Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. is an American professional boxing promoter and former professional boxer. He competed from 1996 to 2007 and 2009 to 2015, made a one-fight comeback in 2017. During his career, he held multiple world titles in five weight classes and the lineal championship in four weight classes, retired with an undefeated record; as an amateur, Mayweather won a bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1996 Olympics, three U. S. Golden Gloves championships, the U. S. national championship at featherweight. Mayweather is a two-time winner of The Ring magazine's Fighter of the Year award, a three-time winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year award, a six-time winner of the Best Fighter ESPY Award. In 2016, Mayweather was ranked by ESPN as pound for pound, of the last 25 years, he remains BoxRec's number one fighter of all time, pound for pound, as well as the greatest welterweight of all time. Many sporting news and boxing websites, including The Ring, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, BoxRec, Fox Sports, Yahoo!
Sports, ranked Mayweather as the best pound for pound boxer in the world twice in a span of ten years. He is referred to as the best defensive boxer in history, as well as being the most accurate puncher since the existence of CompuBox, having the highest plus–minus ratio in recorded boxing history. Mayweather has a record of 26 consecutive wins in world title fights, 23 wins in lineal title fights, 24 wins against former or current world titlists, 12 wins against former or current lineal champions, 2 wins against International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees. Mayweather is one of the most lucrative pay-per-view attractions of all time, in any sport, he topped the Forbes and Sports Illustrated lists of the 50 highest-paid athletes of 2012 and 2013, the Forbes list again in both 2014 and 2015, listing him as the highest paid athlete in the world. In 2006, he founded his own boxing promotional firm, Mayweather Promotions, after leaving Bob Arum's Top Rank. Mayweather has generated 23.8 million PPV buys and $1.67 billion in revenue throughout his career, surpassing the likes of former top PPV attractions including Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.
Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. was born Floyd Joy Sinclair on February 24, 1977, in Grand Rapids, into a family of boxers. His father, Floyd Mayweather Sr. was a former welterweight contender who fought Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard. His uncles Jeff and Roger Mayweather were professional boxers, with the latter—Floyd's former trainer—winning two world championships, as well as fighting Hall of Famers Julio César Chávez, Pernell Whitaker, Kostya Tszyu. Mayweather was born with his mother's last name, but his last name would change to Mayweather shortly thereafter, his maternal grandfather was born in Jamaica. He attended Ottawa Hills High School before dropping out. Boxing has been a part of Mayweather's life since his childhood and he never considered any other profession. "I think my grandmother saw my potential first," he said. "When I was young, I told her,'I think I should get a job.' She said,'No, just keep boxing.'" During the 1980s, Mayweather lived in the Hiram Square neighborhood of New Brunswick, New Jersey, where his mother had relatives.
He said, "When I was about eight or nine, I lived in New Jersey with my mother and we were seven deep in one bedroom and sometimes we didn't have electricity. When people see what I have now, they have no idea of where I came from and how I didn't have anything growing up." It was common for the young Mayweather to come home from school and find used heroin needles in his front yard. His mother was addicted to drugs, he had an aunt who died from AIDS because of her drug use. "People don't know the hell I've been through," he says. The most time that his father spent with him was taking him to the gym to train and work on his boxing, according to Mayweather. "I don't remember him taking me anywhere or doing anything that a father would do with a son, going to the park or to the movies or to get ice cream," he says. "I always thought that he liked his daughter better than he liked me because she never got whippings and I got whippings all the time." Mayweather's father contends. "Even though his daddy did sell drugs, I didn't deprive my son," the elder Mayweather says.
"The drugs I sold, he was a part of it. He had plenty of food, he had the best clothes and I gave him money. He didn't want for anything. Anybody in Grand Rapids can tell you that I took care of my kids". Floyd Sr. says he did all of his hustling at night and spent his days with his son, taking him to the gym and training him to be a boxer. "If it wasn't for me he wouldn't be where he is today," he maintains. "I raised myself," Mayweather says. "My grandmother did. When she got mad at me I'd go to my mom's house. My life was ups and downs." His father says he knows how much pain his incarceration caused his son, but insists he did the best he could. "I sent him to live with his grandmother," he says. "It wasn't like I left him with strangers." In the absence of his father, boxing became an outlet for Mayweather. As the elder Mayweather served his time, his son put all of his energy into boxing and dropped out of high school. "I knew that I was going to have to try to take care of my mom and I made the decision that school wasn't that important at the time and I was going to have to box to earn a living," he said
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, as well as fighting-based video games. A full knockout is considered any legal strike or combination thereof that renders an opponent unable to continue fighting; the term is associated with a sudden traumatic loss of consciousness caused by a physical blow. Single powerful blows to the head can produce a cerebral concussion or a carotid sinus reflex with syncope and cause a sudden, dramatic KO. Body blows the liver punch, can cause progressive, debilitating pain that can result in a KO. In boxing and kickboxing, a knockout is awarded when one participant falls to the canvas and is unable to rise to their feet within a specified period of time because of exhaustion, disorientation, or unconsciousness. For example, if a boxer is knocked down and is unable to continue the fight within a ten-second count, they are counted as having been knocked out and their opponent is awarded the KO victory.
In mixed martial arts competitions, no time count is given after a knockdown, as the sport allows submission grappling as well as ground and pound. If a fighter loses consciousness as a result of legal strikes it is declared a KO. If the fighter loses consciousness for a brief moment and wakes up again to continue to fight, the fight is stopped and declared a KO; as many MMA fights can take place on the mat rather than standing, it is possible to score a KO via ground and pound, a common victory for grapplers. In fighting-based video games, such as Street Fighter and Tekken, a player scores a knockout by depleting the opponent's health bar, which awards the round to the winning player; the player who wins the most rounds wins the match. This is different from real-life combat sports. A technical knockout, or stoppage, is declared when the referee or official ring physician decides during a round that a fighter cannot safely continue the match for any reason, without the need for an intervening count.
In most regions, a TKO is declared. Other reasons for stopping a fight include severe facial lacerations and a fighter's inability to put up a sufficient defense following a knockdown. A TKO only occurs. If a fighter or his/her cornerman decides to end the fight between rounds, it is ruled a corner retirement or "referee technical decision". Both TKO's and corner retirements are counted as knockouts in a fighter's record. In MMA bouts, the referee may declare a TKO if a fighter cannot intelligently defend him/herself while being struck. A double knockout, in both real life combat sports and fighting-based video games, is when both fighters trade blows and knock each other out and are both unable to continue fighting. In such cases, the match is declared a draw. In fighting games such as Street Fighter and Tekken, a draw is counted as a loss for both players. Little is known about what causes one to be knocked unconscious, but many agree it is related to trauma to the brain stem; this happens when the head rotates often as a result of a strike.
There are three general manifestations of such trauma: a typical knockout, which results in a sustained loss of consciousness, a "flash" knockout, when a transient loss of consciousness occurs, the recipient maintains awareness and memory of the combat a "stunning," a "dazing" or a fighter being "KO'ed on his feet", is when basic consciousness is maintained despite a general loss of awareness and extreme distortions in proprioception, visual fields, auditory processing. Referees are taught to watch for this state, as it cannot be improved by sheer willpower and means the fighter is concussed and unable to safely defend themselves. A basic principle of boxing and other combat sports is to defend against this vulnerability by keeping both hands raised about the face and the chin tucked in; that could still be ineffective if the opponent punches to the solar plexus. A fighter who becomes unconscious from a strike with sufficient knockout power is referred to as having been knocked out or KO'd.
Losing balance without losing consciousness is referred to as being knocked down. Repeated blows to the head, regardless whether they cause loss of consciousness, are known to cause permanent brain damage. In severe cases this may cause strokes or paralysis; this loss of consciousness is known as becoming "punch drunk" or "shot". Because of this, many physicians advise against sports involving knockouts. A knockdown occurs when a fighter touches the floor of the ring with any part of the body other than the feet following a hit, but is able to rise back up and continue fighting; the term is used if the fighter is hanging on to the ropes, caught between the ropes, or is hanging over the ropes and is unable to fall to the floor and cannot protect himself. A knockdown triggers a count by the referee. A flash knockdown is a knockdown where the fighter hits the canvas but recovers enou
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization. The IBF was preceded by the United States Boxing Association, a regional championship organization like the North American Boxing Federation, the North American Boxing Association. In 1983, at the WBA's annual convention, held in Puerto Rico, Robert W. "Bobby" Lee, Sr. president of the USBA, lost in his bid to become WBA president against Gilberto Mendoza. Lee and others withdrew from the convention after the election, decided to organize a third, world-level organization, to co-exist with the World Boxing Association and the World Boxing Council. Formed as USBA-International, the fledgling organization was renamed the International Boxing Federation, based in New Jersey, where its main offices remain. Bobby Lee had been a New Jersey boxing commissioner until 1985, according to news reports, "he was suspended and fined by the Ethical Standards Commission for accepting contributions from fight promoters and casino executives."The IBF's first world champion was Marvin Camel, a former World Boxing Council world cruiserweight champion who won the IBF's belt in the same division.
During its first year of existence, the IBF remained obscure. But by 1984, the IBF decided to recognize Larry Holmes, Aaron Pryor, Marvin Hagler and Donald Curry established champions from other organizations, as IBF world champions. In Holmes' case, he relinquished his WBC title to accept the IBF's recognition, it established the IBF as the third sanctioning body, a legitimate organization. Despite achieving an appearance of legitimacy, subsequent to a three-year investigation started by 1996 charges levied by former heavyweight champion Michael Moorer. Indicted on federal racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges were "president, Robert W. Lee, 65. Lee was subsequently convicted of money-laundering and tax evasion in August 2000 sentenced, in 2001, to 22 months in prison and fined $25,000. In 2000, citing extortion. Arum was fined $125,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Boxing promoters Cedric Kushner and Dino Duva admitted to making similar payments to Lee. IBF was under federal observation from Lee's conviction through September 2004.
Former Michigan Boxing Commissioner, WBA vice-president, boxing safety advocate and IBF interim president Hiawatha Knight became president following Lee's conviction, was the first woman president of any world governing boxing organization. In 2001, Marian Muhammad assumed the presidency, followed by Daryl J. Peoples, who remains president as of 2018. IBF had "1st Annual Convention of IBF Muaythai" in Bangkok, Thailand on 20–21 December 2017. Daryl Peoples, IBF president, attended the convention; the new champions of IBF Muay Thai were crowned in three weight divisions. As of April 13, 2019. List of boxing organisations Don King List of IBF world champions List of IBF Muay Thai world champions Official website All-time IBF World champions - Reference book
Flag of Puerto Rico
The flag of Puerto Rico represents and symbolizes the island of Puerto Rico and its people. The origins of the current flag of Puerto Rico, adopted by the commonwealth of Puerto Rico in 1952, can be traced to 1868, when the first Puerto Rican flag, "The Revolutionary Flag of Lares", was conceived by Dr. Ramón Emeterio Betances and embroidered by Mariana "Brazos de Oro" Bracetti; this flag was used in the short-lived Puerto Rican revolt against Spanish rule in the island, known as "El Grito de Lares". Juan de Mata Terreforte, an exiled veteran of "El Grito de Lares" and Vice-President of the Cuban Revolutionary Committee, in New York City, adopted the flag of Lares as the flag of Puerto Rico until 1895, when the current design, modeled after the Cuban flag, was unveiled and adopted by the 59 Puerto Rican exiles of the Cuban Revolutionary committee; the new flag, which consisted of five equal horizontal bands of red alternating with white. The use and display of the Puerto Rican flag was outlawed and the only flags permitted to be flown in Puerto Rico were the Spanish flag and the American flag.
In 1952, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico adopted the 1895 flag design as its official standard. The color of the triangle, used by the administration of Luis Muñoz Marín was the dark blue. In 1995, the government of Puerto Rico issued a regulation regarding the use of the Puerto Rican flag titled: "Reglamento sobre el Uso en Puerto Rico de la Bandera del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico", in which the government specifies the colors to be used but does not specify any official color tones or shades. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see the flag of Puerto Rico with different shades of blue displayed in the island. Several Puerto Rican flags, with darker shades than sky blue were aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery during its flight into outer space on March 15, 2009; the introduction of a flag in Puerto Rico can be traced to when Christopher Columbus landed on the island's shore and with the flag appointed to him by the Spanish Crown claimed the island, which he named "San Juan Bautista", in the name of Spain.
Columbus wrote in his logbook that on October 12, 1492, he used the Royal Flag, that his captains used two flags which the Admiral carried in all the ships as ensign, each white with a green cross in the middle and an'F' and'Y', both green and crowned with golden, open royal crowns, for Ferdinand II of Aragon and Ysabel. The conquistadores under the command of Juan Ponce de León proceeded to conquer and settle the island, they carried as their military standard the "Spanish Expedition Flag". After the island was conquered and colonized, the flag of Spain was used in Puerto Rico, same as it was used in all of its other colonies. Once the Spanish armed forces established themselves on the island they began the construction of military fortifications such as La Fortaleza, Fort San Felipe del Morro, Fort San Cristóbal and San Gerónimo; the Spanish Army designed the "Cross of Burgundy Flag" and adopted it as their standard. This flag flew; the independence movement in Puerto Rico gained momentum with the liberation successes of Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín in South America.
In 1868, local independence leader Ramón Emeterio Betances urged Mariana Bracetti to knit a revolutionary flag using the flag of the Dominican Republic as an example, promoting the popular ideal of uniting the three caribbean islands into an Antillean Confederation. The materials for the flag were provided by Eduvigis Beauchamp Sterling, named Treasurer of the revolution by Betances; the flag was divided in the middle by a white Latin cross, the two lower corners were red and the two upper corners were blue with a white star in the upper left blue corner. According to Puerto Rican poet Luis Lloréns Torres the white cross on it stands for the yearning for homeland redemption; the "Revolutionary Flag of Lares" was used in the short-lived rebellion against Spain in what became known as El Grito de Lares. The flag was proclaimed the national flag of the "Republic of Puerto Rico" by Francisco Ramírez Medina, sworn in as Puerto Rico's first president, placed on the high altar of the Catholic Church of Lares, thus becoming the first Puerto Rican Flag.
The original Lares flag was taken by a Spanish army officer as a war prize. Many years it was returned and transferred to the Puerto Rican people, it is now exhibited in the University of Puerto Rico's Museum. In 1873, following the abdication of Amadeo I of Spain and with Spain's change from Kingdom to Republic, the Spanish government issued a new colonial flag for Puerto Rico; the new flag, used until 1873, resembled the flag of Spain, with the difference that it had the coat of arms of Puerto Rico in the middle. Spain's flag once more flew over Puerto Rico with the restoration of the Spanish kingdom in 1874, until 1898 the year that the island became a possession of the United States under the terms of the Treaty of Paris in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War. Juan de Mata Terreforte, a leader of the Grito de Lares revolt who fought alongside Manuel Rojas, was exiled to New York City, he was named its Vice-President. Terreforte and the members of the Revolutionary committee adopted the Flag of Lares as their standard.
In 1892, the Committee was presented with the design of the current flag of Puerto Rico. T
Arturo Gatti
Arturo Gatti was an Italian Canadian professional boxer who competed from 1991 to 2007. Nicknamed "Thunder," Gatti was known for his heart and bravery in the ring, carried formidable punching power. A world champion in two weight classes, Gatti held the IBF junior lightweight title from 1995 to 1998, the WBC super lightweight title from 2004 to 2005, he participated in The Ring magazine's Fight of the Year a total of four times. He announced his retirement on July 14, 2007. On December 10, 2012, Gatti was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, in his first year of eligibility, becoming the tenth Canadian boxer to be inducted. Gatti was born in Cassino and raised in Latium, a region of central western Italy, before moving to Montreal, Canada. Gatti relocated to Jersey City, New Jersey as a teenager, he returned to Montreal after retiring from boxing to work in real estate. His death in 2009 was mired in controversy, with his wife first being arrested for homicide and released after an autopsy ruled his death was suicide.
Arturo Gatti was a member of the Canadian National team, was training to represent Canada at the 1992 Summer Games, but at age 19, he decided to turn pro instead. He began boxing professionally on the night of June 10, 1991, with a third-round knockout of Jose Gonzalez in Secaucus, New Jersey, he went undefeated for six bouts before losing to King Solomon by split decision in six rounds on November 17, 1992. His next fight, on March 24, 1993, was his first fight abroad, where he visited Amsterdam and knocked out Plawen Goutchev in round one. In 1994, he beat Leon Bostic, followed through with a Round 1 knockout over Pete Taliaferro to win the USBA super featherweight title, he retained the title against former world champion Jose Sanabria. On December 15, 1995, Gatti challenged the IBF super featherweight Champion Tracy Harris Patterson, Floyd Patterson's adoptive son. Gatti became world champion when he narrowly outpointed Patterson and signed a multi-fight deal with HBO to fight on HBO Boxing.
He only had two fights in 1996. His title defense, at Madison Square Garden against Dominican Wilson Rodriguez was the first of three Gatti fights in a row to be named a candidate for "Fight of the Year" by Ring Magazine. Dropped in round two and with his right eye closing fast, Gatti knocked Rodriguez down in round five with a left hook to the body, before finishing him off in round six to retain the title. In 1997, he again won this time by a larger margin, he scored a technical knockout over former world champion Calvin Grove in the seventh round of a non-title affair. Came his defense against former world champion Gabriel Ruelas, named "Fight of the Year" by Ring Magazine. Rocked by a left uppercut in the fourth, Gatti absorbed more than 15 consecutive punches before being saved by the bell. In the fifth, he connected on a left hook to knock Ruelas out. After that fight, Gatti relinquished the world title, going up in weight to the lightweight division. However, 1998 was a bad year for Gatti.
He lost by a technical knockout in round eight to Angel Manfredy, lost a pair of close 10-round decisions to Ivan Robinson, the first by split decision, the second by unanimous. In Gatti-Robinson II, Gatti had a point deducted in the eighth round for low blows. Had the point not been deducted, the fight would have been a draw, as Robinson was only ahead by one point on two scorecards. Gatti-Robinson I was chosen "Fight of the Year" by Ring Magazine, thus marking the second year in a row that a Gatti fight was given that award and the third year in a row a Gatti fight was nominated, he only had one fight in 1999. Gatti's first fight of 2000 proved to be controversial. Faced with former world champion Joey Gamache, Gatti won by a knockout in round two. A subsequent lawsuit by Gamache's handlers claimed Gatti had gained 19 pounds since the weigh-in the day before and thus had a large advantage over Gamache. In the wake of the fight, boxing regulators pushed for a new law limiting the amount of weight a competitor can gain between the weigh-in and time of the fight.
Gatti was accused by Gamache's handlers of not having made the contracted weight of 141 pounds. After Gatti-Gamache, some boxing commissions started weighing boxers a second time. Gatti won his two other fights that year, against Eric Jukabuwski and Joe Hutchinson. In 2001, Gatti only had one fight, going up in weight to meet welterweight Oscar De La Hoya, who beat him by a technical knockout in five rounds. In 2002, Gatti returned to the light welterweight division and defeated former world champion Terronn Millett by a knockout in round four, he split two ten-round decisions with "Irish" Micky Ward, losing their first bout, but winning their second. Gatti-Ward I earned "Fight of the Year" honors by Ring Magazine, the 9th round was called the Round of the Century by Emanuel Steward. On June 7, 2003, he and Ward had a rubber match. Gatti broke his twice-repaired right hand when he struck wards hip bone with an attempted body shot in the fourth, he dropped his arm. In the sixth, Gatti dominated the round, but got caught with an overhand to the top of the head a second before the bell rang and went down.
The final scorecards read, 96–93, 96–93 and 97–92, in favor of Gatti. The third fight between the two was again named "Fight of the Year" by Ring Magazine. Gatti vs Ward I & III are part of HBO's 10 best fights of the decade. On January 24, 2004, having rec
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, as described in the New Testament. Its adherents, known as Christians, believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and savior of all people, whose coming as the Messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament. Depending on the specific denomination of Christianity, practices may include baptism, prayer, confirmation, burial rites, marriage rites and the religious education of children. Most denominations hold regular group worship services. Christianity developed during the 1st century CE as a Jewish Christian sect of Second Temple Judaism, it soon attracted Gentile God-fearers, which lead to a departure from Jewish customs, the establishment of Christianity as an independent religion. During the first centuries of its existence Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, to Ethiopia and some parts of Asia. Constantine the Great decriminalized it via the Edict of Milan; the First Council of Nicaea established a uniform set of beliefs across the Roman Empire.
By 380, the Roman Empire designated Christianity as the state religion. The period of the first seven ecumenical councils is sometimes referred to as the Great Church, the united full communion of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, before their schisms. Oriental Orthodoxy split after the Council of Chalcedon over differences in Christology; the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church separated in the East–West Schism over the authority of the Pope. In 1521, Protestants split from the Catholic Church in the Protestant Reformation over Papal primacy, the nature of salvation, other ecclesiological and theological disputes. Following the Age of Discovery, Christianity was spread into the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa, the rest of the world via missionary work and colonization. There are 2.3 billion Christians in the world, or 31.4% of the global population. Today, the four largest branches of Christianity are the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy.
Christianity and Christian ethics have played a prominent role in the development of Western civilization around Europe during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. In the New Testament, the names by which the disciples were known among themselves were "brethren", "the faithful", "elect", "saints" and "believers". Early Jewish Christians referred to themselves as'The Way' coming from Isaiah 40:3, "prepare the way of the Lord." According to Acts 11:26, the term "Christian" was first used in reference to Jesus's disciples in the city of Antioch, meaning "followers of Christ," by the non-Jewish inhabitants of Antioch. The earliest recorded use of the term "Christianity" was by Ignatius of Antioch, in around 100 AD. While Christians worldwide share basic convcitions, there are differences of interpretations and opinions of the Bible and sacred traditions on which Christianity is based. Concise doctrinal statements or confessions of religious beliefs are known as creeds, they began as baptismal formulae and were expanded during the Christological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries to become statements of faith.
The Apostles' Creed is the most accepted statement of the articles of Christian faith. It is used by a number of Christian denominations for both liturgical and catechetical purposes, most visibly by liturgical churches of Western Christian tradition, including the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, Lutheranism and Western Rite Orthodoxy, it is used by Presbyterians and Congregationalists. This particular creed was developed between the 9th centuries, its central doctrines are those of God the Creator. Each of the doctrines found in this creed can be traced to statements current in the apostolic period; the creed was used as a summary of Christian doctrine for baptismal candidates in the churches of Rome. Its main points include: Belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Holy Spirit The death, descent into hell and ascension of Christ The holiness of the Church and the communion of saints Christ's second coming, the Day of Judgement and salvation of the faithful; the Nicene Creed was formulated in response to Arianism, at the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople in 325 and 381 and ratified as the universal creed of Christendom by the First Council of Ephesus in 431.
The Chalcedonian Definition, or Creed of Chalcedon, developed at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, though rejected by the Oriental Orthodox churches, taught Christ "to be acknowledged in two natures, unchangeably, inseparably": one divine and one human, that both natures, while perfect in themselves, are also united into one person. The Athanasian Creed, received in the Western Church as having the same status as the Nicene and Chalcedonian, says: "We worship one God in Trinity, Trinity in Unity. Many evangelical Protestants reject creeds as definitive statements of faith while agreeing with some or all of the substance of the creeds. Most Baptists do not use creeds "in that they have not sought to establish binding
Diego Corrales
Diego "Chico" Corrales Jr. was an American professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2007. He was a multiple-time world champion in two weight divisions, having held the IBF super featherweight title from 1999 to 2000. In 2005, Corrales received Fight of the Year honors by The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America for his acclaimed first bout with José Luis Castillo. Corrales was born in Columbia, South Carolina to a Colombian father, Diego Corrales Sr. and a Mexican mother. Corrales' early life was filled with violence. Corrales had a degree in culinary arts, he trained at "Sac Pal" Boxing Gym. Corrales compiled an amateur boxing record of 105-12. In 1994, he took second place at the United States Amateur Championships, losing to Frankie Carmona on points in the featherweight final, he reached the first round of the featherweight bracket at the 1995 Pan American Games, losing to Arnaldo Mesa. At the 1995 World Championships, he lost out on a medal after losing to Marco Rudolph in the lightweight bracket.
On January 20, 2001, Corrales challenged Ring No. 2 ranked Super Featherweight and #7 Pound-For-Pound Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the WBC super featherweight title and recorded his first knockdown and first loss. In the bout, Mayweather knocked down Corrales five times. After the fifth knockdown, Corrales' corner stopped the fight, despite Corrales' protests. Shortly after the Mayweather fight, Corrales served 14 months in prison after opting for a plea bargain on charges he faced for abusing his pregnant wife, Maria. In 2003, Corrales returned to the ring. After winning four fights, Corrales fought against Ring No. 1 ranked Super Featherweight Joel Casamayor. After the sixth round, the fight was stopped because of a deep cut inside of Corrales' mouth. On March 6, 2004, there was a rematch for the vacant WBO super featherweight title. Corrales won by close split decision. On August 7, 2004, Corrales fought former two-time Super Featherweight champion and current WBO Lightweight champion, Acelino Freitas, who came into the bout unbeaten.
Corrales won the fight, via TKO in the tenth round. Freitas won the early rounds, but by the rounds he was visibly tired and began to be caught by Corrales. After rising from his third knockdown, Freitas quit. On May 7, 2005, Corrales defeated WBC and Ring Lightweight champion José Luis Castillo via TKO in the tenth round, giving Corrales his fourth title in 2 weight classes; the fight is universally regarded as the best fight of 2005. Both men stood in front of each other, battering each other with hard combinations and power punches throughout the entire fight. In the tenth round, Castillo knocked Corrales down. Seconds Castillo knocked Corrales down again. Corrales managed to beat the count, after a point was taken away for excessive spitting out of the mouthpiece, Corrales connected with a punch that Castillo called "a perfect right hand." Corrales trapped Castillo against the ropes and landed numerous punches, causing the referee, Tony Weeks, to stop the fight. A rematch between Corrales and Castillo occurred on October 8, 2005.
On the day before the fight, Castillo weighed-in 3½ lb over the 135 lb lightweight limit. Since Castillo did not make the weight, the fight became a non-title bout; the two fighters continued with the same fighting style that they had used in the first fight, trading inside punches throughout the first three rounds. Early in the fourth round, Castillo knocked down Corrales with a left hook to his chin. Corrales wobbled to his feet at the referee's count of ten. Corrales vs. Castillo III, dubbed "The War to Settle the Score," had been scheduled for February 4, 2006, but it was postponed because of a rib injury that Corrales suffered while training; the fight was rescheduled for June 3, 2006. At the weigh-in, Corrales weighed the 135 lb lightweight limit whereas Castillo weighed 139½ lb—causing the fight to be cancelled. Corrales sued Castillo for punitive damages. Corrales was scheduled to defend his lightweight title in a third bout against Joel Casamayor on October 7, 2006. However, Corrales weighed in 5 pounds over the limit.
He came back at 139 pounds. Corrales would have been stripped of the title if he had won the bout, but Casamayor defeated him by split decision for the WBC and The Ring lightweight titles. On April 7, 2007, fighting in the welterweight division, Corrales lost a unanimous decision to Joshua Clottey. Corrales was dropped in rounds 9 and 10 and lost by the scores of 97-90, 98-89 and 100-87. Corrales served 14 months in the Deuel Vocational Institution, a correctional facility in San Joaquin County, after being convicted of domestic battery on his pregnant partner. On May 7, 2007 two years to the day after his first fight with Castillo, Corrales was killed in a three-vehicle accident near his Las Vegas home. Corrales was riding a 2007 Suzuki GSXR 1000 motorcycle, traveling northbound on Fort Apache Road in the southwest part of the Las Vegas Valley, Corrales attempted to pass another vehicle at high speed, but Corrales struck the back of the car and was thrown more than 100 feet into oncoming traffic and struck by another vehicle.
An ambulance was called by the witnesses at the scene, Corrales was rushed to
