The May 7, 2005, lightweight unification bout between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas remains one of boxing's most dramatic encounters. It was defined by its savage exchanges and an improbable tenth-round turnaround.
The statistics tell a compelling story: Corrales landed 340 of 520 punches (65%), while Castillo connected with 244 of 537 (45%). These numbers, however, fail to capture the extraordinary intensity of the in-fighting that characterized all ten rounds.
By round five, Castillo was bleeding from a cut above his left eye. Corrales' face showed significant damage by the seventh, with severe swelling under both eyes. The judges' scorecards reflected the bout's competitiveness: Daniel Van de Wiele had it 86-85, Lou Moret 87-84 for Corrales, and Paul Smith scored it 84-87 for Castillo.
The tenth round produced one of boxing's most remarkable sequences. Castillo floored Corrales twice, with Corrales controversially spitting out his mouthpiece after each knockdown. Referee Tony Weeks deducted a point from Corrales for the second infraction. Then, with Castillo moving in for the finish, Corrales landed what his opponent would later describe as "a perfect right hand." Pinning Castillo against the ropes, Corrales unleashed a barrage that forced Weeks to halt the contest at 2:06.
Both fighters required hospitalization afterwards. According to Corrales' trainer, Joe Goossen, his fighter's urine sample "looked like a bottle of tomato juice" from the accumulated body shots. The bout unified the WBC, WBO, and Ring Magazine lightweight titles, though its significance transcended the belts at stake.
The fight's historical footnote carries a sombre tone: Corrales would never win another bout, losing the rematch to Castillo and dying in a motorcycle accident precisely two years later, on May 7, 2007.
