Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005 | 11:02 a.m.
Jeff Haney's boxing column appears Wednesday. Reach him at (702) 259-4041 or [email protected].
In stark contrast to their first meeting in May, the October 8 rematch between Diego "Chico" Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo for the world lightweight championship is shaping up as a box office bonanza.
Co-promoter Bob Arum, chief of Top Rank Inc., said ticket sales have already reached $3.8 million for Corrales-Castillo II and that a sellout of up to 17,500 seats is expected for the fight card at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The first fight between the two generated some buzz among boxing insiders and hard-core fans of the sport in the days leading to the opening bell. It failed to capture the imagination of the general public, however, and drew an announced crowd of just 5,168 to the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 7.
When the two 135-pounders put on an unforgettable show in the ring that night, they all but ensured that a rematch would likely be the most highly hyped and anticipated bout of the year.
The first nine rounds alone, taut and rugged, would have made Corrales-Castillo I a leading contender for fight of the year. The events of the 10th round elevated the fight to near-mythic status, though, as Corrales got up from the canvas after two knockdowns to rally and knock Castillo out cold against the ropes, scoring a stunning TKO victory.
Co-promoter Gary Shaw called it "the fight of the year, next year, and the next decade." And the desire of boxing fans to witness a reprise is driving ticket sales for the rematch at an "extraordinary" pace, according to Top Rank's Lee Samuels.
"This is the one everyone wants to see," Samuels said.
While Top Rank did not have the exact number of tickets sold immediately available, Samuels said the $3.8 million in sales translates into "more than double" the attendance of Corrales-Castillo I already.
"It's extraordinary considering we've done little advertising for (Corrales-Castillo II) so far," Samuels said.
"We have fight cards coming up on Sept. 10 (in Los Angeles, featuring Erik Morales) and Sept. 17 in Phoenix (Julio Cesar Chavez), but of all the shows we're doing, Corrales and Castillo is by far our biggest seller."
The first Corrales-Castillo fight might have been overshadowed by the big Winky Wright-Felix Trinidad middleweight bout scheduled for the following week (May 14) at the MGM Grand, Samuels said.
"Looking back, I think the casinos were putting a lot of energy into Trinidad-Wright -- that was a fight that was getting a tremendous amount of attention," Samuels said.
Obviously there are no such concerns for the rematch, which will be promoted by Top Rank and Gary Shaw Productions in association with Caesars Palace and Wynn Las Vegas. Showtime Pay-Per-View will televise.
Among fights already announced for the undercard are a 12-round super featherweight bout between Carlos "Famoso" Hernandez (41-5-1, 24 knockouts) and Bobby Pacquiao (25-11-3, 11 KOs); a 12-round flyweight world title bout between Jorge Arce (40-3-1, 30 KOs) and Hussein Hussein (28-2-1, 21 KOs); and a super lightweight feature between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (21-0, 16 KOs) and an opponent to be named later.
In the main event, Corrales (40-2, 33 KOs) is a minus-140 betting favorite against Castillo (52-7-1, 46 KOs), meaning bettors risk $1.40 to win $1 on Corrales.
McCullough honored
The World Boxing Council has announced it will appoint former champion Wayne McCullough of Las Vegas as its "world ambassador for peace and goodwill in sports" at the organization's annual convention scheduled for Oct. 2-8 in Spain.
The WBC selected McCullough for the honor for his courage in the ring and his "exemplary conduct" outside of it.
"For the first time in my life, I was knocked off my feet when I received the news from the WBC," McCullough said. "I always wanted to be remembered not only for my boxing ability but also for my clean living, honesty, integrity and dedication to the sport."
McCullough (27-6, 18 KOs) is coming off consecutive losses to Oscar Larios in world super bantamweight title bouts, most recently last month at the MGM.
Judah-Mayweather?
In an interview in Las Vegas earlier this year, undisputed welterweight champ Zab Judah said in his rankings of boxing's best fighters, pound-for-pound, the No. 1 spot is occupied by -- shocker -- Zab Judah.
His second and third positions were held by Winky Wright and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Now, Judah is trying to persuade Mayweather to meet him in a showdown at 147 pounds instead of attempting to make a fight with Wright, who normally campaigns at junior middleweight or middleweight.
"I don't understand why Floyd spent all this time trying to make a fight with Winky," Judah said in his hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y. "I am the undisputed welterweight world champion -- just seven pounds heavier than Floyd -- and he wants to move to 154 and face a man with no titles? I don't get it."
Mayweather (34-0, 23 KOs), of Las Vegas, dominated Arturo Gatti in June in Atlantic City for the world super lightweight title. He has not said who his next opponent will be.
Judah is 34-2 with 25 KOs.
"Floyd says he's never ducked anyone and never will," he said. "If he will not fight me, he's going to have some explaining to do."
Notable
Gary Shaw has signed super featherweight Manny Pacquiao to an exclusive promotional agreement, adding the three-time world champ to an impressive group of fighters that also includes Diego Corrales, Jeff Lacy and Winky Wright. Pacquiao (39-3-2, 31 KOs) will face Hector Velazquez (42-10-2, 31 KOs) on Sept. 10 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. ...
In a rematch of the championship bout from the reality TV series "The Contender," Sergio Mora and Peter Manfredo Jr. will square off on Saturday, Oct. 15, at Staples Center. ESPN will televise. Mora beat Peter in May in Las Vegas. ...
A highlight video of unbeaten featherweight contender Joan Guzman that includes footage of him training with Don House in Las Vegas is available online at boxeomundial.net. Guzman takes on Terdsak Jandaeng in a WBO title eliminator Friday night in White Plains, N.Y. ...
Las Vegas heavyweight Samuel Peter is a betting favorite of nearly 2-1 in Nevada sports books in his Sept. 24 fight against Wladimir Klitschko in Atlantic City. The over/under proposition on the number of rounds the fight will last has been set at 6 1/2. HBO will televise.
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