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by David P. Greisman - Three lasting images from the year to date, in reverse chronological order:
July 14, Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. A right hand from Alfonso Gomez sends Arturo Gatti crumbling to the canvas, the final blow in a seventh round that had seen Gomez batter the former 130- and 140-pound beltholder around the ring. Referee Randy Neumann begins to issue a count, only to be interrupted as Larry Hazzard Sr., chief of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, steps between the ropes to call a halt to the bout.
June 23, the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Jose Luis Castillo sends a left hook at the head of junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton, but Hatton responds with two left hooks of his own. The first bounces off of Castillo’s shoulder, the second veers around Castillo’s elbow and into his body. Castillo’s face foreshadows what follows, as the former two-time lightweight titlist turns away, takes a knee by the ropes and catches his breath while referee Joe Cortez counts to 10.
April 7, the Shrine Mosque in Springfield, Mo. Diego Corrales, as usual, has taken punishment all night, but this time the pain is being dealt out by a bigger, stronger man in welterweight Joshua Clottey. After eight rounds of breaking Corrales down, Clottey puts the former 130- and 135-pound titlist on the floor. Corrales gets up and lasts the 10-round distance, but his lips are swollen, his jaw is possibly broken and a cut above his right eye has brought the crimson flowing. Corrales would die one month later, killed in a motorcycle accident two years to the date of his amazing first war with Jose Luis Castillo.
One more. There’s always one more fight. Gatti’s loss followed a crushing knockout at the hands of Carlos Baldomir. Castillo’s defeat came after years of killing his body to make the lightweight limit. Corrales, no stranger himself to draining his frame, couldn’t even follow his divisional rival Castillo to junior welterweight, instead needing to jump to 147.
One more. There’s one more lasting image, this one from late last year.
Nov. 18, the Thomas and Mack Center, Vegas. It is the third round of Erik Morales’ rubber match with Manny Pacquiao. Morales has already been sent to the mat twice, once in the second stanza and once again in the current heat. A Pacquiao left cross crashes Morales down once more, a hit that dumps Morales on his tail with his back leaning against the ropes. Referee Vic Drakulich begins his count, and Morales looks leftward as his corner urges him to rise. Morales glances to his right at the referee and Pacquiao, and then he turns his look back at his team and shakes his head, waiting for Drakulich to reach 10 before finally standing up. [details]
July 14, Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. A right hand from Alfonso Gomez sends Arturo Gatti crumbling to the canvas, the final blow in a seventh round that had seen Gomez batter the former 130- and 140-pound beltholder around the ring. Referee Randy Neumann begins to issue a count, only to be interrupted as Larry Hazzard Sr., chief of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, steps between the ropes to call a halt to the bout.
June 23, the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Jose Luis Castillo sends a left hook at the head of junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton, but Hatton responds with two left hooks of his own. The first bounces off of Castillo’s shoulder, the second veers around Castillo’s elbow and into his body. Castillo’s face foreshadows what follows, as the former two-time lightweight titlist turns away, takes a knee by the ropes and catches his breath while referee Joe Cortez counts to 10.
April 7, the Shrine Mosque in Springfield, Mo. Diego Corrales, as usual, has taken punishment all night, but this time the pain is being dealt out by a bigger, stronger man in welterweight Joshua Clottey. After eight rounds of breaking Corrales down, Clottey puts the former 130- and 135-pound titlist on the floor. Corrales gets up and lasts the 10-round distance, but his lips are swollen, his jaw is possibly broken and a cut above his right eye has brought the crimson flowing. Corrales would die one month later, killed in a motorcycle accident two years to the date of his amazing first war with Jose Luis Castillo.
One more. There’s always one more fight. Gatti’s loss followed a crushing knockout at the hands of Carlos Baldomir. Castillo’s defeat came after years of killing his body to make the lightweight limit. Corrales, no stranger himself to draining his frame, couldn’t even follow his divisional rival Castillo to junior welterweight, instead needing to jump to 147.
One more. There’s one more lasting image, this one from late last year.
Nov. 18, the Thomas and Mack Center, Vegas. It is the third round of Erik Morales’ rubber match with Manny Pacquiao. Morales has already been sent to the mat twice, once in the second stanza and once again in the current heat. A Pacquiao left cross crashes Morales down once more, a hit that dumps Morales on his tail with his back leaning against the ropes. Referee Vic Drakulich begins his count, and Morales looks leftward as his corner urges him to rise. Morales glances to his right at the referee and Pacquiao, and then he turns his look back at his team and shakes his head, waiting for Drakulich to reach 10 before finally standing up. [details]
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