Round by Round Coverage: Freitas vs. Diaz

A unification bout hits Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Ct. Acelino Freitas (38-1, 32 KOs) from Bahia, Brazil, puts up his WBO lightweight title when he takes on the undefeated WBA champion, Juan Diaz (31-0, 15 KOs).

 

The fight is a pure battle of experience vs. youth. Diaz, is only 23-years-old, and has never been on the big stage. Freitas, 31, is no stranger to big fights. In the last few years, Freitas clashed with some of the most talented fighters at 130 and 135-pounds. Battles with Joel Casamayor, Jorge Barrios and Artur Grigorian gave him a movie star presence in Brazil, but his loss to Diego Corrales has stained his image as a warrior to most boxing fans.

 

He was cruising in the fight with Corrales by simply combining his boxing skills and using constant movement to neutralize the incoming power punches. Once Corrales hit Freitas on the chin in the ninth round and sent him down, the fight completely turned around.

 

After suffering two more knockdowns in the fight, Freitas signaled to the referee in the tenth round that he no longer wished to continue. Even Corrales was stunned that Freitas simply quit. Against Barrios, which was an absolute war, Freitas was knocked down twice, but came back to score two highlight reel knockdowns on route to a knockout win in the twelfth and final round. Freitas also gave a lackluster performance in his split-decision win against Zahir Raheem. I don't hold the Raheem performance against him because the contrasting styles were tailor made for an ugly fight.

 

Which Freitas will show up is the question on the minds of many. The man who showed his warrior spirit by going to war with Barrios in the late rounds, or the man who fell apart in the late rounds against Corrales. Diaz has fast hands and loves to engage, which could work for him or against him in the fight. Freitas holds the key on whether or not this fight is something to remember, or something to easily forget.