MOSLEY WILL FIGHT IN THE NAME OF CORRALES
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 10 Nov 2007
Sugar Shane Mosley will dedicate his forthcoming fight to his late friend Diego Corrales. The Californian will bear the name and the fighting spirit of the late former world champion into the top of the ring action on Saturday night when he challenges the WBA welterweight title held by the Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto at the Madison Square Garden, New York.
On May 7, 2007, exactly two years after his celebrated fight with Jose Luis Castillo, Corrales was killed in a three-vehicle accident near his Las Vegas home. He was only 29 years old. Corrales was riding a 2007 Suzuki GSXR 1000 motorcycle, traveling northbound on Fort Apache Road in the southwest part of the city, when he attempted to pass another vehicle at high speed. Corrales struck the back of a 1997 Honda Accord, Las Vegas police reported.
Corrales was a former super featherweight and lightweight world boxing champion. "Chico" had a professional record of 40-5-0, with 33 wins coming by way of knockout.
On January 20, 2001, Corrales challenged Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the WBC super featherweight title. Mayweather knocked down Corrales five times (three times in the seventh round and twice in the tenth round). After the fifth knockdown, Corrales' corner stopped the fight, despite Corrales' objection. This fight was the first taste of Corrales being knocked down and was his first loss.
On May 7, 2005, Corrales defeated Castillo for the WBC lightweight title, also via TKO in the tenth round. The fight is almost generally considered as the best fight of 2005. A rematch took place on October 8, 2005. Castillo did not make the weight limit and the fight became a non-title bout. Castillo won by TKO in the fourth round.
The Cotto-Mosley undercard features a WBC lightweight interim title bout between Cuban Joel Casamayor (34-3-1, 21 KOs) and Californian Jose Armando Santa-Cruz (25-2, 14 KOs). In 2003, Corrales fought against Casamayor. After the sixth round, the fight was stopped because of a deep cut inside of Corrales' mouth.
On March 6, 2004, there was a rematch for the vacant WBO super featherweight title that Corrales won by split decision.
A third bout against Casamayor on October 7, 2006, saw Corrales four pounds over the limit. Corrales would have been stripped of the title had he won the fight, but Casamayor prevailed by split decision for the WBC and The Ring lightweight titles.
Mosley, 36, knows age is his disadvantage against the champion nine years younger than him. He is expecting a great combat and that using Corrales as an inspiration will help him motivate in what promises to be a classic encounter.
Top photo: Three-Division World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley flexes his muscles while on the scale today, November 9, 2007, during the official weigh-in for his November 10, 2007 WBA World Welterweight Championship bout at Madison Square Garden against Champion Miguel Cotto. Photo by Teddy Blackburn/Golden Boy Promotions.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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