Category: Boxing News

Former super featherweight and lightweight champion Acelino Freitas staged his comeback tonight in his native Brazil with a decision win over unheralded David Saucedo. Freitas, whose impeccable record was spoiled by current lightweight champion Diego Corrales in a classic fight will return to the ring in the New Year with a title shot against the IBF’s champion Julio Diaz. Freitas received a lot of flak from the boxing press and fans alike for the way in which he walked away from Corrales in a fight in which he was knocked down three times. So it was a successful return but it is still a long road to walk for Freitas to be able to win over a skeptical world audience.

Former middleweight champion of the world Otis Grant delighted his home fans in Montreal today with a unanimous decision win over Henry Porras. Grant, who was absent from boxing due to the fact that he was involved in a car accident that shaved five years off his career has been on the comeback trail for approximately a year. This pivotal year in Grant’s boxing life has seen him defeat former world champion Dingaan Thobela. Grant’s last loss came against then light heavyweight supreme Roy Jones Jr., a fight in which Grant was stopped in ten rounds. Grant won the middleweight title with a dominating display for that vacant belt in England against then British wonder-kid Ryan Rhodes. Stay tuned for more on Grant as it happens.

Consensus featherweight champion Manny “The Destroyer” Pacquiao returned to his homeland to excite his Filipino fans with one of the destructive displays he has become known for. Pacquiao certainly did not disappoint as he felled Fahsan 3K Battery in the fourth round of a wildly exciting performance. The Thailander hit the deck numerous times as Pacquiao roared to victory and sent a message to WBA/IBF featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Marquez is the man who escaped with a draw from a fight with Pacquiao in May of this year due to an admitted mistake by one judge who failed to score the first round of that fight by a three point margin as he should have done. Pacquiao and Marquez are set to go at it again in late February of 2005.

British based heavyweight prospect Roman Greenberg progressed his career nicely on Friday in Sheffield, England with an overwhelming points decision over former British champion Julius Francis. Francis, who has fought Mike Tyson, Vitali Klitschko, John Ruiz and holds a win over tonights title challenger Danny Williams could not compete with the younger and stronger Greenberg who originally hails from Israel but now lives and fights out of London. The British boxing establishment is buzzing about the prospects of Greenberg and those American journalists that have seen him have been duly impressed. Stay tuned for more on Greenberg as it happens.

Tonight on the “Bragging Rights” promotion put together by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, the IWBF women’s title was left up for grabs when Jaime Clampitt and late replacement Eliza Olson could not edge a decisive advantage over each other. The two fighters battled to a ten-round draw.

Also at the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, CT, USA, Chad Dawson stopped Carl Daniels in seven rounds. Dawson remains unbeaten.

In other action, Olympic super heavyweight Jason Estrada put Joseph Kenneth Reyes on the floor but ultimately had to settle for a convincing four-round decision win in his professional debut.

In a fight that former cruiserweight champion Vassiliy Jirov was thoroughly dominating, former heavyweight champion Moorer turned the whole thing on its head by knocking Jirov out with a left hand shot in the ninth round. The fight wa s asomewhat messy affair up until that point with Jirov controlling most of the action but head clashes caused cuts and the when the finish came it was entirely unexpected. This wa sa fight that nobody expected Moorer to win evern though he was the more natural fighter at heavyweight than Jirov.

Other action saw featherweight Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero take the NABF featherweight title by knocking out Cesar Figueroa in the fourth round.