Here something I wrote as a tribute to this fearless warrior...

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Diego “Chico” Corrales: 1977 - 2007

Diego "Chico" Corrales, one of the boxing's brightest stars at age 29, came down crashing in a tragic motorcycle accident in Las Vegas on the evening of May 07, 2007.

The news came as a shock to many boxing fans. I was never really a rabid Corrales fan but I do appreciate the way he valiantly fought and won against Jose Luis Castillo in that classic bout for the WBC lightweight title on May 7, 2005, exactly two years before the tragedy. They were involved in a rematch that was as explosive as the first one although it was marred with weight issues that caused the fight to be a non-title affair. Many believe that these battles could have taken a lot from Corrales, as he hasn't been the same in subsequent fights. He recently lost to Joel Casamayor for the WBC lightweight championship and was defeated by Joshua Clottey in Chico's first fight as a welterweight.

Looking back, Corrales had other memorable bouts. A noteworthy fight is the one involving pound-for-pound king "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather in 2001, which was a battle of two unbeaten superfeatherweights that Mayweather completely dominated. It was the first time Diego was ever knocked down, and it came in bunches, a total of five, until his handlers couldn't take it anymore. But he showed tremendous heart by getting up after every fall and vehemently protesting his corner's action of calling off the fight.

Another fight of significance is his 2004 battle with Acelino "Popo" Freitas for the WBO lightweight crown, where Chico handed Popo his first loss. Corrales knocked him down three times before Freitas declared "No mas!" in the 10th round and quit, which was the same thing Popo did in his recent loss to Juan Diaz. It's a contrasting difference to the couragous heart that Corrales has been known to possess.

After this terrible incident, it's regrettable for boxing fans that we would be denied of witnessing potential matchups for Diego in the superlightweight or welterweight divisions. Well-known warriors such as Miguel Cotto, Zab Judah, Antonio Margarito and Ricky Hatton would have possibly made blockbuster fights with Chico.

An exciting brawler to watch, Diego Corrales would be sorely missed in the boxing world.

Here's the link to the article
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R.I.P. Chico!