Date May 7, 2005 39-2-0 (32 KO) 52-6-1 (46 KO) | Chico El Temible WBO Lightweight WBC Lightweight | |
Title(s) on the line WBC Lightweight Title
WBO Lightweight Title | ||
Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo was a boxing match in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA in 2005.
Contents
The fight
On May 7, 2005, Corrales defeated José Luis Castillo for the WBC and WBO lightweight titles in a titular unification bout via TKO in the tenth round (Corrales held the WBO title, Castillo the WBC title).. The fight is almost universally regarded as the best fight of 2005. Both men stood in front of each other, battering each other with hard combinations and power punches throughout the entire fight. Finally, in the tenth round, Castillo knocked Corrales down. Seconds later, Castillo knocked Corrales down again. Once on the ground, Corrales managed to beat the count, and, after a point was taken away for excessive spitting out of the mouthpiece, Corrales connected with a punch that Castillo later called "a perfect right hand." Corrales then trapped Castillo against the ropes and landed numerous punches, causing the referee, Tony Weeks, to stop the fight.
The rematch
A rematch between Corrales and Castillo occurred on October 8, 2005. On the day before the fight, Castillo weighed-in 1½ lb over the 135 lb (61 kg) lightweight limit. Since Castillo did not make the weight, the fight became a non-title bout. The two fighters continued with the same fighting style that they had used in the first fight, trading inside punches throughout the first three rounds. Early in the fourth round, Castillo knocked down Corrales with a left hook to his chin. Corrales wobbled to his feet at the referee's count of ten, causing the fight to end.