By Dr. Peter Edwards
When Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo clashed on May 7 of last year, it was one of the most brutal bouts in the history of the sport. Both men left battered and bruised, but it was Corrales who appeared to be the fighter that left the arena with a bigger share of long term physical scarring.
Due to the high popularity of the first meeting and high public demand for a rematch, the big wigs at Showtime put the wheels in motion to put together a rematch on an immediate basis. It became apparent that Showtime, and the promoters, wanted to cash in on the rematch before the public buzz had worn off.
The rematch was the complete opposite of their first bout. Marred by controversy, stiff fines and possible cancellation - the rematch went forward. Castillo, overweight and all, beat Corrales up in a one-sided four round battle.
Some experts criticized the promoters of Corrales for letting the fight go forward when Castillo appeared to have absolutely no intention of making the lightweight limit of 135 pounds. Others were critical of the network for rushing the rematch and not allowing either man to fully recuperate.
Following their first bout, most thought Castillo would be the fighter to get battered in the rematch. He proved the public wrong and came back much stronger the second time around. I don't buy the whole issue of Castillo's weight advantage being the difference in the outcome. I feel that Castillo was able to recuperate much better from the first encounter and his ability to take a punch is much better.
After the rematch, there was no public outcry for a third meeting - unlike the massive demand that followed their first bout. When an immediate third bout was booked for February of this year, it was a big surprise to many. First the trilogy-deciding encounter was booked too soon following the rematch. The second is that Corrales was not taking a tune-up prior to facing Castillo for a consecutive third time. Some scribes were even advising Corrales to avoid a fight with Castillo at all costs.
What was more disturbing to me is that Corrales stated to a live nationwide audience that he is going to fight Corrales in the same exact fashion as the first two bouts. Most fighters say they will fight one way and come fight time – they fight a style that is the exact opposite. Corrales on the other hand, boasted about going to war with Castillo in the rematch, and once the bell rang to start round one of their rematch – he kept his word.
Corrales ran right to Castillo and proceeded to go to war at close range. This time he was battered, outgunned and not underestimated. He played right into Castillo’s hands as the Mexican warrior was able to land his big punches at will.
Castillo was able to take the punches of Corrales much better and he was able to cash in on the punches with well-timed counters.
Now that Corrales has suffered a rib injury and the rematch is postponed for a couple of months, he can capitalize on that extra time and further heal himself physically and mentally. A new strategy must be constructed, consisting of boxing – not slugging. Corrales mapped out a boxing strategy to gain a unanimous decision win over Joel Casamayor, the same type of plan must be instituted in this fight.
Corrales has to go back to the drawing board and look at Castillo’s weaknesses, not standing to trade on toe to toe terms. Castillo himself admitted that the style of Corrales is tailor made for him. After their rematch, Castillo said that unlike other opponents, Corrales comes right to him and he does not have to go through the trouble of chasing him down.
Why make the fight easy for Castillo? Diego needs to utilize the same movement he used against Casamayor. Corrales is big enough to keep Castillo at the end of his jab and strong enough to make him pay if he tries to charges inside.
During his healing period, Corrales must leave the warrior mentality behind and use it only when necessary. If he rushes out to Castillo, who will be waiting with open arms to greet him – the fight will be over as soon as it starts.
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