5 of the most memorable fights in Showtime Boxing championship history

4. Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo - May 07, 2005

Nothing else needs to be said about the war between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo in May 2005. The fight speaks for itself.

The lightweight unification match between the two best in the division was a gift to hardcore boxing fans.

While the match is often remembered for its shocking and controversial ending, the majority of the fight was a clinic on inside fighting. The punishment exchanged showed itself on both fighters’ faces.

It was just as violent as it was aesthetically pleasing to watch. The fight satisfies those who thirst for pure action and those who demand their fighters administer skill.

As the rounds went by, the fight was heading to an epic conclusion, with the eighth and ninth rounds increasing in intensity. In the 10th round, one of the warriors finally succumbed to the abuse administered when Castillo landed a perfect left hook that sent Corrales down for the first of two knockdowns.

The controversy comes when Corrales spits his mouthpiece out after both knockdowns. This action allowed him to gain more recovery time. Possibly thinking the fight was over, Castillo led his guard down, allowing Corrales to stage a rally starting with a left hook.

Corrales took advantage and unloaded a barrage of punches on his rival, forcing the referee, Tony Weeks, to stop the fight and saving Castillo from further punches.

The ending was shocking, exciting, and contentious wrapped all together. But the biggest takeaway for those who saw the fight live was that they may have just witnessed the best fight in history. It was a moment when you were thankful to be a boxing fan.