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Home » ‘Stop the fight’ yelled seconds before Diego Corrales KO’d Castillo

‘Stop the fight’ yelled seconds before Diego Corrales KO’d Castillo

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  • 3 min read

Diego Corrales may never have knocked out Jose Luis Castillo if his entourage ringside would have had their way in the end.

Friends and family of the late, great Corrales told his coach to throw in the towel just moments before Castillo was taken out spectacularly.

Corrales tragically passed away two years to the day after his epic first fight with Castillo. However, former trainer Joe Goossen shared his memory of the conclusion of the dramatic matchup before his untimely passing.

Picking up the fight from his perspective in the corner, Goossen discussed how his fighter could overcome two knockdowns miraculously.

Corrales would eventually stop Castillo in the legendary final round.

Diego Corrales vs Jose Luis Castillo KO

“When Diego got the point taken away from him on the second knockdown, he was arguing with Tony Weeks,” said Goossen recalling his memories of the exceptional battle.

“In my mind, that was a good thing because that showed the presence of mind that he didn’t like the fact that he was taking the point away from him.

“Now, I will tell you there were some people very close to Diego sitting a couple of feet from me and yelling at me to stop the fight.

“That I heard. And I responded with a quick ‘no’ because they deserved my response. I knew what I was looking at.

“They may have thought differently. From their viewpoint, it may have looked worse than I thought it looked.”

Legendary knockout

Corrales was seemingly down and out. It could have been a career-ending loss. The end result is now that of boxing folklore.

This makes the tragedy of Corrales’ death all the more hurtful. The boxer wasn’t around long enough to receive full appreciation for his efforts.

The Las Vegas native was just 29 years old when he passed and still had plenty more to give the sport.

It’s almost a shoo-in that Corrales would have won more world titles. This is despite three losses in a row up to his death.

Another half-decade at least would have seen Corrales extend his already noteworthy tenure.

Possessing that ‘Eye of the Tiger’ many speak of, Corrales was also full of charisma. It was just a matter of time before his day would have come again.

Diego had something special, like Castillo, that legends are made of in the sport of boxing.

He is sorely missed.

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