Acelino Freitas
Acelino "Popó" Freitas is a Brazilian politician and professional boxer. In the sport, he is a former WBO and WBA super featherweight champion, as well as a two-time WBO lightweight champion. After retiring from boxing, Freitas went into politics, and was elected as a legislator for the state of Bahia, from 2011 to 2014. His nickname, Popó, was given to him by his mother, after the sound that babies make while drinking milk.
Early life
Freitas had a difficult childhood, often sleeping on a sandy floor at his house. Since early in his life, he dreamed of a better place to live for his family. A skilled football player, he was more inclined, however, towards the sport of boxing since an early age. He was heavily influenced by his father and brothers, specially Luis Claudio Freitas.Fellow Brazilian Eder Jofre, generally recognized as the greatest world champion to come out of that country, was one of Freitas' childhood heroes.
Amateur career
Freitas competed for his native country and won a lightweight silver medal at the Pan American Games 1995 in Mar del Plata.Professional career
Early success
After the Pan American Games he turned into a professional boxer on July 14, 1995, against Adriano Jose Soares. With his win by knockout in the first round that night, Freitas set off a streak of 29 knockout wins in a row, which places as one of the longest knockout wins streak in boxing history. His first 10 wins were against low level competition, but for fight number 11, he took on the much more experienced Edwin Vazquez, knocking him out in the seventh round.Between 1997 and 1998, Freitas won four more fights and then took on Francisco Tomas Da Cruz, a former world title challenger of Julio César Chávez. Freitas handled Da Cruz with a knockout in two rounds and then added three more knockout wins before getting his first world title shot.
First World Title
On August 7, 1999, Freitas knocked out WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Anatoly Alexandrov in the first round. Soon after, he signed a contract with cable TV giant Showtime, which began to telecast Freitas' fights to the United States. Freitas then made five defenses of his world title and had one non-title bout, all of which ended in knockout wins. He then went to London and took only 45 seconds to stop Daniel Alicea in another non-title affair. Freitas then beat the former world champion: Al Kotey, the brother of David 'Poison' Kotei, by a ten-round decision.Freitas vs Casamayor
On January 12, 2002, Freitas decided to sign for a unification bout with the WBA world champion, Joel Casamayor, a Cuban refugee who resides in Florida. In a rousing super featherweight unification title bout battle between unbeaten champions, a controversial knockdown and a blatant foul cost Casamayor his unblemished record and his title as Freitas won a close 12 round unanimous decision.In a classic boxing confrontation between the Brazilian bomber Freitas and the Cuban boxer Casamayor, the fighters switched roles midway through their encounter in what was reminiscent of Sugar Ray Leonard's first historic face-off with Thomas "Hitman" Hearns back in 1981. The scientist Casamayor became the aggressive slugger, while the puncher Freitas turned into the boxer as once again the unpredictable transpired in a mega-fight.
A glancing right-hand to the neck of the off-balanced Casamayor in the 3rd round was ruled a knockdown by referee Joe Cortez and intentionally hitting on the break in the 6th saw the Cuban penalized another point. It was the difference in the finale tallies and the two point cushion that the tiring Freitas retained across the boards on all three judges scorecards. Ring officials Robert Byrd, Bill Graham and Dave Moretti having identical scores of 114 to 112 for the Brazilian.
After Casamayor
Next, he went to Phoenix, to fight Nigerian Daniel Attah, with only the WBO belt on the line, winning a 12-round decision on August 3, 2002. The fight was watched by an estimated 91 million viewers in Brazil.Freitas then retained the title in Chicago with a fourth-round knockout of Juan Carlos Ramirez. On August 9, 2003, he and Jorge Barrios engaged in what Showtime commentator Steve Albert called a candidate for fight of the year. Freitas was floored in rounds eight and eleven, but retaliated with a knockdown of his own towards the end of the eleventh, and ended up retaining the title by knockout in round twelve.
Freitas began 2004 by winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Artur Grigorian on January 4, to become the WBO's world Lightweight champion. On February 1 of that year, the WBA announced it had named Freitas their 2003 Fighter of the year.
Freitas vs Corrales
On August 7, 2004, Freitas lost for the first time, losing his WBO Lightweight title to Diego Corrales by quitting in the tenth round after being knocked down by a left hook in Connecticut.After Corrales
On April 29, 2006, Freitas defeated Zahir Raheem for the vacant WBO lightweight title by split decision. Freitas announced his retirement as a professional boxer on October 4, 2006. Later on, he announced his come back from retirement, and the WBO re-instated him as their lightweight champion.On April 28, 2007, he fought Juan Diaz in Mashantucket, USA, losing by TKO after quitting on his stool before beginning the 9th round, drawing boos from the crowd.
He has fought three times since his last loss, all wins against inferior competition and all in South America.
Personal life
Freitas' childhood hero was Brazillian boxer Eder Jofre. His career in boxing was heavily influenced by his older brother Luis Claudio Freitas.He has been able to help his family financially and has built a soccer field in his mansion, allowing him to practice his second favorite sport.
Freitas' married wife Eliana Guimarães in 2001, they divorced in 2003.
He was Secretary of Sports in Salvador and is member of Brazilian Republican Party.
Professional boxing record
Television viewership
Brazil
| Date | Fight | Network | Viewership | Source |
| 3 August 2002 | Acelino Freitas vs. Daniel Attah | Globo | 91,000,000 | |
| Total viewership | 91,000,000 |