It seems all the buzz in the boxing world is about Felix Trinidad fighting Winky Wright, or about Floyd Mayweather fighting Arturo Gatti. Then there is Kostya Tszyu's fight with Ricky Hatton to talk about. Let's see, what else... Oh, Bernard Hopkins is going to fight Jermain Taylor late this summer. Fernando Vargas is back, that has been talked about quite a bit. It seems as though I, as with everyone else, am forgetting something. Oh, that's right Jose Luis Castillo(52-6-1 46KO's) and Diego "Chico" Corrales(39-2 32KO's) are fighting each other in a Lightweight unification bout.

Despite how much attention has been placed on other bouts so far this year, Castillo vs. Corrales has the makings of a classic. You have two world class fighters, two conflicting styles, and two tireless warriors of the ring.

Castillo enters the bout as the Two-Time WBC Lightweight Champion of the World, a belt he won when it was vacated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. when Mayweather moved up to 140lbs, who had originally defeated Castillo for the belt ending Castillo's first reign as Champion. Castillo first garnered national attention when he defeated Stevie Johnston in 2000, a fight that was dubbed "Upset of the Year." At age 31 Castillo is already a grizzled veteran, he turned pro in Mexico at age 16, packs a powerful punch, posses a granite chin, he has never been down in 59 professional fights, and seems to never tire in the ring. Something to watch for though is Castillo's propensity to cut, he was cut in his last bout with Julio Diaz just two months prior to his showdown with Corrales.

Corrales enters the bout as the WBO Lightweight Champion and is a Two-Time Super Featherweight Champion. Corrales claimed his WBO title when he defeated previously undefeated Acelino Freitas via TKO late last summer. Corrales is a very tall and long Lightweight, standing nearly six feet tall. He posses and excellent jab and powerful straight right hand, he is also has great hand speed for a tall fighter. Corrales walks the ring well and can throw powerful punches from odd angles. While he likes to use his size and ability to box, he also willing to brawl when it is called for. Many detractors raise questions about his chin do to the fact he has been knocked down on several occasions, most recently in his second bout with Joel Casamayor in which Corrales was victorious; however, Corrales has never been knocked out. His only two defeats were via TKO, in which his corner threw in the towel against Floyd Mayweather after Corrales rose from a knockdown and in his first fight against Casamayor, when the fight was stopped due to excessive bleeding inside Corrales' mouth, a defeat which was obviously revenged. Corrales is also known for his outstanding stamina, his warrior mentality and seems to be a much stronger fighter mentally since his two year layoff (1/01-1/03).

The most obvious stylistic discrepancy between these two fighters is the shorter Castillo is an inside fighter, while the taller Corrales prefers to fight at a distance. In order to win, both fighters feel they need to impose their will on the other and fight their type of fight. Castillo has never fought a world class fighter with the height of Corrales and it will be difficult to get inside. Castillo's going to have keep his head moving to try to avoid eating Corrales stiff jab as much as possible, he's going to have cut of the ring and corner Corrales. Castillo has to make the ring feel like a phone booth to Corrales, this is where Castillo is most effective and it will help to nullify Corrales' reach and hand speed. I expect Castillo to work the body as much as possible in the early rounds of the fight, he wants to slow Corrales down and make him as stationary as possible, then he can fight him at close range and at angles. What Castillo cannot do is allow Corrales to dictate the fight and fight him at long range, he will out pointed that way and is likely to take a severe beating in the process.

Corrales, as I said, wants this fight at a distance. One of Diego's biggest weaknesses is his ability to fight at close range, he has long arms and needs to extend his punches to be fully effective. He has to use his hand speed and throw punches in combinations, he cannot stand flat footed either, he needs to work the ring and box Castillo. While Corrales is a big puncher I do not believe he will aim to knockout Castillo, especially since Castillo is known for his chin, he will simply try to land clean and effective punches and win rounds on points.

While this is a very difficult fight to pick, I see the fight going for Corrales by Unanimous Decision. If Corrales can keep his distance, he will be able to land effectively. Castillo will start fast and Corrales might have to pick himself up off the canvas at some point in the fight, but he should be able to win if he can make it a boxing match. I do not think Corrales will be able to knockout Castillo; however, it is possible the fight ends early in Corrales' favor if Castillo develops a big cut and the fight is stopped because of it. Regardless of the outcome, May 7th should be a memorable night for boxing fans.