If there was ever a bout where two talented fighters were battling to gain some respect in the sport, this is the fight. This Saturday, Acelino “Popo” Freitas (37-1, 32KOs), from Salvador, Brazil, takes on Zahir Raheem (27-1, 16KOs), a 1996 Olympic bronze medal winner from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The bout will be televised live by HBO, from the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut.
Freitas has seen the bright lights and received accolades from the boxing world, but saw his entire career crash with a single performance. A former WBO Jr. Lightweight champion and former WBO Lightweight champion, Freitas wants to get his career back on track in order to win another world title.
A fierce power puncher, Freitas went pro in 1995 and steam rolled over most of the competition to build up an impressive 30-0 record. The day to prove himself came on January 12, 2002, when he met undefeated Joel Casamayor to settle the argument of who was the best fighter at 130 pounds. It was a close battle that saw Freitas start very strong for the first half of the fight, but fade down the stretch of the second half. It appeared that Freitas used up too much energy in the first half of the fight when he was winging bombs and using a lot of movement to get away from Casayamor’s counters. [details]
Freitas has seen the bright lights and received accolades from the boxing world, but saw his entire career crash with a single performance. A former WBO Jr. Lightweight champion and former WBO Lightweight champion, Freitas wants to get his career back on track in order to win another world title.
A fierce power puncher, Freitas went pro in 1995 and steam rolled over most of the competition to build up an impressive 30-0 record. The day to prove himself came on January 12, 2002, when he met undefeated Joel Casamayor to settle the argument of who was the best fighter at 130 pounds. It was a close battle that saw Freitas start very strong for the first half of the fight, but fade down the stretch of the second half. It appeared that Freitas used up too much energy in the first half of the fight when he was winging bombs and using a lot of movement to get away from Casayamor’s counters. [details]
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