By Evan Korn

When Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales conclude their trilogy at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Saturday, their places in boxing lore will finally be realized.

Great trilogies typically involve two memorable fights with a forgettable one sandwiched in between. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier’s first and third fights are all-time classics, while the second pales in comparison. More recently, the first and the third fights of the Barrera/Morales and Gatti/Ward trilogies were “Fights of the Year”, while the second bouts never reached these heights. 

Corrales and Castillo’s first bout supersedes any laudatory adjective.  Their rematch, much like the aforementioned trilogies, was utterly forgettable, if not for all of the controversy surrounding Castillo’s inability to make weight.  In the third meeting, their place in trilogy history hangs in the balance.

Fair or not, the third bout often dictates the greatness of a trilogy. It is part of our “what have you done for me lately” mentality. After Castillo disgraced the sport last October, when his camp attempted to manipulate the scales, a sour taste permeated the taste buds of boxing fans.  It was another reason for the mainstream media to boycott what had been a heavily hyped promotion.  The memory of their first bout faded, and the “weight-gate” scandal had come to represent their rivalry.

Still, the memory of their last bout has not completely damaged the anticipation of their upcoming contest.  Ticket sales are brisk, message boards are abuzz, and the bout can be seen on Showtime, instead of paying a $50 dollar pay-per-view fee.

  

Before they stand face to face one final time, the dramatics of the weigh-in will provide fans with a midday jolt.  When the Mexican warrior steps on the scale, the boxing press, promoters, fighters, and their respective camps will be on pins and needles.  Until Castillo’s weight is announced at 135 or below, the final chapter will remain in limbo. 

“I’ve had no problem managing my weight or with my training for this fight,” Castillo said at his open workout.  “I feel like I’m right on schedule.  I’m scaling back on my running and my day to day workouts because I don’t have much weight to lose at this point.”

 

Corrales is hoping Castillo is telling the truth, and Castillo’s promoter Bob Arum is banking on Castillo being able to make the weight as well. This time, unlike the last, will have dire consequences is Castillo is not able to beat the scale. In order to salvage the second bout, Castillo was forced to pay a fine for not being able to make weight and the bout was held at a catch weight of 147 pounds. This time if Castillo fails to make weight, the fight will not take place.  Corrales and his promoter, Gary Shaw, have said as much.  And with the weight of a mega-fight hanging by the balance of the scale, one has to wonder whether the fight can even live up to the dramatics of the weigh-in.

No matter what happens outside of the ring, the fight itself has to live up to almost unreachable expectations.  Anything short of an instant classic, and the Castillo/Corrales trilogy will be nothing more than a succulent filet without the mignon.

Regardless of how the fight plays out, Corrales has to show us that he is able to make adjustments and learned from his mistakes in the second fight.  If Corrales is dominated once again, he will be nothing more than Art Garfunkel to Castillo’s Paul Simon.  If the two can make the kind of beautiful music like they did during their first bout, their trilogy will be etched in the annals of boxing history, alongside Graziano/Zale, Bowe/Holyfield, Gatti/Ward, Barrera/Morales, and Ali/Frazier.    

When the two men enter the ring to do battle for a third time, a trilogy and its combatants will be defined….in one way or another.  While it might not be fair to define the legacy of two men based on 36 minutes of fighting, that’s the way it has to be.  In the end, the great ones raise their games when the chips are on the table.  Corrales and Castillo cannot afford to crap out Saturday night.  Their legacies depend on it.

E-mail Evan with any questions or comments at NYKNICKS2@aol.com