Saturday night’s showdown between Acelino Freitas and Zahir Raheem is a match up of two fighters who have moved in opposite directions over the past few years. It was less than two years ago that Acelino Freitas was an undefeated champion and considered by many as one of the best fighters in the world. A crushing knockout loss to Diego Corrales stopped all the hype and he hasn’t been in a big fight since. Zahir Raheem seemed as if he was heading nowhere before his upset win over Erik Morales last year and he has been looking for bigger fights every since. When these guys meet their will be much more than just the WBO Lightweight Championship on the line.

          I believe that Zahir has a very real chance to beat Freitas. Zahir seems to be a different fighter every since he moved up in weight and his confidence has to be sky high following his upset over Morales. In the Morales fight it was almost as if we got a chance to see Zahir show us his true potential. He showed great skills that night and was ahead of Morales from round one. He never let Morales in the fight and even dominated him in some rounds. It was a great night for Raheem but he needs to realize that Freitas is a completely different fighter than Morales.

          For all of his faults there are some things you can’t really deny about Freitas. Nobody can question the fact that he is an explosive puncher who can end a fight with just one shot. He is also a very strong Lightweight, almost a brute in some ways, and much stronger than Morales. Freitas is also much fresher and less ring worn than Morales was. He will be in Raheem’s face from the get-go and I feel we will see Zahir tested and taken out of his comfort zone in a lot of ways.

          When Acelino Freitas quit against Diego Corrales he received a lot of slack but I wasn’t one of the people criticizing him. People need to realize that it’s easy to point fingers and question a fighter’s heart but only the fighter himself truly knows what is going on in his body and mind. Matter of fact, if Freitas finds a way to win big against Raheem many people will be back on his bandwagon. I don’t consider quitting cowardly, and in some cases I think it can be the right choice to make. That’s just the fighter in me, I have respect for anyone who steps between the ropes. Let’s please not forget what happened to Gerald McClellan ten years ago.

          When Zahir Raheem fought and lost to Rocky Juarez I saw a fighter who almost seemed to not want to fight. The fight got rough and he seemed to be looking for a way out. I even remember his corner having to push him out and urge him to go on. The Morales fight erased many of the bad things that happened that night but I’ve always said you are only as good as your last fight and the Morales win will mean nothing if Raheem doesn’t win impressively tomorrow.

          I have been to Foxwoods and it is a great place to fight. The arena is pretty huge and the crowds are always lively. Freitas always has support out there and things should get pretty heated when he is in the ring with Raheem. For Freitas this is a chance to get back into the picture with a big win while Raheem needs to prove whether or not his win over Morales was a fluke or not. Freitas will always have a following due to his loyal fans in Brazil and I feel that it is Raheem who actually is fighting with his back to the wall. Whatever happens, this should be a great fight when these two world class Lightweights cross paths. 

Questions? Comments? Email Jeff Mayweather

4-29-2006