FREITAS READY TO TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS
By Rick Folstad WBA super-featherweight champ Acelino "Popo" Freitas has this unfriendly habit of knocking guys on their butts shortly after he shakes their hand and gives them a friendly nod. It's kind of a ritual with Freitas, a way of cutting his workday short so he can spend more quality time with his wife. Freitas (31-0, 29 KOs), who comes from Brazil where he's already considered a national treasure, started his career with 29 straight knockouts, 22 of those fights ending inside three rounds. Those are "early" Mike Tyson numbers and would be pretty impressive if you were talking about heavyweights. It's almost unheard of when you're talking about guys who weigh 130 pounds. Saturday night at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., Freitas puts his perfect record and his WBO and WBA titles on the line against Daniel "The Prophet" Attah of Nigeria. A former soccer player with 17 brothers and sisters, Attah is considered a legitimate challenger. A southpaw, he fought for Nigeria in the 1996 Olympic Games and is quick on his feet. He comes into the fight with a record of 20-0-1, 1 NC and 8 KOs. It's good, but it's not 29 knockouts in a row. Most of us couldn't even climb into the ring 29 times in a row without pulling, ripping or twisting something. Still, Attah thinks the way you're supposed to think when you're getting ready to fight the champion of the world. He predicts that after Saturday night, you'll know who Daniel Attah is. That's a pretty good trick considering most of the world outside of Brazil still doesn't know who Acelino "Popo" Freitas is. But that's the curse that comes with being a lighter-weight fighter from someplace other than California or Texas. On a conference call earlier this week, Freitas wouldn't predict a knockout, just a win. He'll said he'll take it as it comes. Everything he does is to prove he's the best 130-pounder in the world. "I don't believe I can lose," he said. Attah thinks the same way. "To beat a fighter like Acelino Freitas and become the best 130-pounder in the whole wide world would be a dream come true," he said. "I am very grateful to him for giving me the chance to show I am the best." Yeah, Freitas is a nice guy. He'll even shake your hand before the fight. |
Sure, he didn't exactly fight world beaters on his way to the top, but in 29 fights, you know there had to be some serious brawlers in the group. Still, Popo went home early every night he fought.