Joe Goossen, the trainer for Diego Corrales, said Friday that nine months would have been an appropriate rest period for Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo after their brutal May 7 lightweight bout that has been called the greatest fight of all time.

On Friday, Corrales got some mandated rest when a soft tissue injury to his ribs forced him to pull out of their Feb. 4 fight in El Paso, Texas.

Corrales (40-3, 33 knockouts) won the first fight at Mandalay Bay on a 10th round stoppage when he got up after having been knocked down twice in the round. Castillo (53-7-1, 47 knockouts) won the rematch Oct. 8 at the Thomas & Mack Center when he knocked out Corrales with a fourth-round left hook.

Corrales was injured on his left side Jan. 6 during sparring with Ulises Pena. Corrales also had injured his left wrist, and Goossen took him to see orthopedic surgeon Tony Daly.

"When we went, I was more concerned about the wrist, but the Doc didn't seem too worried about that," Goossen said. "He was more concerned about the ribs."

Daly said Corrales would need three weeks of rest, though there are no broken bones. Goossen said when Corrales resisted delaying the fight, Daly talked of a flak jacket Corrales could wear to protect his ribs.

"When I hear guys talk about flak jackets, that's when I have to say, 'Whoa,' " Goossen said. "The doctor said he can't spar, and I've learned the hard way, when the doctor says you can't spar, you can't spar. We have to follow the doctor's orders.

"We talked it over with Diego and his management and promoters, and the decision was made that if he can't spar, he can't fight. That's the fact of the matter. It's killing Diego, because he wanted this so badly, but you know how it is when you hurt your ribs. How can you fight like that?"

Corrales promoter Gary Shaw said the card will remain on Showtime on that date. He's searching for a opponent to fight Castillo and said Rolando Reyes is the leading candidate. Reyes, 27, is 26-3-2 with 16 knockouts.

A bout featuring bantamweight champion Rafael Marquez might be added to the card, Shaw said.

The promoter said the Corrales-Castillo bout would be rescheduled to resume what has become boxing's hottest rivalry.

When that will be is the question. Showtime broadcasts fights on the first Saturday of the month and already has a main event for the first week in March -- the super middleweight unification fight between Jeff Lacy and Joe Calzaghe.

An April 1 fight would pit it against the NCAA's Final Four, and moving it to May 6 would mean competing with Oscar De La Hoya, boxing's biggest draw. He plans to fight Ricardo Mayorga at the MGM Grand for a super welterweight title.

When Corrales-Castillo is rescheduled, it won't necessarily go to El Paso, meaning it could take place in Las Vegas, which hosted the first two fights.

"First and foremost, we're going to do what's right for Diego," Shaw said. "When we get him healthy, then we go to the next step."