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The Floyd Void / Casamayor vs Freitas
By Jeff Day
09.01 - With Floyd Mayweather's imminent departure to lightweight, you might think that the super-featherweight division would be sliding into the doldrums.
Well, maybe not: This Saturday night, Cuba's Joel Casamayor (WBA) and Brazil's Acelino Freitas (WBO) do battle to at least partly unify the 130 pound division at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.
With Morales-Barrera 2, Mosley-Forrest, together with Lewis-Tyson, 2002 could prove to be a classic year for the sweet science, and Casamayor-Freitas makes for a most appetising aperitif.
Between them they have had 56 fights, all wins, 45 inside the distance. Casamayor the seasoned world class amateur, against brutal punching Freitas.
Casamayor, now an American citizen, defected from the Cuban Olympic team in 1996, settling in Florida. He had 363 (yes, that's right!) amateur fights and as a professional the 30 year old southpaw boasts a 26-0 (16kos) record.
The Cuban won the title from Jong-Kwon Baek, in Kansas City in May 2000, when he cut the Korean badly and stopped him in five rounds. At the time, with Mayweather, and the now incarcerated Diego Corrales, Casamayor looked the poor relation amongst the super-featherweight champions.
With four successful defences, the Cuban has shown excellent skills, with a harder punch than he is perhaps given credit for.
He was also behind on the scorecards against former IBF champion Roberto Garcia in January last year before pulling out a stoppage in round nine, so has decent power even in the later stages of a fight. Title defences against the relatively ordinary Edwin Santana (pts 12) and Joe Morales (TKO 8) may not have prepared him for the South American, though.
Freitas went the distance for the first time in September 2001, when he decisioned former WBO bantamweight champion Alfred Kotey over ten rounds in a non-title affair. Kotey had won just two of his previous six contests.
The 26 year old Brazilian will have a couple of inches in height over his opponent, but that is unlikely to be a factor. He is a puncher, pure and simple. Having seen him in Britain, it's easy to see why 130 pounds is such a struggle for him, yet he looks like he could knock out welterweights!
When he won the WBO title in August 1999 in Paris, it was by starching Russia's Anatoly Alexandrov in the first round. He knocked Anatoly out cold. The defending champion had to be literally carried from the ring on a stretcher. Alexandrov has since been knocked out again in a round by Tontcho Tontchev.
The Brazilian's power could probably be measured on the Richter scale! He has made six defences of the championship since then, in chilling fashion, though was taken into the ninth by Carlos Rios in September 2000.
Interestingly again, Rios was durable enough to last twelve rounds against Floyd Mayweather BEFORE he met Acelino, yet was stopped in five rounds by South Africa's Phillip N'dou AFTER facing the Brazilian.
He knocked out Daniel Alicea in a non-title fight in one round. It took Naseem Hamed two rounds.
It seems a simple matter of which man can impose his style on the other? Though weighing up a professional boxing match is rarely that simple.
This meeting has suffered several postponements, mainly through Freitas experiencing personal problems, and this has made Casamayor rather agitated in the build up.
If Joel fights angry on Saturday, he could end up looking up at the lights very quickly, though with his vast experience this should not be the case.
However, I keep thinking about the night Freitas met Barry Jones of Wales in January 2000. Now, Barry is a fine boxer, (though he also has not boxed since meeting Acelino), though he would struggle to knock a fairy off a Christmas tree!
Going into the fight with Freitas, Barry was unbeaten with 18 wins and a draw. Thing is, NONE of his wins had come inside the distance. In the first round, the Welshman floored the champion, who again stated he had struggled at the weight before winning in the eighth.
Last week, Freitas was within a few pounds of the weight, so it must be assumed his training and diet have been spot on.
It's a real toughie to call: Can Freitas stay strong at the weight? Can he carry his power into the later rounds? Will Casamayor be able to withstand the Brazilian's power for twelve rounds?
One things for sure; don't blink or go and grab a beer, because this could be over very quickly.
However, the Cuban seems like the man with the skills and the chin to take the fight into the latter stages. As the saying goes, 'styles make fights.'
I feel Acelino's continuous struggle to make the weight, together with the skills of Casamayor, who seems to be the more emotionally stable fighter, will see the WBA champion victorious in nine thrilling rounds.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES: JOEL CASAMAYOR, ACELINO FREITAS, AND WAYNE MCCULLOUGH FROM GREEN VALLEY RANCH, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2002
11.01 - In the most anticipated battle of 130-pound titleholders in years, undefeated World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Joel Casamayor and his unbeaten World Boxing Organization (WBO) counterpart, Acelino Freitas, will collide on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, Jan. 12, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The classic boxer against puncher matchup features Casamayor defending his crown for the fifth time, while Freitas will make his seventh title defense. The 12-round world title unification bout will take place at the Cox Pavilion at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the 10-round co-feature, former World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight champion Wayne McCullough makes his long awaited return to the ring against Alvin Brown. The tripleheader kicks off with a six-round super middleweight bout featuring undefeated, hard-hitting Jeff Lacy against Tanzania native Fike Wilson. America Presents Boxing, LLC and Banner Promotions will co-promote the fight card in association with Sunset Station Hotel and Casino and Budweiser.
Casamayor vs. Freitas will be featured during the SHOWTIME Free Preview Weekend. Beginning on Friday, January 11 and running through Sunday, January 13, viewers in participating cable, DBS and C-BAND systems will be treated to three days of Free Previews.
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JOEL CASAMAYOR (26-0, 16 KOs)
"I have waited a long time for this fight, but in two more days there will be no excuses or any more postponements. I respect Freitas. If I did not, I would not have worked so hard in training. But he is not in my league. He has a lot of knockouts, but I have fought better boxers.
"I do not plan to do anything differently. Nothing he does worries me, although if I were him I would worry. I predict this will be a great fight, but an easy fight for me.''
"I think people will have to respect my talent after I win. I won a gold medal in the Olympics and I am an undefeated world champion. In Cuba, I am a superstar. I think more people will know who I am after Saturday night and that they will have to rate me among the best pound-for-pound in boxing.
"I would like to thank Showtime and everyone involved for making this fight finally happen. I also want to thank my trainer, Joe Goossen for helping me get ready. I am in great shape and ready to go.''
ACELINO FREITAS (30-0, 29 KOs)
"This is a fight the fans have been waiting for. Casamayor is a great champion, but we know what he is capable of. I am still on the upswing. No one knows how good I can be. My best is yet to come.
"This is a very emotional time for me. I am on the verge of the fight of my life. I am very hungry, unbelievably hungry, more so that anyone can know. I would like to thank the promoters and Showtime for making such a great fight happen.
"I have a lot of respect for Casamayor as a boxer and as a person. He has accomplished so much and overcome so much. It is a shame the media chose to report what they did. They made it sound like I hated him, which I do not. I have a lot of faith in my abilities. I truly believe that this is the time and place for me to show what I am made of. I cannot wait until Saturday night.''
WAYNE MCCULLOUGH (23-3, 14 KOs)
"This is my first fight in two years. I am more anxious for it than I was for my pro debut. I have butterflies. I cannot wait to get in there and start throwing punches again. I have been training twice I day. I sparred on Christmas. I know the guy I'm fighting probably thinks that since I have been off so long that I am not in shape, but I am in great shape.
"I am so grateful to the Nevada Commission for allowing me to fight again. The British Board of Control was wrong in not letting me fight. Every doctor who ever examined me said I was OK. If there is something wrong with me, believe me, I would never get in the ring. I have too much to live for with my wife and daughter.
"Saturday begins a whole new career for me. I can't wait. Hopefully, I can win by knockout. That would be great."
National Conference Call Transcript WBA 130-Pound Champion Joel Casamayor, WBO 130-Pound Champion Acelino Freitas Tuesday, January 8, 2002
Question: Joel and Acelino, how is your training going? Are you looking forward to the fight?
Casamayor: We are ready. Hopefully, Freitas does not change his mind. We are just waiting for Saturday night to show him who the champion is.
Freitas: I am very ready for this fight. I want Casamayor to keep thinking whatever he wants to think, but the clock is ticking and he knows it.
Question: Acelino, how are you doing with weight?
Freitas: I am training to perfection. Before I used to have problems with weight, but it was because I was not training perfectly. Now that I have proper training, the proper training camp and the proper trainers, I have no problem making weight.
Question: How much improvement have you made?
Freitas: I have improved a lot. I am really happy that I now have a team behind me. I have learned a lot. I have full confidence in myself.
Question: Joel, how do you plan to deal with Freitas' power?
Casamayor: I am ready for this fight. I am not worried about his power. I can see it in his eyes that he is afraid of me. I am ready for Saturday and I am going to prove to the world who the best fighter is.
Question: How do you see Freitas as a fighter?
Casamayor: I am not worried about Freitas' strength. He is a good strong fighter, but I am an intelligent fighter and I have a lot of power
Question: Acelino, Joel has been quoted as saying you are scared to look him in the eye and he plans to send you to the hospital. What do you think about that?
Freitas: Whoever has the mouth has a right to speak. I am the type of fighter who does not like to
speak outside of the ring. I will prove the night of the fight what I am capable of in the ring. I have nothing else to say, nothing bad about Casamayor.
Question: Are you going to be staying at 130 pounds, or are you thinking about moving up?
Freitas: I am going to stay at 130 pounds. I have no problem making weight.
Question: Were you disappointed when you lost your perfect knockout record?
Freitas: I was not disappointed about losing the perfect knockout record. That never affects me. I train for victory, to use my mentality and to show my talent. I feel that I showed it that night. It is not all about knocking people out, it is about showing talent. Casamayor should talk in the ring instead of outside the ring if he wants to be respected as a great champion.
Question: Why has it taken so long for this fight to be made?
Freitas: It took so long for this fight to be made because I had managerial problems and promotional problems. When a fighter goes into the ring, he should go with a clear head. This is the perfect time for me to fight Casamayor. The problems have been resolved and I have the perfect team behind me now.
Question: Joel, are you angry with Freitas?
Casamayor: Most of my frustration is that Freitas kept postponing the fight. If he is supposed to be a great champion, then why were there all these big excuses not to fight me? He talks a lot of trash, but when he gets in front of me, he does not even look me in the eye. That just shows me he is not the man he thinks he is. Freitas is afraid of me. When I go in there, I am like a Cuban warrior with a machete on my side and a knife in my mouth.
Question: Have done anything differently in training for this fight?
Casamayor: There was not any need to change anything. I always train the same. This should be the easiest fight of my career.
Question: Acelino, do you care that you are the underdog in this fight?
Freitas: I am the type of fighter who is very humble. Whatever I have to say, I say in front of Casamayor. I do not say anything negative about Casamayor to the media. I like to speak directly to his face. I respect Casamayor as a person. I do not need to speak bad about anyone. I was born into the world to be a champion. I will always stay as a champion. I live in Brazil, and that is probably why I am the underdog. If people knew my talent and who I am, then things would probably be different. After this fight, the world will know who is going to be on the top of the world.
Question: Acelino, are you going to need a knockout to win?
Freitas: Even if Casamayor is prepared at his best, he will not pass five rounds.
Question: Are you worried that Casamayor is planning to not allow you to use your power?
Freitas: This fight is mine. He is probably going to have two or three rounds tops. The minute he stops, he is going down.
Question: Joel, is this the moment you always envisioned when you decided to walk away from that training camp in Mexico?
Casamayor: I came here with a vision when I left Mexico with political asylum. I fought the best in the amateurs. I am an Olympic champion and a world champion. I am going to make Freitas eat his words. This victory is dedicated to Miami, to Cuba and to my family in Cuba. All the problems I have been through have just made me a better fighter. It has been a real tough road getting here. I do not have time to explain being in a Communist country like Cuba and now being free. That is what keeps me going.
Question: Acelino, how big is this fight in Brazil?
Freitas: I fight for my family and my family depends on me. I fight for my country because I am the only champion in Brazil. It is a fight of that multitude. All of these fights have been like that. I have broken records. This one is going to be one similar to the Super Bowl in the United States. I have never let my people down, especially now that I am the only world champion Brazil has ever had.
Question: Joel, do you know how big this fight is in Cuba?
Casamayor: The fight is big. Everybody in Cuba knows, and all the press is talking about it. I am going to show them I am the best pound-for-pound Latino out there right now.
Question: What do you think about Freitas saying you will not last past five rounds?
Casamayor: I do not care what Freitas thinks. I just do not want to see him back out again. I just want to see him there in front of me Saturday night.
Question: What is your prediction for the fight?
Casamayor: Brazilians can play soccer and then some, but I am going to give Freitas a boxing lesson he will never forget
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