Diego "Chico" Corrales has risen up to be one of
the top pound for pound fighters in the world. He is
coming off two huge victories over Joel Casamayor, and
previously unbeaten Acelino Freitas. He's not taking a
break of any sort with an easy fight, his next one is no exception. Coming up on May 7th
Corrales will go against top lightweight Jose Luis
Castillo, who has also been on a tear of late. Chico
took some time recently to talk with me about a number
of topics, including his upcoming lightweight title
fight with Castillo. Here's what he had to say...
BRC: How excited are you to finally get this fight with
Jose Luis Castillo?
CORRALES: Very excited, we had to clear a lot of hurdles to
get to this point, and I had to sweat it out in his
fight with (Julio) Diaz. I'm excited to finally have
this fight coming up, it's finally happening.
BRC: Are you worried that your 8 month layoff will affect you at all?
CORRALES: It doesn't worry me much. I had some tough fights
this past year. My body feels real good right now, and
I've been working very hard.
BRC: What fighters did you admire as a youngster?
CORRALES: I didn't watch too many fights growing up, I
always liked the guys that my Dad liked. I like the
old school fighters, fighters my Dad liked, like Sugar
Ray Leonard, and Tommy Hearns. Marvin Hagler was one
of my favorites to watch also. Another guy I liked
watching was Joe Frazier. I love watching tapes of
those guy's fights.
BRC: What got you started in Boxing?
CORRALES: My Dad got me started in Boxing.
BRC: How do you plan on countering Castillo's swarming
style?
CORRALES: Sometimes the best way to stop a good offense is
with a stronger offense. I want to stay active and
busy, and use my long arms against him.
BRC: Castillo seems confident he can knock you out, do
you feel that he is underestimating your power?
CORRALES: I don't think he's underestimating my power,
because he knows I can punch. But, I do think he's
underestimating a lot of other things.
BRC: What would a win in this fight mean to you?
CORRALES: It would be huge, and it would be another big plus
for my career.
BRC: Before your fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., he
engaged in a lot of trash talking with you, similar to
what we are seeing going into his fight with Arturo
Gatti. Is this Floyd trying to hype the fight, or is
this just the way Floyd is?
CORRALES: I would have to say a little of both. That's the
way he is, he talks a lot of crap, that's just him.
But, some of it is also for show.
BRC: On a couple of occasions you have joined the ESPN
Friday Night Fights crew as a commentator in the
studio, is this something you would like to do after
your Boxing career is over?
CORRALES: Yes, I definitely enjoy it, and would like to do
that. It would keep me in the game, even though I
wouldn't actually be in the game.
BRC: Who do you feel is the most underrated guy you've
fought?
CORRALES: Oh, wow, that's a tough question. I would probably
say Derrick Gainer. He's quick, and has some pop, and
has good boxing skills.
BRC: How has it been working with Joe Goossen?
CORRALES: Joe's a great trainer, and a great guy. He's fun
to work with. He's a crackup, and I like hanging out
with him.
BRC: You've enjoyed success in your Boxing career, yet
you have managed to stay humble and loyal to your
fans, how important is that to you?
CORRALES: It's very important to me, and the day that I lose
that is probably the day my career will start to go
downhill. I'm a down to earth person, that's just a
part of my makeup. Spending time with the people helps
me to stay grounded, and I hope I never lose that.
BRC: If there was one thing that you could change about
Boxing, inside or outside of the ring, what would it
be?
CORRALES: The misconception that fighters are dumb, and that
fighters are not normal people, and are not crazy. If
there was one thing that I could positively change,
that would be it. I would like to see Boxing on a
worldwide stage like Basketball and Football, and the
way you do that is by changing the stereotypes that
fighters have. So, that's what I would change.
I would like to thank Ed Jackson and Diego Corrales
for making this interview possible.
