CORRALES-CASTILLO SET FOR MORE INTRIGUE.

Byline: ROBERT MORALES Boxing

ontroversy is a big part of sports. The moment can bring joy to some, anger and often pain to others.

Diego Corrales felt the joy and Jose Luis Castillo the anger and pain in May when Corrales got up from two 10th-round knockdowns to stop Castillo in the 10th.

Castillo complained that Corrales was given far too much time to recover from the knockdowns after losing his mouthpiece each time - accidentally on purpose, if you get our drift.

The tables were turned in October when Castillo knocked out Corrales with a vicious left hook in the fourth round of the rematch.

Corrales' World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization lightweight belts were supposed to be on the line. But they were not because Castillo not only did not make the 135-pound weight limit, one of his camp members tried to cheat when Castillo was on the scales.

Castillo weighed in at 138 1/2 pounds. Corrales and his promoter, Gary Shaw, agreed to let the fight go on without championship belts being on the line, but they complained afterward that since Castillo did not have to sweat out those last 3 1/2 pounds, it gave him an unfair strength advantage.

Castillo felt the joy. Corrales felt the pain, and he is still angry. But he and Castillo, ever the gluttons for punishment, will do it again Feb. 4.

Whereas the first two fights were in Las Vegas, the rubber match will take place in El Paso, Texas. Showtime will televise.

Corrales' belts will be on the line. Unlike last time, there won't be a fight if Castillo again tips the scales too heavily.

``(Castillo will) be able to take a picture of the back of my sweatsuit as I board the flight,'' Shaw said.

Corrales recently told the Daily News the same thing - in fewer words.

``No,'' he said, when asked if he would still fight Castillo in February if he again came in overweight.

On Thursday, during a conference call, Corrales reiterated what he said after he was knocked out in October - in his mind, Castillo never wanted to make weight.

Castillo has had trouble making 135 for some time, and Corrales believes Castillo knew that if he did everything it would have taken to get down to that weight - like starve himself the last few days before the weigh-in - he would have been too weak to be competitive.

``I do believe that it was never his intention to make weight,'' Corrales said. ``I do feel that way.''

Basically, the complaints each fighter has had regarding his respective loss have validity. Corrales has never admitted to purposely losing his mouthpiece in order to gain more recovery time in the first fight, and Castillo will probably never admit he did not try to make weight in the rematch.

Castillo's biggest problem could be the weakened state he might be in come fight time by actually making the weight, which he promised to do.

``I am going to work very hard for this fight,'' he said Thursday. ``I am going to make the weight with no problem. If I do not make the weight, I am willing to give Top Rank (his promoter) half my salary back.''

Castillo, who was fined $120,000 for not making weight last time, won't be afforded that opportunity because there won't be a fight if it happens again. Nobody would get paid.

Corrales, 28, of Sacramento, is 40-3 with 33 knockouts. He is trained by Joe Goossen in Van Nuys. Castillo, 32, of Mexicali, is 53-7-1 with 47 knockouts.

--Wright-Taylor: The World Boxing Council last week ordered promoters Lou DiBella and Shaw to immediately begin negotiations for a fight between middleweight champion Jermain Taylor and mandatory challenger Winky Wright.

If an agreement is not reached, the fight would go to a purse bid scheduled for Jan. 20, at which time any licensed promoter could participate. Taylor would receive a 60-40 split of the highest bid.

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

FIGHT SCHEDULE