Ranking the 5 Greatest Wins in the Career of the Late Diego Corrales

The late Diego Corrales was a two-weight world champion who was rarely involved in a dull fight.

The Californian was killed at the age of 29 after coming off his motorcycle following a three-vehicle accident near his home in Las Vegas.

He had a 40-5 (33 KOs) record in the ring, though he lost 14 months of his career while serving a prison sentence, having agreed to a plea bargain following a charge of abusing his pregnant wife, Maria.

Had he still been alive, Chico would have turned 38 on Tuesday.

As John Rawling noted in the obituary he wrote for Corrales in the Guardian, Corales' life was reminiscent of his fighting style:

"

According to his (Corrales') promoter Gary Shaw, he was an often reckless fighter who lived his life in similar style.

A hard drinker, he appealed to fans across the world for his readiness to go toe-to-toe with his opponent and take as much punishment as he was delivering.

Consequently, he played a part in some of boxing's most memorable fights in recent years.

"

Read on as Bleacher Report counts down the five biggest wins in Corrales' career.

Honourable Mentions

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There were some obvious candidates that had to make the list when talking about great bouts in Corrales' career.

However, a few close calls just failed to make the final cut.

Chico showed he could go the distance when he outpointed John Brown in December 1999.

But the American often found a way to get rid of opponents before the final bell.

He stopped Derrick Gainer inside three rounds in 2000, while later in the same year he finished off the brave challenge of Justin Juuko from Uganda with a nonstop assault in the 10th.

5. Corrales vs. Angel Manfredy (September 2000)

Angel Manfredy took a risk in moving back down to super featherweight to take on Corrales, but it was a gamble that did not pay off.

Manfredy had not fought at the 130-pound limit since WBC champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. had stopped him inside two rounds in December 1998.

However, after overcoming issues outside of the ring, the born-again Christian decided to drop back down from lightweight. 

He told Michael J Jones of LiveFight.com, "I changed all the things I did and thought maybe I could make that weight again as I was doing things differently."

It soon became clear that Corrales was too much for Manfredy to cope with, as Chico dropped the challenger to the canvas in the opening round.

The champion put Manfredy down again on two further occasions in the third, before the referee stepped in to call a halt to proceedings in the closing seconds of the round. It had been a one-sided beating.

4. Corrales vs. Roberto Garcia (October 1999)

Corrales claimed his first world title in 1999 when he stopped Roberto Garcia in the seventh round at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Both men were unbeaten heading into the bout, with Garcia making the third defence of the IBF super featherweight belt he had claimed with victory over Harold Warren in the previous year.

However, Corrales proved too much for his fellow American to handle.

Chico not only handed Garcia a first professional defeat but also walked away with his crown.

Using his size to close the gap and get in close, Corrales stopped his compatriot in the seventh round with a brutal right hand that led to referee Joe Cortez immediately waving the bout off.

3. Corrales vs. Joel Casamayor II (March 2004)

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Corrales and Joel Casamayor featured in a trilogy of fights, with the best of the bunch being their second meeting.

The first bout was on the way to being a classic until Corrales was stopped due to cuts in his mouth in the sixth round. By that stage he had been knocked down twice, though he had returned the favour once.

In the rematch, staged in Las Vegas in 2004 for the vacant WBO super featherweight title, neither man could find a way to finish the job inside the distance.

Casamayor did put his rival down in the 10th round but proved unable to hammer home the advantage.

The judges were required to pick a winner, and Corrales got the nod by a margin of 115-113 from two of the three officials at ringside, with the other scoring it 114-113 for Casamayor.

Chico said in the aftermath, per the Associated Press (h/t the Los Angeles Times): "I'm back and I can box. It was my jab that won the fight."

However, Casamayor could feel aggrieved to have come out on the wrong side of the result. Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook had the Cuban as a one-point winner when he retrospectively watched the bout, though he added, "I have no problem with the way this fight was scored."

While it was close, Corrales was officially named the winner. He showed he had the brains to go with the brawn, though in the end he still wanted to get involved in a war.

2. Corrales vs. Acelino Freitas (August 2004)

Having avenged a loss to Joel Casamayor earlier in the year in the second of their three meetings, Corrales made the move up to lightweight in August 2004.

He hardly eased himself into life in the 135-pound division, agreeing to take on unbeaten Acelino "Popo" Freitas at Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

The Brazilian, who had also been a world champion during his time fighting at super featherweight, was making the first defence of the WBO title. 

The early rounds went the way of Freitas. However, as the minutes ticked by, he began to lose control.

Corrales, who barrelled forward with little concern for what might come back his way, knocked Freitas down in the eighth and ninth round, with the champion being deducted a point for spitting out his gum shield.

Popo shipped more punishment in the 10th and, after visiting the canvas again, decided enough was enough. Although he beat the count, he informed referee Mike Ortega that he no longer wanted to continue.

Quitting damaged Freitas' reputation. Steve Kim wrote for The Sweet Science website: "This is professional boxing at the highest level—you should expect to be in tough fights. When the going got tough, he got going—out of the fight."

In contrast, Corrales' stock continued to rise.

After a slow start, he had made sure there would be no controversy over the scorecards as there had been against Casamayor, as his incessant pressure eventually wore his opponent down.

1. Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo I (May 2005)

Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo produced a modern-day classic when they met at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas in May 2005.

Both boxers were lightweight world champions, with Corrales holding the WBO title following his stoppage success over Acelino Freitas last time out. Castillo, meanwhile, had the WBC strap in his possession.

The pair would stand toe-to-toe in a real brawl, with each suffering damage. Corrales' left eye was badly swollen by the time he reached the dramatic 10th round.

The American was knocked down twice in the round and on each occasion spat out his gum shield. The move gave him a little extra recovery time as it had to be cleaned by his corner, though he was deducted a point for doing it a second time.

Just as it seemed Castillo would force a stoppage as Corrales tried to recover, Chico caught the Mexican with a left hook. With one solitary shot, Corrales had turned the tables.

Corrales suddenly became the aggressor and would stop his rival with 54 seconds remaining in the round. It was a sensational end to a thrilling contest, one which Ring Magazine named Fight of the Year for 2005.

In recalling the bout for an article in 2014, Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports wrote, "It was an epic slugfest, back and forth, with neither man willing to back down."

The rematch later the same year failed to hit the same heights, with Corrales being on the wrong end of a vicious knockout in the fourth round.

However, their first bout will live long in the memory and deserves to be in the top spot on this list.

Do you agree with the order? Have we missed a fight off the short list? Have your say—or simply leave your memories of Corrales' career—in the comments section.