The broadcast will begin on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/PT
(delayed on the west coast)
Two boxers with a genuine disdain for each other will duke it out with bad intentions for a third time when Diego “Chico” Corrales defends his World Boxing Council (WBC) and RING lightweight titles against former world champion and longtime adversary, southpaw Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor, on Saturday, Oct. 7, during a
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“I want to punish this dude,” said Corrales shortly after the grudge rubber match was made official. “I want Casamayor to be there for some rounds so I can beat on him. I do not like the guy. I never have. He has a big mouth and he likes to talk a lot. I am going to make him pay a price for talking. I want to make him hurt. I am not here to play. I am here to defend my titles and move on. I am looking to close this chapter. I am going to end his career.
“We have bad blood between us. From the start, we got off on the wrong foot and stayed on that foot. We are like oil and water. We do not mix.”
Said Casamayor, who called out Corrales on television after his last fight: “People already know who the real man is. But, if I have to remind them, I will do it on Oct. 7. I am happy that Corrales finally gave me the rematch. I have been waiting a long time. I am the stronger guy.
“Corrales has been in a lot of ring wars. He is burnt. I just need to touch him on the chin and he will go. He has said a lot of bad things about me; that I am not a good fighter, that I am not this, that I am not that. Yes, it is personal. He has brought the hunger back in my heart.”
WBC & WBO lightweight champion Diego "Chico" Corrales (40-2, 33 KO's), Sacramento, California. 29-years-old, 5'11", 135-pounds, trainer of record Joe Goosen, managed by James Prince.
Style: Corrales is back in action after his third fight with Jose Luis Castillo was cancelled when Castillo was unable to make weight. Corrales is a tall rangy banger, who specializes in throwing laser-like right hands down the middle. He is an underrated boxer/puncher who has the ability to wack guys out but he can go the distance if needed. You can look for the smooth moving Corrales to throw shots from a number of different angles and despite his size, he can box well on the inside and he can be trouble with a nasty right hand uppercut in close quarters. Ego sometimes gets the best of Corrales. Rather than box and score he elects to trade and everyone witnessed what happened the second time he fought Castillo.
Strength: Corrales has very good power and the ability to pull the trigger while firing shots from different angles. His best punch is a wicked right hand but because of his overall quickness, he can also hurt you with a whip-like left hook. With Joe Goosen calling the shots look for Corrales to be in excellent condition. He is at his best when he uses his size and reach, but don't be fooled by Corrales' height. He can be very effective on the inside with sharp uppercuts.
Weakness: You have to wonder how the cancellation of his third fight with Castillo effected Corrales psyche? All that work in training came and then zip, no fight. Corrales has struggled in the past against fast and slick boxer/punchers such as Mayweather and Casamayor. Speed and movement give him problems. Also, his chin is very questionable. Over the course of his career he has been on the deck ten times. Five times in the Mayweather title fight, along with twice in the first Casamayor loss and once in his win over the former Cuban world champion. Factor in two more knockdowns to Castillo in their last encounter and you start to realize this guy has spent a fair amount of time looking up at the ring lights. The other element that might effect Corrales is his weight. He walks around in excess of 150 but then shrinks down to the lightweight limit of 135. That takes a toll on an athlete's endurance and overall strength. If Corrales struggles to make weight, well, it will probably reflect in his performance. Pay extra attention to see if he comes in dry.
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Challenger Joel Casamayor (33-3-1, 21 KO's) Miramar, Florida via Guantánamo, Cuba. 35-year-old southpaw, 5'7", 135 pounds, trainer of record Jose Bonilla, manager Luis De Cubas.
Style: Casamayor is a crafty lefthanded counter puncher with quick hands who will bang when the opportunity presents itself but is extremely comfortable boxing, moving and picking his spots. He throws flashy well-timed combinations but as he has gotten older there is less lateral movement and he tends to bang more and look for more knockouts. In his last seven bouts, Casamayor has gone 4-2 and 1, with three of those victories coming on KO's or TKO's. In short, as Casamayor has aged he has gotten further away from boxing and placed a greater emphasis on punching.
Strength: Casamayor is a very confident boxer puncher with only three losses on his resume and two of those fights were split decisions. He has the ability to set up his shots and then deliver two, three and four punch volleys with precision before stepping back reloading and pulling the trigger again. He is very effective at throwing counter left crosses and just when you believe you have figured him out Casamayor will drill you with lead left hands. He uses the ring well and while at 35 his reflexes have slowed somewhat, he still has the ability to feint, move and then score with either hand.
Weakness: There was a basic change in strategy for Casamayor in the Freitas fight and he has become a little more of a banger than a boxer. We don't want to say he got lazy but rather than use his legs to set up his punches he began just firing more shots from a set position. His head movement and foot speed have slowed over the last several years and while he has scored back to back KO wins his defense has also slipped and he is a far easier target to tag. Casamayor use to depend more on his feet than his fists but that has changed as he has gotten older. Just like all of us, Casamayor is slowing down.
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In the co-feature bout of a world championship doubleheader rising superstar Vic “The Raging Bull” Darchinyan (26-0, 21 KOs) will risk his International Boxing Federation/International Boxing Organization (IBF/IBO) flyweight crowns and his undefeated record against world-ranked Glenn “The Filipino Bomber” Donaire (16-2-1, nine KOs.
