rose.blog

Last night Diego Corrales was killed in a motorcycle accident in Vegas.

There are two fights in the modern era of boxing that showcase in their starkest forms what it means to perservere in the face of pain and long odds, for no clear reason except that to give up is simply not an option. The first was the first Gatti-Ward fight. The second was the first Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo fight.

Fights like these capture some essence of the human condition in its purest form. Like the rare times when some piece of art, literature or science makes you feel like you’ve seen through the multiple layers of crud that cover up who we really are or can be, these fights will endure and will serve to enthrall many future generations with a vision of how much we can (or must) endure to survive when things get tough.

My sympathies go out to his family and friends. I hope you can take some solace in knowing that Diego’s courage in the ring has been an inspiration for me personally, and likely for thousands of others who understand that the lessons learned from the Castillo-Corrales fight transcend boxing.