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Can “Z-Man” Defeat “Popo”?
As announced, Acelino Freitas and Zahir Raheem will cross their gloves at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut on April 29. It is certainly an interesting matchup and I am glad that it is taking place. For Zahir Raheem, this is a great opportunity to prove to the boxing public that his win against Morales was by no means a fluke. For Freitas, this is a redemption fight. After fighting just single round in 2005, against an overmatched opponent, this is Popo’s chance to make a real comeback.
Both fighters have had loses recently, Raheem a somewhat controversial decision against Rocky Juarez three bouts ago, while Freitas has his WBO Lightweight title to Diego Corrales. Much has been made of the Brazilian’s loss in a media, and that was very unfortunate. He had a big lead when he ran out of energy, dropped his defense and ended up getting knocked down three times before quitting.
The question here is how will the bout between Raheem and Freitas, with the vacant WBO crown at stake, play out?
Zahir Raheem is fast, slick and skilled boxer. He has a solid jab, good combinations and excellent defense. Looking at his record, sixteen knockouts out of twenty seven fights, it’s clear that Raheem’s power doesn’t come in a single punch. Overall, he is probably more skilled than his Brazilian opponent, however, against Acelino Freitas, he will not have a speed advantage the way he had with Eric Morales. In Freitas, Raheem will face a bigger and stronger opponent, and a true knockout artist who has won thirty two out of thirty seven fights inside the distance.
Freitas is an awkward and aggressive fighter who comes from all angles. His main weakness is his defence, which is too reliant on his speed and his movement. The moment he slows down, he becomes easy to hit, and then he starts to trade, where his wide looping shots leave him often exposed to effective counters. So, Freitas’ conditioning will be key if he is to win this fight.
Can Raheem capitalize on these weak spots since he doesn’t have as much raw power as some other Freitas opponents, most notably Jorge Barrios or Diego Corrales? Also, can he prevent the Brazilian of landing big shots for the entire twelve rounds? If I am correct in saying that neither fighter has advantage in the speed department, the outcome of this fight will come right down to tradeoff between “power that you can take” against “power that you can unleash”. And if so, this might be very stern test for Raheem, who will have to tune-up to perfection his offensive and defensive moves.
So, can Zahir Raheem beat Acelino Freitas?
Only if he produces something truly special, but I would not put my money on it. In my mind, this is just bad matchup for Raheem. Still, it certainly is a fight to look forward for to.
