Thursday, May 7, 2009

In Memoriam

From ESPN's Dan Raphael -

This one never, ever gets old. I could watch my DVD of the Showtime bout every week. But four years ago, on May 7, 2005, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo waged the single greatest fight I have ever seen. It was a privilege to be ringside for one of the best fights in boxing history. They traded toe-to-toe for the entire fight in what was already a classic by the time they reached the 10th round of the lightweight unification bout. The 10th round, one of the greatest ever, sent the fight into legendary status as Corrales survived two rough knockdowns (helped, no doubt, by spitting out his mouthpiece twice) to rally for the improbable TKO victory in the final minute. It was jaw-dropping stuff. Fights simply get no better. It turned out to be Corrales' final victory. He lost his next three (including a rematch) and, sadly, two years to the day of the fight, Corrales died in a motorcycle accident. It's an anniversary I never forget.

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