Very good or great? Volume 5: Diego Corrales

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[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9YXxHB9SmY[/ame]


Amateur Record: 105-12

Professional Record: 40 (33 Knockouts)-5 (3 by knockout) - 0

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IBF Super Featherweight Champion
1999 Oct 23 – 2000 Oct
Vacated
3 Defenses

WBO Super Featherweight Champion
2004 Mar 6 – 2004
Vacated
No Defenses

WBO Lightweight Champion
2004 Aug 7 – 2005
Stripped
1 Defense

WBC Lightweight Champion
2005 May 7 – 2006 Oct 6
Stripped
(failed to make weight)
No Defenses

Ring Lightweight Champion of the World
May 7, 2005 - October 7, 2006
No Defenses

Note: Unified his WBO lightweight title with Jose Luis Castillo's Ring and WBC titles.

Victories Over World Champions: 6/6

1. Gairy St Clair
2. Roberto Garcia
3. Derrick Gainer
4. Joel Casamayor
5. Acelino Freitas
6. Jose Luis Castillo



Volumes 1-4:

Very good or great? Volume 1: Ken Norton

Very good or great? Volume 2: Ernesto Marcel

Very good or great? Volume 3: Genaro Hernandez

Very good or great? Volume 4: Chris Eubank

 

A hard puncher, vulnerable but full of heart, enjoyed a big strength advantage at 130, and had a quality win over a truly 'very good' fighter in Castillo (maybe he would've been a better subject?)...good. Not great in any way, shape or form IMO.

Especially as he bought himself time by spitting his gumshield out ;-)

 

His initial 130lb undefeated run was considered devastating at the time. He blew out top contenders, Gainer was tricky, skilled rangy type, fast and would win the WBA FW title where he'd be avoided by everyone bar the 'who needs them club' in Norwood and JMM. Manfredy was a top contender fresh off beating Gatti, Garcia was an unbeaten titlist he went through them all like a knife through butter.

Then his devastating losses against elite boxers like Mayweather and Casamayor, but he came back to win a close controversal 1 over Casamayor. The Freitas win was big, Freitas was undefeated (although should have lost to Casa), a 2 weight titlist and the big name at 130lbs he hadn't got to fight

Then for arguably the fight of the decade against no1 LW Castillo, a great great fight that ruined both men, fights like that part want to make me say he was great on that alone

Depends where you draw the line really, he had his weaknesses but his strengths were devastating and what a puncher

 

He's also on my fairly sized list of fighters I'd thought about doing a good or great thread for, but I went for one I'm certain his career is over, and it's been a couple years. I prefer guys who are almost certainly or in this case, completely certainly out of the game for these threads. There have been nearly bizarre resurgences and such that might change minds, but also if a guy is currently being kicked around way past his best, that can also sway people, subconsciously, at least.

To be clear, this is not an all-time great thread. Was he a great fighter, in your opinion, even if only briefly. So, it depends where you draw the line, considering that intention, I guess.

 

More than fair :good

 

Neither. Merely 'good'.

 

The Mayweather fight put Corrales in perspective for me. He went to war with Garcia to win the title and was getting hit and bloodied. This was a guy clearly stronger than his opponents, but lacking a key factor in his game in defense. Mayweather completely outclassed him and showed he was a very good fighter, but not an elite fighter like Mayweather. He could never get close enough to Mayweather to utilize his attributes of strength and infighting.

Corrales never learned to utilize his tremendous height advantage. Would have been interesting to see how a trainer like Emanuel Steward would have developed him fighting tall behind his jab and big right hand. Corrales was an excellent infighter, but preferred to stay there and trade rather than mix it up properly.

 

P-Dub is making the same mistake now, but even worse, he's a southpaw without a huge dig (definitely respectable though) and, like Corrales, is fighting shoulder-to-shoulder!

With a few adjustments, Williams could be formidable. Corrales too, but he was essentially a wildman!

 

I think greatness is a subjective concept, 1 thing that made me laugh and shake my head when half of the general were picking Katsidis over Corrales :-(. Corrales at his best would pull off a few suprise wins over great 130lb and 135lbers so in that respect is great

This thread needs highlight vids (and someone needs to make 1 for Corrales)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFZ-eJiy6T0[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoiZHvn6LPs&feature=fvwrel[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXB55ITNwdo[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWWjRzb-6U0&feature=related[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8RKTFIbiBs&feature=related[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8RKTFIbiBs&feature=related[/ame]

 

"I think greatness is a subjective concept"

Indeed, I'm not sure it could get much more subjective, my brother. I will definitely watch these tonight, when my laptop isn't trying to explode every time I play a video. ...Damn laptop. :twisted:

 

Many fighters have 1 sided losses and styles that didn't suit them. Corrales has his weaknesses but I don't think he did have 'no defense' I think he sacrificed it to land his better punches as many punchers do. In a way his offense was his defense, very fast hands, short accurate devastating punches. He did plod a bit and didn't have the fastest feet

Corrales was never going to fight tall because he had T-Rex arms

Still I would have liked to have seen him against Morales, Barrera, Marquez, Pacquaio. He may just have beat all of them at 130lbs

 

Kitti may be picking a fight sometime soon, incidentally. :hey

 

I would say Corrales is on the same level as say, Chacon.

 

From the Genaro Hernandez good or great thread:

:think...

 

Yeah it seems dis dude is nickin my moves. :fire