Friday, March 26th 2010

FLASHBACK: Castillo vs. Corrales II

(Veteran boxing photographer CHRIS FARINA has spent more than 20 years shooting Top Rank bouts. “Flashback” is a semi-regular feature designed to showcase his most arresting images from years past and the story behind them.)

Pictured: Jose Luis Castillo waits while referee Joe Cortez counts out Diego “Chico” Corrales.

The Facts: On October 8, 2005 two-time world champion Castillo and the late three-time world champion Corrales met for the second time at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. THEIR FIRST ENCOUNTER, also in 2005 in Las Vegas, ended with a Corrales victory by TKO in the 10th round. That fight was labeled the “FIGHT OF THE YEAR” by Ring Magazine; and ESPN.COM’S DAN RAFAEL MEMORABLY CALLED IT an “epic first slugfest” that “has become the standard by which all action fights are judged.” The expectation was that the second meeting between Castillo and Corrales would result in another war, but it was not to be: As Farina’s photo shows, Castillo took his revenge, knocking out Corrales in the fourth round.

Farina’s Take: “The first fight was one of the best fights of all time. Everybody was anticipating this being an absolutely great fight, too. I just thought it would go longer than it did. I was surprised that [Corrales] fell right in front of me because it made the shot composition just beautiful. It’s one of those photos that comes together every once in a while. I had the perfect position, the perfect angle. And it got picked up by Sports Illustrated. So I guess they liked it.”

LATEST NEWS

ico