LIFE IN FAST LANE NOT WORTH RISK.

Byline: ROBERT MORALES

BOXING

The tragedy of Diego "Chico" Corrales dying in a motorcycle accident Monday in Las Vegas does not end with his demise at age 29.

Unfortunately, the grief has only just begun. Five young kids are now without a father, while Corrales and his estranged wife, Michelle, were expecting their second child, meaning there will soon be six.

All because Corrales, a gutsy fighter who won titles in two weight classes, lived life outside the ring in the fast lane.

Among other things, he liked to sky dive, he was a deep-sea scuba diver and he enjoyed zooming down the street on his motorcycle.

At first look, one might say, "Hey, that's cool. The guy was fearless. Nothing wrong with that."

Jumping out of a plane? No problem. Exploring ocean depths and perhaps slaying a shark? Awesome. But there is something wrong when a man takes to the streets and drives his motorcycle at high speeds just for the fun of it. That is not the place to satisfy your adrenaline jones.

To be fair, reports that the accident occurred on a residential street were not true. Investigating officer Detective William Redfairn of the Metro Police Department in Las Vegas, told the Daily News on Wednesday that the street was bordered on both sides by industrial businesses and that it was not filled with children.

But Detective Redfairn did say that Corrales was going very fast. He also said that although Corrales did at one time have a license to drive a motorcycle in Nevada, it had expired.

"Based on my experience, how far the motorcycle traveled once it went down and the shape the motorcycle was in, I'd say he wasgoing well above the posted speed limit," Redfairn said.

Redfairn said he would soon make a determination on how far over the posted 35 mile-per-hour limit Corrales was traveling. He added that, depending on the types of tests administered Corrales to determine if he was inebriated in any way, results could take as long as six months to a year to get back.

"Although I don't anticipate them taking that long," he said.

For now, let's give Corrales the benefit of that doubt. Let's say he was completely sober and that the only rush he was experiencing was the one he got from living life on the edge.

His actions were still very selfish, and very foolish.

Thanks to the way he was driving -- he hit the back of one car, was thrown from his motorcycle and run over by another car -- a total of three vehicles were involved. One other person suffered minor injuries. And while the investigation is not complete, preliminary results have assigned fault to Corrales.

If it were possible to pose one question to Corrales at this moment, it would be: "Was it worth leaving behind your six children just so you could have your fun?"

The hope here is that the next time an athlete who thinks he is invincible decides to take his and the lives of others in his hands, he thinks about all the repercussions.

In a story published last June in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Corrales was asked about his thirst for skydiving and fast motorcycles.

"I'm only young once and, unless someone hasn't told me something yet, I only get to live once," he said.

So do his children.

This whole scenario is a heartbreaker. But it didn't have to happen. Somewhere, over the rainbow, Corrales knows it. It's one thing to take a risk. It's quite another to be irresponsible.

His promoter, Gary Shaw, recalled a recent conversation he had with Corrales regarding his motorcycle.

"I would say, 'Chico, you can't ride that thing,'" Shaw said.

"He'd say, 'Oh, relax, Gary. Chill out. It's all good. Don't worry about me. I'm fine."'

Famous last words.

Arum: Cotto-Judah won't be dull

It is mind-boggling to consider the news regarding last Saturday's super welterweight title fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr., won by Mayweather via split decision.

The numbers registered 2.15 million

on the pay-per-view Richter scale, and $120 million in pay-per-view revenue. Both are records.

But if you paid the $54.95 to watch,

you know that the fight did not come close to living up to the hype. It was mediocre, at best. The only terrific thing about it was Mayweather's uncanny defense. Not to blame De La Hoya. He did everything he could to make the fight fantastic, but Mayweather was just too slick. It was the type of fight many experts figured could take place.

There is, however, a fight coming up June 9 that could be everything De La Hoya-Mayweather was not.

That would be the welterweight title bout between champion Miguel Cotto and challenger Zab Judah at Madison Square Garden. Bob Arum, of Top Rank Inc., is promoting the event.

"Styles make fights," Arum said. "That's an old clich(hrt), but it's always been true. That fight cannot help but be a really good, good competitive fight as long as it lasts.

"It is really going to be something and that's because of who we are dealing with here, the kind of fighters we have and the kind of fights they put up. Cotto has never been in a dull fight."

Interestingly, whereas De La Hoya was the obvious crowd favorite last Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Madison Square Garden should be more equally divided. Judah is a native New Yorker, and the city has a large Puerto Rican population. The keys will be how Cotto deals with Judah's combination of speed and power out of a southpaw stance, and how Judah contends with Cotto's devastating power -- both to the body and head.

Cotto, 26, of Puerto Rico, is 29-0 with 24 knockouts. Judah, 29, of Brooklyn, is 34-4 with 25 knockouts. The fight will be available on HBO pay-per-view.

HBO will show a replay of the De La Hoya-Mayweather fight tonight.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1) A sign left by boxing fan Brandon Louthan is taped to a post near the site of Diego Corrales' crash.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

(2) Diego Corrales will be buried Tuesday at Palm Green Valley Mortuary in Las Vegas. A public viewing will be from 9 a.m. to noon.

Al Bello/Getty Images

(3) COTTO

(4) JUDAH

Box:

Etc.