On May 7, lightweight champions Diego “Chico” Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo will meet each other in the ring for a WBO /WBC unification battle that will pit the two best lightweights against each other.
After disposing of unbeaten champion Acelino Frietas, and highy regarded Joel Casamayor, Diego Corrales has set himself as the man to beat in the lightweight division. A devastatingly hard puncher, Corrales has the power to neutralize any fighter at any given moment -- with either hand. Combined with stamina, discipline and heart, Diego Corrales is one of the most effective pressure fighters in the game today.
With an equally impressive record, the highly regarded WBC champion Jose Luis Castillo has over 50 fights and nearly as many KOs. This rugged Mexican has also set himself at the top of the division as a boxer/puncher after stopping Julio Diaz in his last fight, beating Joel Casamayor and Juan Lazcano.
By comparison, both fighters have beaten Joel Casamayor, but both also lost to Floyd Mayweather. Corrales lost by TKO, and Castillo dropped a controversial split decision in his first fight with Mayweather, and a unanimous decision in their second fight. Now that Mayweather has moved up in weight, the table has been set for this elimination bout between Castillo and Corrales.
As a former sparring partner for the great Julio Caesar Chavez, Jose Luis Castillo has never been taken off his feet. However, as the hardest puncher in the division, Diego Corrales would like to put that feather in his cap.
Corrales’ weakness is that he has a stand-up style and lacks lateral movement. This is going to make Corrales easy for Castillo to find him. Corrales has been dropped by Mayweather and Casamayor; both of who are excellent boxers, but neither punch as hard as Castillo.
To sum it up, Diego Chico Corrales has the bigger punch, but Castillo has the better chin.
In order to win, Castillo will have to avoid standing in front of Corrales. He has to be either right on top of Corrales backing him up, or outside Corrales’ reach. If he gets caught within range, Corrales will certainly bust him up.
This sensational match-up looks to be a lightweight version of Hearns vs. Hagler. I’m going to pick Mexican WBC champion Jose Luis Castillo over Diego “Chico” Corrales.
--The Mighty Moe
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