By Jim Cawkwell
In dominating Erik Morales, Zahir Raheem received not the career validation he deserved, but affirmation that few in the industry appreciated the technical tools with which he skillfully disassembled Morales, and wished not to witness Raheem in action again. Little had changed since the Rocky Juarez fight, in which Raheem was hindered into defeat by the inappropriate behavior of referee Robert Gonzalez. No outcry against Gonzalez’ actions offered consolation to Raheem whose plight was forsaken because he was a boxer with a taste for the sweet science, while Juarez was a fighter with a concussive left hook made for television.
Discriminating tastes held Raheem in contempt for his defeat of Morales. The performance of Raheem’s life became known as an insolent act; an unforgivable intrusion to Morales’ future plans.
Damage control statements from Morales himself painting Raheem as reluctant to engage were believed by many even as they emanated from the Mexican’s battle-worn visage. Stubborn to the last, Morales would only concede that he miscalculated the move to lightweight and that he would find a way to master Raheem another day.
Soon, all was forgiven and Manny Pacquiao spectacularly finished what Raheem had begun, only Pacquiao’s ongoing deification continued while Raheem’s greatest night faded into obscurity and he faced the road to nowhere and its evermore circuitous route.
Raheem’s dilemma is not that he cannot fight, nor that he does not win well, it is that he fights and wins in a manner that pays homage to style, finesse and technical prowess, and unfortunately for most, that’s not enough. Fight fans want to be jolted out of their seats and have their senses overwhelmed with awesome displays of power.
Wladimir Klitschko is a fighter possessing obvious flaws many times exploited by substandard opposition, yet he is so readily forgiven and applauded upon demonstrating the vastness of his power in ripping a title from Chris Byrd. How ironic that one week later, Raheem, having not set a foot wrong against Morales last September, finds himself seeking vindication once more.
However, in that arduous quest, Raheem is not alone.
Acelino Freitas knows something of double standards. Freitas bested defeat for nine years as a professional before it finally found him in the form of Diego Corrales. Only Freitas could tell whether he walked away because he had given his all, still, notice was given to Freitas being knocked down thrice, not that he had gotten up each time and dominated the fight’s first six rounds.
Not much rises from the slums of Brazil that is not destined to play World Cup football, yet Freitas’ fists brought him national celebrity and an extravagant fortune. But for all his empire of wealth and success, Freitas lost something irreplaceable in the Corrales fight and has come to reclaim it.
Freitas advanced his career at the right places at the right times: establishing a solid fan-base in his native Brazil; taking his WBO super featherweight championship to America, France and England and galvanizing his status with impressive knockouts. Unifications meant a sustained campaign in America where he defeated Joel Casamayor, Jorge Barrios, and transcended unbeaten to a lightweight championship against Artur Grigorian.
Freitas then dictated half of his fight with Corrales with a curious fight and flight style nonetheless more effective than Corrales’ stalking approach. But in the second half of the fight, Corrales’ brute persistence took from Freitas the desire to fight, and the respect he had earned until that moment.
This Saturday, Freitas returns to the very site of his darkest moment to undo the stigma gathered from the submission to Corrales, and nothing less than complete victory will satisfy.
Though a convincing victory would restore Freitas in the confidence of his countrymen, and place him back on the cusp of International renown, what a fighter such as Raheem must do to claim his just due remains a mystery.
Comparable to that scourge of the middleweight classes, Ronald “Winky” Wright, Raheem can enter a fight and out-class an opponent of the highest order for the prize of any title, and yet his actions would not avail him from the boxing public’s negative perceptions.
It can be said that neither man can afford to lose, though in reality, if he were to retire now, Freitas would enjoy the knowledge of having achieved a greater level of success and personal comfort than Raheem might claim in all the remaining years of his ring endeavors.
Success earned by a fighter with honesty and dedication should be granted the same respect regardless of whether or not it manifests in an entertaining form. Instead, we have cultivated a mentality in which certain individuals whose maximum potential lies in the administering of technical skill are exempt from the affection of the masses.
Being one such fighter, seemingly unable to win despite achieving decisive victories, Zahir Raheem might bow Acelino Freitas, only to face the rest of his career fighting a losing battle.
Contact Jim Cawkwell at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk
