The first time I ever heard the name "Diego Corrales" came on June 7, 1996, when Oscar De La Hoya met Julio Cesar Chavez at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in what was one of that year's most hotly anticipated fights. The fights were outdoors in the back parking lot where so many memorable bouts had been staged previously.

It was scorching hot that day, hitting a high temperature of 107 degrees. On the undercard, I saw a super featherweight who managed to grab my attention mainly because of how unusually tall and lean he was.

Corrales was 5-11 and on that night was fighting in the fourth bout of his professional career against Ciro Canales. He was signed by Top Rank out of the amateurs, and promoter Bob Arum said all the reports he had on Corrales were positive.

"He definitely was a guy we signed as a prospect," Arum told keviniole.com. "He was a good puncher and a good boxer and he was a fighter with a lot of heart. Our matchmakers at the time thought he had a lot of potential, and so you try to develop those kids the best way that you can and see how it turns out."

Corrales won a relatively lackluster decision, but little did I know it then, but he was about to become a big part of my boxing life. He won three more fights, all by KO or TKO, in the ensuing three months, before he'd be on my radar again.

I next saw him on what was a pretty memorable evening in Las Vegas on Oct. 11, 1996 at the Texas Station Hotel/Casino. Johnny Tapia was defending his WBO super flyweight title in the main event that night. Tapia was one of my favorite fighters, but the reason I went to the show that night was because it marked the pro debut of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Mayweather had won a bronze medal a few months earlier at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, and on of the night of his debut against Roberto Apodaca, I was convinced he would have beaten the vast majority of 130-pounders in the world. He was clearly that good.

Corrales was on that card, as well. And while I never would have told anyone on that night that I suspected he'd be a champion, let alone a Hall of Famer, I was excited to watch him again. He was 7-0 and weighed in at 132 pounds for a bout against Sergio Macias. I was obvious early on that he packed quite a punch. As he flicked out his jab, there was an audible "thwack" as it landed on Macias' face.

He won that fight by decision, as well, and if nothing else, he'd stamped himself as a fighter to watch. He was willing to engage, had a fearless attitude and was one of those fighters you'd want to see whether he was 20-0 or 10-10. He came to fight and always put on a great show.

It was hard not to think of Corrales' early days as a pro when news broke on Thursday that he'd been one of 12 elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

He'd go on to be one of the best, and most fun, fighters of his era. He won a super featherweight title at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas on Oct. 23, 1999, when he stopped Robert Garcia -- yes, that Robert Garcia -- in the seventh round to win the IBF belt.

He defended the belt successfully four times, defeating John Brown, Derrick Gainer, Justin Juuko and Angel Manfredy, that set up a unification showdown with Mayweather. They both lived in Las Vegas, and it was as if the town wasn't big enough for the two elite super featherweights.

It was the classic boxer versus puncher fight when Top Rank made Mayweather versus Corrales for Jan. 20, 2001, at the MGM Grand.

Mayweather turned out to be an all-time great and he would have likely beaten Corrales that night no matter the kind of shape Corrales came in. But Corrales' one weakness as a fighter was that he suffered from outside-the-ring issues and he disappeared for a week before the bout. Mayweather was one of the most hard-working, diligent fighters ever and Corrales was partying in the days before the fight, making his challenge even greater.

Mayweather knocked him down five times and stopped him, but Corrales never quit coming. And when his father, Ray Woods, stopped the fight, Corrales was as angry as any fighter ever at a bout being halted.

The thing that made him great, though, was his willingness to endure, as shown in that Mayweather fight. Over the next four years, he defeated double gold medalist Joel Casamayor, Acelino Freitas and Jose Luis Castillo. The Castillo bout is arguably the greatest of the 21st century and one of the best of all time.

Arum said he had friends in Las Vegas, and after the fight was over, he and his wife, Lovee, headed to the Wynn Hotel. There, he ran into Wynn founder Steve Wynn. As the fight unfolded, Wynn was being bombarded with calls from friends who were watching it and telling him how great it was.

"Once I saw that Castillo fight, I knew this kid would be in the Hall of Fame," Arum said. "That was such an incredible night, and I had never seen anything like it. For most of it, it was a good, entertaining fight. It wasn't what you'd call an all-time, but it was a very fun fight. But whatever round it was (the 10th), that was crazy. He got knocked down twice and was in huge trouble, and he spit out the mouthpiece. You're going, 'That's it. There's no way [he goes on].' But he gets up and instead of getting knocked out, he lands a couple of punches and it ends the opposite way.

"When I got to the Wynn and saw Steve, he said his friends were telling him it was the greatest fight they'd ever seen. He said 'I have to have the rematch!' It was just an amazing fight."

Corrales sadly died two years to the day from that great triumph in an auto accident. I was only working for Yahoo Sports for days when it occurred. I got to the scene of the accident and saw Corrales' body in the street, covered by a white sheet. A street light shined on him. In the distance was the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, where two years earlier, Corrales had the night of his life.

This vibrant, engaging young man whom boxing writers loved as much for his interviews as much for his fight style, was gone far too long. Tears streamed down my face that night as I wrote his obituary. That's a night, sadly, I can never forget.

But I can also never forget the sweet personality and friendly demeanor of this man who was taken far too early. His boxing career will live forever. It was pretty clear that one day, he'd be elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

That day came on Thursday, and it was wonderful news.

This man who lived such a rough life and had so many ups and downs both personally and professionally has been immortalized for his work in this difficult business.

It was about time.