Four-time world champion Freitas retires
October 4, 2006
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- Four-time world champion Acelino "Popo" Freitas of Brazil has retired from professional boxing.
The 30-year-old Freitas, who won the vacant WBO lightweight title in April in Mashantucket, Conn., with a split decision over Zahir Raheem of the United States, made the announcement Tuesday night.
Freitas said he wants to continue his career as a promoter and that he will continue helping social projects throughout Brazil.
Freitas, who won two lightweight and two super featherweight titles, retired with a 38-1 record.
His only loss was to Diego Corrales in 2004 in a defense of the WBO lightweight title. Corrales declined a mandatory defense of the title against Freitas and was stripped of the belt.
Raheem should be able to fight for the vacant belt. I thought he won and they gave it to some guy who didnt even want to be there.
I felt Raheem beat him that night too. It was a close fight but I had it for Raheem.
Freitas always said he would retire by the time he was 30
Yea, no point in fighting after 30 if you don't have to.
and Ricky Hatton and Amir Khan both said they will retire in their 20's, so if they do, I guess they are quitters
What's up with the put down.
Most members here complains about fighters who should retire because their career is going on a downhill. Freitas is retiring on top and (hopefully) in good health.
he went out with a loss imo, raheem won it on my card..... and thats all that matters...me.
Ur blind. Freitas won, instead of being a slick fighter, like what he did against Morales, Raheem didn't do jacksh&t.
Its better to retire healthy than not to retire at all.
If you seen the fight with Corrales you should know why he quit.
The first knockdown made all the sense and effected him baddly you could just see how his head spun back. and could probably had some vision problems.
For you guys boxing is just a hobby but for him is a dangerous job and he might well retire before its too late to retire.
Of course many people are upset that he is retiring cause we are all fans and love exciting fights but for once can we please be proud and happy cause a high caliber fighter like popo had the smarts to walk away from the fight game. Nearly all great fighters stay in the game way too long and leave with a tainted legacy or worse mental and physical damage that can last the rest of their lives. Be proud that he even accomplished what he did and was smart enough to realize how blessed he was and now move on and be healthy in mind and body for his family. Just becoming a professional fighter from where he came from should be justly respected, let alone a world champion as he was, this man has zero to prove and we should be proud that we do not have to see another one of our heroes humiliated and hurt in front of our and their families eyes. Enjoy the retirement cause you deserve it.
Very nice post, and welcome to the forum. If you do posts like that I hope you'll be staying for awhile.
So ive schooled pros at my gym and seen plenty of pros schooled. Pros dont look at sparring like other people do. And its actually not that they are being schooled. They mainly just let the kid they are sparring work and help them out or work on their defense or whatever. They will spar hard with their official sparring partners, not some amateur from some random gym they went too. For example, i put it on some guy...i wont say his name but his annitials(spelling) are P.D. and he was robbed against Salita and Malignaggi.... But yea i put it on him when we sparred. Then he sparred some other middleweight pro that was thre, he is a welterweight, and kicked his ass. I know damn well he could have beat my ass too if he tried. But he just let me do what I do. He didnt care, eh had nothing to prove and neither did Freitas.
Ali didn't always look good in sparring...besides keeping your strong points up to par, you spar to work out your weak areas, get some rounds in, take some shots, etc.
Of course many people are upset that he is retiring cause we are all fans and love exciting fights but for once can we please be proud and happy cause a high caliber fighter like popo had the smarts to walk away from the fight game. Nearly all great fighters stay in the game way too long and leave with a tainted legacy or worse mental and physical damage that can last the rest of their lives. Be proud that he even accomplished what he did and was smart enough to realize how blessed he was and now move on and be healthy in mind and body for his family. Just becoming a professional fighter from where he came from should be justly respected, let alone a world champion as he was, this man has zero to prove and we should be proud that we do not have to see another one of our heroes humiliated and hurt in front of our and their families eyes. Enjoy the retirement cause you deserve it.
In boxing if you give up, you're a quitter. Take your sob stories to the girls.
You've never even been in a boxing ring...so what does that make you?
You can't comment on questioning a fighter's heart when you've never laced them up. It doesn't make sense.
ive seen an amatuer school him. i hope he wasnt trying although it looked like he was.just not trying to k.o him
So ive schooled pros at my gym and seen plenty of pros schooled. Pros dont look at sparring like other people do. And its actually not that they are being schooled. They mainly just let the kid they are sparring work and help them out or work on their defense or whatever. They will spar hard with their official sparring partners, not some amateur from some random gym they went too. For example, i put it on some guy...i wont say his name but his annitials(spelling) are P.D. and he was robbed against Salita and Malignaggi.... But yea i put it on him when we sparred. Then he sparred some other middleweight pro that was thre, he is a welterweight, and kicked his ass. I know damn well he could have beat my ass too if he tried. But he just let me do what I do. He didnt care, eh had nothing to prove and neither did Freitas.
I seen him knock a bunch of cats silly and I was impressed.
ive seen an amatuer school him. i hope he wasnt trying although it looked like he was.just not trying to k.o him