Joel Casamayor, a Cuban defector who now lives in the U.S., will fight Diego Corrales for the WBC lightweight title Saturday at Mandalay Bay. Photo by Ronda Churchill.

The last 10 years have been good to Joel Casamayor.

Since leaving Cuba for the United States, the boxer has won a world championship and 33 of 37 fights. He lives a comfortable, if not lavish, lifestyle and is a hero to many among the country's burgeoning Hispanic population.

But Casamayor's most significant possession is one that can't be quantified.

"My life belongs to me now," he said, thumping a fist against his heart. "It wasn't always that way."

Casamayor, who will meet Las Vegan Diego Corrales for the WBC lightweight title in the rubber match of their bitter rivalry Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, said the memories of his years living under a totalitarian regime have had a significant influence in his life.

Casamayor, 35, is competing in just his second weight class since turning pro. At the smaller weights, it's not uncommon for a boxer who lasts 10 years to move four or five classes.

But Casamayor (33-3-1, 21 knockouts) began at super featherweight and remained there until 2004, when he moved up to lightweight to challenge Almazbek Raiymkulov.

Never once has Casamayor complained about making weight.

"I learned a long time ago that (making weight) is part of boxing," said Casamayor, who won a gold medal as a bantamweight in the 1992 Olympics and was given a pig as a gift from President Fidel Castro upon returning to Cuba. "It's part of my job and I take my job seriously."

Casamayor's parents and a teenage daughter remain in Cuba, and he hasn't seen them once since he defected in Mexico in the middle of the night by sneaking past an armed guard who had fallen asleep.

It's a steep price to pay for freedom, but Casamayor knew it had to be done. Boxing was all he knew, and he realized he couldn't provide a better life for his family by staying in Cuba, which has a below-average standard of living.

His wife and the five children who live with him in the U.S. are faring much better than they would have had they stayed in Cuba. But Casamayor harbors no grudge.

Though he said he doesn't like what Castro represents, he wasn't gleeful when the president's health problems forced him to transfer power to brother Raul this year.

"That's a decision to be made by God and not by a boxer," Casamayor said. "I don't pray for anything bad to happen to him."

But Corrales is a different story.

Casamayor enjoys firing barbs at his nemesis and is particularly fond of pointing out that he has floored Corrales three times in the 18 rounds they've fought.

Casamayor talked his way into the fight by provoking Corrales after Casamayor's July 7 win over Lamont Pearson on ESPN.

He scoffed at the notion that he has slowed down and said it is the 29-year-old Corrales whose skills have been diminished by his many ring battles.

"If he thinks I've (declined), tell him to come fight me on Saturday and he'll see how wrong he is," Casamayor said. "Corrales is a good talker, but these (fists) are all I need to make my point."

• NOTE -- The bout will be available as part of Showtime's free preview weekend. The network is showing boxing Friday and Saturday. The semifinals of Showtime's super middleweight tournament will be Friday in Santa Ynez, Calif., at 8 p.m. The Saturday card will start at 6. Both will be broadcast live for satellite viewers but tape delayed on cable.