Columnist Dean Juipe: Freitas: Brazil’s next Pele?

Dean Juipe

Thursday, March 6, 2003 | 9:18 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

Acelino Freitas may not be the biggest star in boxing, but those looking to make a case for him can cite a few eye-popping statistics.

Not only is Freitas 32-0 with 29 knockouts and the World Boxing Association champion at 130 pounds, his Brazilian countrymen support him with a passion that matches their reverence for such legendary soccer stars as Pele and Ronaldo.

Of the 190 million people in Brazil, it's said that 97 million of them stayed up late to watch Freitas take on Daniel Attah last year and that perhaps as many will gather to watch his March 15 fight from Chicago with Juan Carlos Ramirez.

Showtime will televise the bout in America, where Freitas has the respect of boxing fans without the widespread appeal of a superstar. Yet Freitas is living large in his homeland and, perhaps, is only a major victory away from greater significance in the States.

"He's so big in Brazil and enjoys it so much that I can assure you he's focused for this fight," said Freitas' promoter, Art Pelullo. "I don't have to worry about him looking ahead or anything like that. He appreciates the stature he has and he's not going to blow it."

After Freitas beat Attah Aug. 3 in Phoenix and returned to Brazil, 25,000 people met his plane as it landed in Sao Paulo. That was followed by a big parade the next day.

Should he defeat Ramirez, as he is expected to do, Freitas will be pushed toward a fight of greater appeal in America. But Pelullo believes the biggest fight for him is a year away.

"I think he and Floyd Mayweather (Jr.) will happen in 2004," Pelullo said. "That's one people really want to see and one I'm hoping will fall into place."

Pelullo indicated that he had already had preliminary talks with Top Rank's Bob Arum about a Freitas vs. Mayweather fight (at 135 pounds), and that he asked Arum if he wanted to match new International Boxing Federation junior lightweight champ Carlos Hernandez with Freitas first. "Bob said he was going in another direction with Hernandez," Pelullo said, eliminating that unification possibility.

The third major champion at 130 pounds, Thailand's Sirimongkol Singmanussak, is unlikely to land a fight with Freitas simply because of the logistics.

Next week in Chicago, Freitas will meet a man who has won his past six fights yet is unlikely to match the champion's power. Ramirez, 29-3, owns wins against Jesus Salud and Cesar Soto but has only 12 knockouts and is 0-2 in previous world title tries.

Ramirez got this assignment when Freitas' originally scheduled opponent, Gabe Ruelas, was deemed unworthy. Ruelas, 32, is a former world champion but has been out of the limelight for some time.

"To tell you the truth, I was basically looking for an easy fight for Acelino and I gave Showtime three or four names," Pelullo said. "They picked Ruelas over Kevin Kelley and a couple of other guys, and I thought that was the end of it.

"But then all hell broke loose in the media and we had to find someone better than Ruelas. I think Ramirez will give Acelino a fight, but I also think Acelino beats everyone at 130 pounds."

Freitas, 27, won his first 29 fights by knockout before being taken the distance by Alfred Kotey, Joel Casamayor and Attah in succession. But the decision against Casamayor last year in Las Vegas bolstered Freitas' reputation at the expense of a former Olympic gold medalist.

A Freitas vs. Casamayor rematch for later this year is a possibility, but with the latter entertaining thoughts of jumping all the way to 140 (for a May 9 fight in Switzerland with Ben Tackie) it may not come to pass.

"I'd do it, though, just because I think Acelino beats him easier the second time," Pelullo said, adding that Casamayor might take the fight if the money is right.

Keeping a brisk pace and working the body, Valenzuela, 16-6, won by 6, 4 and 4 points on the judges' cards and dropped Williams to 8-1 as a professional.

An outgrowth: Williams, as of this week, has a new trainer and a new home, as he's moving from Cincinnati to Detroit to work under Emanuel Steward at the Kronk Gym.

"I hope he'll be better for it," said Williams' manager, Lou DiBella. "He knows he's got to make some changes and I know I've got to get the kid out of Cincinnati."

Williams had been trained by his father, Ricardo Sr.

"Ricky has to get into better shape than he was for Valenzuela and he's got to adapt to really being a professional," DiBella said. "I want him training as a professional, with no distractions.

"If this isn't a wake-up call for him, there will never be one."

DiBella said he was furious with Williams as the fight with Valenzuela unfolded.

"Hunger is a very powerful persuasion and Valenzuela had it and Ricky didn't," he said. "When Valenzuela saw how tired Ricky was at the end of the fourth round, he turned it up a notch and it was over.

"I can't say I took it too well at the time."

DiBella signed Williams to a contract that included at least a $500,000 bonus following the 2000 Olympics.

But Phillips isn't quite ready to throw in the towel and has taken a noteworthy fight with Ricky Hatton that's scheduled for April 5 in the latter's native England.

"If I'm really 'through,' we'll have our answer then," Phillips said of taking on a younger man who is 31-0. "But I'm not beat up and I still have a lot of energy, and I plan to fight until my heart tells me I can't."

As Phillips readily admits, he knows Hatton is using him to increase his own stature at the former champion's expense.

"He wants to elevate his career and I can't fault him for that," Phillips said. "If I hadn't lost to Sharmba, they probably wouldn't have called me for this fight.

"But they saw that I lost and probably said to themselves, 'Let's give this a try.' "

The task confronting Phillips is doubly tough in that the fight is in London and a visitor can't expect much from the judges.

"I know," he said of the built-in ramifications of going overseas. "The only way I can win over there is to really be at my very best and make it impossible for the judges to give him rounds. Either that, or just knock him out."

Phillips retains a decent punch and is 44-7-1 with 32 KOs. But Hatton is regarded as a rising star.

"I've seen him in three or four fights and he's pretty good," Phillips said. "He's short and stocky, but durable. He's sort of like Rocky Marciano."

Local featherweight William Abelyan, 21-4-1 with 11 KOs, will meet Jose Luis Tula, 15-8-2 with 10, in the main event of the Aladdin's March 21 card. Flyweight contender Brian Viloria also looks to have a spot on the show. ... Richard Steele withdrew his request for a March 21 date at the Cannery in North Las Vegas. "They were too booked," he said. "But I'm waiting to hear from them about going in early April instead." Steele, a legendary former referee, recently gained his promoter's license in Nevada. ... Local super middleweight Willie Stewart recently upped his record to 19-0 with a KO-1 victory against Kenny Minus in Miami. ... Another local super middleweight, Miguel Jimenez, lost a 12-round decision to Brian Magee two weeks ago in England. Jimenez fell to 21-3. ... The Edgewater in Laughlin has a Friday card with Artur Petrosyan, 9-4-1 with one knock out, meeting Francisco Corrales, 9-1 with 7, in an eight-round main event at 140 pounds.

Can't say if he'll follow through with these plans, but Roy Jones Jr. was telling people he would attend UNLV's basketball game Saturday with San Diego State at the Thomas & Mack Center. ... Former world champ Raul Marquez -- whose Feb. 8 fight at Mandalay Bay with Shane Mosley was ruled a no-contest after three rounds due to cuts from head butts -- plans to continue fighting. "I feel good," he said. "I'm still going to fight." ... Cruiserweight Robert Green, who charged referee Toby Gibson after losing by decision to Dewey Cooper last Friday at the Orleans, has been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. A hearing on the matter will be set, if Green requests it. ... Former Tennessee basketball player Vonda Ward is a possible future opponent for Laila Ali. Ward, 179 pounds, would have a weight and height advantage on Ali, 168. But Ward struggle d to beat a short and 230-pound Martha Salazar last Saturday as part of the Roy Jones card at the T& M.

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