago against the Ghanaian Joshua Clottey. This was Diego's welterweight debut performance, with which he had new hopes. From the first minutes of the battle, Clottey seized the initiative - his punches were more accurate. By the sixth round, the Ghanaian got addicted, and Corrales leveled the fight. But he did not have enough strength for the ending. In the ninth and tenth rounds, Corrales was knocked down, and in both cases he spat out the mouthpiece, for which the referee was punished. After the ten-round match, the judges unanimously gave Clottey a victory - 97:90, 98:89 and 100: 87.
“I lost, but I'm not broken,” Diego said then. - My whole life is a symbol of overcoming. “He will not get out,” they often said around. But every time I overcame difficulties, and there is no way that would make me turn. I'm still here! ”
Diego Coralles was a four-time world champion. In the professional ring, he spent 45 fights - 40 wins (33 by KO), 5 defeats. He was 29 years old.
Andrey IVANTSOV