The Blog of Death

Diego Corrales

Diego "Chico" Corrales, a world champion boxer, died on May 7 in a motorcycle crash. He was 29.

Born in Columbia, S.C., and raised in Sacramento, Calif., Corrales was only 3 years old when he began visiting a boxing gym with his stepfather, Ray Woods. He earned a chef's degree at a culinary trade school; however, boxing was his true calling.

Corrales stood 5 feet 10 1/2 inches tall, and fought most of his career at 130 pounds. He turned pro in 1996 and had a professional record of 40-5-0, with 33 wins coming by way of knockout. Corrales' style was simple: punch big, hard and fast. A fan favorite, he was utterly fearless in the ring, and willing to fight all comers.

Corrales won the IBF super featherweight title in the 7th round by knocking out Roberto Garcia in 1999. He held onto the world title until Floyd Mayweather Jr. handed him his first defeat. In their 2001 match-up, Mayweather knocked Corrales down five times and stopped him in the 10th round. Four months after the loss, Corrales was sentenced to two years in prison on a domestic abuse charge for beating his pregnant wife, Maria. She later divorced him.

After a year-long stint in prison, Corrales was released for good behavior. He resumed his career and went on to win the vacant WBO junior lightweight title in March 2004. Five months later, he moved up to lightweight rank and won that WBO belt after stopping Acelino "Popo" Freitas in the 10th round.

Corrales was best known for getting up after two 10th-round knockdowns to stop Jose Luis Castillo on May 7, 2005. His dramatic KO of Castillo led the Boxing Writers Association of America to call the slugfest the "fight of the year." Corrales was knocked out by Castillo in the rematch, then had three straight fights undermined at the weigh-in. Last October, he moved up two weight classes to fight Joshua Clottey in Springfield, Mo. Corrales was knocked down in the 9th and 10th rounds and lost by a unanimous decision. Although he was still in training, his career never recovered.

In July 2006, Corrales' vehicle and motorcycle licenses were revoked for a drunken driving conviction of an Oct. 2005 arrest. He also faced arrest stemming from a failure to appear in January on a 2006 DUI charge. Corrales married a second time, but was estranged from his pregnant wife, Michelle, at the time of his death.

Exactly two years after his most famous bout, Corrales was riding a 2007 Suzuki 1000 motorcycle at a high speed when he tried to pass a northbound 1997 Honda Accord on a busy residential street west of the Las Vegas Strip. To avoid an oncoming Mercedes, he got back in the northbound lane and slammed into the Honda's trunk. Corrales, who was wearing a helmet and riding without a license, was thrown from the bike and pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The driver of the Mercedes escaped injury; the driver of the Honda suffered a minor shoulder injury.

Corrales listed "God" as his hero on his MySpace page. He enjoyed riding bikes, watching gangster movies, skiing and playing golf in his spare time. He is survived by his five children. A sixth child is due in July.

"He fought recklessly and he lived recklessly. That was his style," Corrales' promoter, Gary Shaw, said.

• Listen to a FightFan.com Interview With Corrales

• Watch Video From the Corrales vs. Castillo I Bout

Posted on May 27, 2007 11:15 AM