Diego "Chico" Corrales Jr. (August 25, 1977 – May 7, 2007) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2007. He was a multiple-time world champion in two weight divisions, having held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super featherweight title from 1999 to 2000; the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) super featherweight title in 2004; the WBO lightweight title from 2004 to 2006; and the World Boxing Council (WBC), and Ring magazine lightweight titles from 2005 to 2006.

In 2005, Corrales received Fight of the Year honors by The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America for his acclaimed first bout with José Luis Castillo.

Corrales was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024.

Early life Corrales was born in Columbia, South Carolina to a Colombian father, Diego Corrales Sr. and a Mexican mother. Corrales' early life was filled with violence; he was raised in the Oak Park section of Sacramento, was involved with street gangs at age 13, and witnessed his best friend's death via drive-by shooting. Corrales had a degree in culinary arts. He trained at "Sac Pal" (Sacramento Police Athletic League) Boxing Gym.Press release. "Showtime Championship Boxing to feature WBO lightweight championship." 2 June 2004. Showtime. Retrieved 28 August 2006.

Amateur career Corrales compiled an amateur boxing record of 105–12.Boxing-Records editors. Boxing-Records: Diego Corrales 1 March 2006. GFAX. Retrieved 28 August 2006. In 1994, he took second place at the United States Amateur Championships, losing to Frankie Carmona on points in the featherweight final. He reached the first round of the featherweight bracket at the 1995 Pan American Games, losing to Arnaldo Mesa. At the 1995 World Championships, he lost out on a medal after losing to Marco Rudolph in the lightweight bracket.

Professional career

Super featherweight

Corrales vs. Mayweather

On January 20, 2001, Corrales challenged Ring No. 2 ranked Super Featherweight and #7 Pound-For-Pound Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the WBC super featherweight title and recorded his first knockdown and first loss. In the bout, Mayweather knocked down Corrales five times (three times in the seventh round and twice in the tenth). After the fifth knockdown, Corrales' corner stopped the fight, despite Corrales' protests.

Shortly after the Mayweather fight, Corrales served 14 months in prison after opting for a plea bargain on charges he faced for abusing his pregnant wife, Maria.

Corrales vs. Casamayor I & II In 2003, Corrales returned to the ring. After easily winning four fights, Corrales fought against Ring No. 1 ranked Super Featherweight Joel 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. Corrales won by close split decision.

Lightweight

Corrales vs. Freitas On August 7, 2004, Corrales fought former two-time Super Featherweight champion and current WBO Lightweight champion, Acelino Freitas, who came into the bout unbeaten. Corrales won the fight, via TKO in the tenth round, making Corrales a two weight champion. Freitas won the early rounds, but by the later rounds he was visibly tired and began to be caught by Corrales. After rising from his third knockdown, Freitas walked away from the referee and quit.

Corrales vs. Castillo I

On May 7, 2005, Corrales defeated WBC and Ring Lightweight champion José Luis Castillo via TKO in the tenth round, giving Corrales his fourth title in 2 weight classes. The fight is almost universally regarded as the best fight of 2005.Eisele, Andrew. "Ring Magazine Fight of the Year." About.com. Retrieved 23 July 2006.Gregg, John. HIS main goal was to beat castillo."2005 Boxing Year in Review." 3 January 2006. The Boxing Times. Retrieved 23 July 2006."Corrales vs. Castillo I- Fight of the Year 2005." 5 January 2006. TigerBoxing.com. Retrieved 23 July 2006. Both men stood in front of each other, battering each other with hard combinations and power punches throughout the entire fight. Finally, in the tenth round, Castillo knocked Corrales down. Seconds later, Castillo knocked Corrales down again. Corrales managed to beat the count, and, after a point was taken away for excessive spitting out of the mouthpiece, Corrales connected with a punch that Castillo later called "a perfect right hand."Castillo, José Luis. "Showtime Conference Call Quotes: Corrales, Castillo & Their Teams." 5 December 2005. East Side Boxing. His main goal was to beat Castillo. Retrieved 23 July 2006. Corrales then trapped Castillo against the ropes and landed numerous punches, causing the referee, Tony Weeks, to stop the fight.

Corrales vs. Castillo II A rematch between Corrales and Castillo occurred on October 8, 2005. On the day before the fight, Castillo weighed-in 3½ lb over the lightweight limit. Since Castillo did not make the weight, the fight became a non-title bout. The two fighters continued with the same fighting style that they had used in the first fight, trading inside punches throughout the first three rounds. Early in the fourth round, Castillo knocked down Corrales with a left hook to his chin. Corrales wobbled to his feet at the referee's count of ten, causing the fight to end.

Corrales vs. Castillo III, dubbed "The War to Settle the Score," had been scheduled for February 4, 2006, but it was postponed because of a rib injury that Corrales suffered while training. The fight was rescheduled for June 3, 2006. At the weigh-in, however, Corrales weighed the lightweight limit whereas Castillo weighed 139½ lb—causing the fight to be cancelled. Corrales later sued Castillo for punitive damages.

Corrales vs. Casamayor III Corrales was scheduled to defend his lightweight title in a third bout against Joel Casamayor on October 7, 2006. However, Corrales weighed in 5 pounds over the limit. He was given two hours to shed five pounds, but came back at 139 pounds. Corrales would have been stripped of the title if he had won the bout, but Casamayor defeated him by split decision for the WBC and The Ring lightweight titles.

On April 7, 2007, fighting in the welterweight division, Corrales lost a unanimous decision to Joshua Clottey. Corrales was dropped in rounds 9 and 10 and lost by the scores of 97–90, 98–89 and 100–87.

Prison Corrales served 14 months in the Deuel Vocational Institution, a correctional facility in San Joaquin County, California, after being convicted of domestic battery on his then pregnant girlfriend.

Death On May 7, 2007, exactly two years to the day after his first fight with Castillo, Corrales was killed in a three-vehicle accident near his Las Vegas home. Corrales was riding a 2007 Suzuki GSXR 1000 motorcycle, traveling northbound on Fort Apache Road in the southwest part of the Las Vegas Valley when he struck the back of a car and was thrown more than into oncoming traffic and struck by another vehicle. An ambulance was called by the witnesses at the scene, Corrales was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Las Vegas police spokesman Sgt. Tracy McDonald said: "The accident occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. PDT." McDonald could not say how fast the motorcycle was traveling. Corrales' blood alcohol content was 0.25 at the time of the crash, approximately 3 times the legal limit for Nevada.

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes45Loss40–5 Joshua ClotteyUD10Apr 7, 2007 44Loss40–4 Joel CasamayorSD12Oct 7, 2006 43Loss40–3 Jose Luis CastilloKO4 (12), Oct 8, 2005 42Win40–2 José Luis CastilloTKO10 (12), May 7, 2005 41Win39–2 Acelino FreitasTKO10 (12), Aug 7, 2004 40Win38–2 Joel Casamayor12Mar 6, 2004 39Loss37–2 Joel CasamayorTKO6 (12), Oct 4, 2003 38Win37–1 Damian FullerKO3 (10), Jun 20, 2003 37Win36–1 Felix St KittsTKO3 (10), Apr 24, 2003 36Win35–1 Roque CassianiRTD1 (10), Feb 22, 2003 35Win34–1 Michael DavisTKO5 (8)Jan 25, 2003 34Loss33–1 Floyd Mayweather Jr.TKO10 (12), Jan 20, 2001 33Win33–0 Angel ManfredyTKO3 (12), Sep 2, 2000 32Win32–0 Justin JuukoKO10 (12), Jun 17, 2000 31Win31–0 Derrick GainerTKO3 (12), Mar 18, 2000 30Win30–0 John BrownUD12Dec 4, 1999 29Win29–0 Robert GarciaTKO7 (12), Oct 23, 1999 28Win28–0 Angel Aldama4 (12), Jun 12, 1999 27Win27–0 Claudio Victor MartinetTKO5 (10), Apr 2, 1999 26Win26–0 Gairy St. ClairUD12Dec 18, 1998 25Win25–0 Hector ArroyoTKO5 (10), Nov 20, 1998 24Win24–0 Benito RodriguezKO6Sep 12, 1998 23Win23–0 Rafael MorfinTKO2Aug 15, 1998 22Win22–0 Benito Rodriguez7 (8), Jul 5, 1998 21Win21–0 Eduardo ContrerasKO2 (10), May 30, 1998 20Win20–0 Juan Carlos SalazarKO1Apr 18, 1998 19Win19–0 Angel AldamaUD10Dec 4, 1997 18Win18–0 Juan Angel MaciasKO6 (12), Oct 18, 1997 17Win17–0 Isagani PumarKO4 (10), Aug 22, 1997 16Win16–0 Manny CastilloTKO11 (12) Jul 11, 1997 15Win15–0 Javier PichardoKO2 (12), May 9, 1997 14Win14–0 Steve QuinonezTKO4 (12), Apr 4, 1997 13Win13–0 Idelfonso BernalTKO2 (6), Mar 14, 1997 12Win12–0 Salvador MontesKO1 (6)Jan 13, 1997 11Win11–0 Julian VasquezKO1Dec 16, 1996 10Win10–0 Mario GonzalezKO1Dec 13, 1996 9Win9–0 Juan SantosTKO1Nov 29, 1996 8Win8–0 Sergio MaciasTKO4 (4), Oct 11, 1996 7Win7–0 Murphy HughesKO1 (4), Sep 13, 1996 6Win6–0 Cesar MoralesTKO2 (4)Aug 17, 1996 5Win5–0 Lorenzo Raul Chaires1 (4)Jun 27, 1996 4Win4–0 Ciro CanalesUD4Jun 7, 1996 3Win3–0 Victor Manuel MendozaTKO3 (4), May 30, 1996 2Win2–0 Enrique Beltran4Mar 28, 1996 1Win1–0 Everett Barry3 (4), Mar 19, 1996

See also Cameron Dunkin - Corrales' manager

References

External links

The rises and falls of Diego Corrales by Jason Probst, 17 April 2003, Sacramento News & Review.

Diego Corrales profile at About.com

Family: