It never gets old.
No matter how many times fans may have already viewed the epic first encounter between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, rapt attention remains mandatory.
The rugged lightweights were simply seeking to unify the WBC and WBO title belts when they met at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on May 7, 2005 — but the level to which their combat rose that night still prompts chills.
Even 11 years later.
“It remains the best fight I have ever announced,” Al Bernstein told CBS Sports.
Bernstein, a Hall of Fame analyst, shared the Showtime mic that night with blow-by-blow man Steve Albert, and said it was apparent soon after the opening bell that a jump would be made from quality fight to instant classic.
“It was not only exciting with lots of action, but it was skillfully fought,” Bernstein said. “The experience of doing that fight was unique because we expected a really good match, but as it progressed it became apparent that it was going to be much more than that.”
Corrales, a lanky California-born power puncher, and Castillo, a steel-chinned Mexican for whom body work was a specialty, battled in close for nearly the entire match and exchanged heavy blows that yielded blood and bruises.
In fact, Castillo was cut over the left eye in the fifth and Corrales’ face was badly swollen a few rounds later.
Corrales was sent to the floor twice by left hooks in the early stages of the 10th round, before he rallied remarkably and staggered Castillo as his foe followed up. The multi-punch flurry that followed ultimately left the Mexican sagging against the ropes and prompted referee Tony Weeks to intervene at 2:06.
“When it ended, you just knew it would live on as a special fight,” Bernstein said. “It’s now often the fight that other great fights get compared to.”
Few, though, expect this weekend’s main event between Canelo Alvarez and Amir Khan to be one of them.
Their WBC middleweight title match will fall exactly on the 11th anniversary of Corrales-Castillo I, and will occur just a shade more than a mile down Las Vegas Boulevard at the brand-new T-Mobile Arena.
“What stood out was Corrales’ will to win and how he escaped defeat and kept getting up and getting stronger, refusing to lose,” Antonio Tarver, a former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, told CBS Sports. “I think the turnaround from one round to the next was something I hadn’t seen, and that’ll stand out for me for years to come.
“We can only hope that Canelo and Khan scratch the surface of the action we saw in Corrales-Castillo.”
Alvarez and Khan will fight at an agreed-upon 155-pound catch weight, which has angered purists who prefer the middleweight title-holder fight at the division’s traditional 160-pound limit.
Nevertheless, Alvarez won the WBC and Ring Magazine belts with a defeat of Miguel Cotto last November and has campaigned as a junior middleweight or above since 2010.
Khan, meanwhile, has fought beyond the 140-pound junior welterweight limit just five times and never past 147 pounds. He’s also been knocked out twice — once by 134-1/2-pound Breidis Prescott and once by 139-pound Danny Garcia.
The match is perceived as a duel of Alvarez’s size and power against Khan’s speed and athleticism.
“This weekend could be a good one,” Bernstein said. “A lot will depend on how well Khan can hold up to the power of a bigger man. If Khan is successful in this fight, then it will likely look more like a tactical fight, not a slugfest. A slugfest does not favor him.”
Indeed, odds posted by Bovada make Alvarez a significant favorite to win by stoppage.
A Khan upset, if it occurs, would more likely be the product of a decision.
Either way, though, veteran matchmaker/businessman Rick Glaser doesn’t expect a lasting impression.
“That fight 11 years ago will be remembered forever,” he told CBS Sports. “(Saturday’s) fight has a much better chance of being forgotten on Sunday than being recalled 10 years from now.”
