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Along with
the late Eder Jofre, who was ringside for several
UBO title fights before his passing last year,
Freitas is considered one of the two best boxers
of all time from Brazil.
“Popo”
(41-2, 34 KOs) won the WBO Super Featherweight
title in 1999, and added the WBA version in 2002.
He made ten defences of the WBO belt, and three of
the WBA before moving up to win the WBO
Lightweight title in 2004.
He retained
the Lightweight World title once in his first
reign before losing it to fellow icon Diego
Corrales, but regained the vacant title by
defeating Zaheer Raheem in 2006. He attempted to
unify against WBA ruler Juan Diaz the following
year, but came up short and initially retired.
But five
years later, in June of 2012, he came back to stop
undefeated compatriot Michael Oliveira (17-0, 11
KOs) in a bout contested at Super Welterweight.
Three years after that he knocked out Argentinian
Mateo Varon, and two years on he finally had his
final fight when he outpointed Mexican Gabriel
Martinez.
The
swansong Martinez took place in Belem, and now he
returns to support his friend when he tries to
follow in his footsteps as a world champion.
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