Remembering Diego Corrales

One year ago on this day, the sport of boxing lost a great warrior when Diego "Chico" Corrales passed away at the age of 29.

One year later, I thought it would be nice to simply look back on a few of Diego's most memorable moments.

First up, of course, is the first fight with Jose Luis Castillo, and in particular, the miraculous 10th round. This one took place on May 7, 2005, two years to the day before Corrales died.

I fully expect to live the rest of my life without ever seeing a more dramatic fight or more thrilling round of boxing, and I could live until 120 and see all the great fights in the world and probably still feel that way.

This clip is from his totally uneven loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr., when Mayweather just picked Corrales apart and destroyed him. But what's memorable about this, in my view, is that Corrales refused to stop trying to fight. He was massively behind, and you get to see knockdowns four and five of Corrales in this clip. And when his corner decides he's taken enough punishment and there's no way back, Corrales refuses to accept that reality. It was what made Chico the fighter he was. He had an unrelenting spirit.

Next we take a look at his win over Acelino "Popo" Freitas, from 2004, his last fight prior to the first meeting with Castillo.

Here is the latter portion of his first meeting with Joel Casamayor, a terrific fight that is somewhat overlooked. Casamayor, not Castillo, was Corrales' greatest rival.

Last is the post-fight interview from his final bout, a lopsided loss at welterweight to Joshua Clottey. While Corrales was dominated, it again showed how tough-minded an individual he was as a fighter. Corrales never stopped trying to fight, even though he was getting smoked by a stronger, fresher fighter. He was Diego Corrales, right until the end.

The sport will never replace Chico Corrales, and we as fans will always miss him. A fighter truly worth fond remembrance, Corrales' career was filled with ups and downs, highs and lows, but never was there a dull moment.

Rest in peace, Chico, and thank you again.