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08/07/2004 Archived Entry: "Corrales downs Freitas, Brazil"
Corrales downs Freitas, Brazil
By J. D. Vena at ringside
MASHANTUCKET PEQUOT TRIBAL NATION (LEDYARD, CT) - Every top fighter of their day has one. Acelino “Popo” Freitas of Brazil has had a couple and Diego “Chico” Corrales has had quite a few. Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya and Roberto Duran have had them. They are the signature fights, which ultimately define a fighter’s legacy. Last night at Foxwoods Casino two legacies flip-flopped. In a widely anticipated mega-bout televised on Showtime, Corrales, of Sacramento, CA scored a memorable win over Brazilian favorite Freitas, whose legacy took a major hit. Behind on the scorecards after seven rounds, a composed and determined Corrales came from behind to stop Freitas, who shockingly pulled a “no mas” in the 10th round of an action-packed fight.
In the first round, Freitas, 135, of Salvador, Brazil, was very impressive in not allowing Corrales to use his long jab and was very effective with his in and out movement and heavy punches. Freitas landed several lead hooks and overhand rights. Corrales, 135. kept his composure and continued to press as he closed the gap in the second with some jabs and body shots.
The slippery and shifty Freitas, who rarely if ever remained in the same spot was too difficult for Corrales to track down even though he appeared to be cutting the ring off effectively.
Corrales had his best round of the fight in the fifth after he had slowed Freitas down with a low blow. But Freitas seemed to have landed more of the effective head shots to still take the frame. It was all Freitas through the first half of the bout and it looked as if his performance was at least matching Floyd Mayweathers’ masterful performance against Corrales three years ago.
In the 7th round, Corrales was warned by referee Mike Ortega for pushing down on Freitas’ head and hitting him. It also allowed him opportunities to land his best punch of the fight, a straight right cross, but in the last 30 seconds, Freitas landed several head-snapping shots. Freitas seemed in complete command. Then came the 8th round.
In that round, Corrales began to hit Freitas on the inside whenever the two clinched. Once he cornered him on the ropes, Corrales landed a devastating right hand and a follow-up flurry which dropped Freitas on his face. It was the second time Freitas had ever visited the canvas. Fortunately for Freitas, he lost his mouthpiece during the fall and he was allowed extra time to recuperate while Ortega had Freiatas’ corner clean and return to Freitas’ mouthpiece to his sore mouth. Freitas survived the round but the tide had clearly turned.
In the ninth, Corrales drilled Freitas with yet another precise right hand which flattened him. This time Fraitas spat out his mouthpiece deliberately and was penalized a point for the infraction but he was still enjoyed the additional time. But Corrales didn’t need three more rounds to seal this one. In the 10th, Corrales began landing more frequently and with one more chopping right to the side of the head, Freitas hit the canvas. Moments after he regained his feet Freitas surrendered to Ortega at the 1:24 of the round. Wow!
The deposed Freitas left the ring upset and with no comment.
“When he got up /I said, ‘Do you want to continue?’ And and he said ‘No,” said Ortega of Freitas who at 35-1, loses for the first time in his career..
Shortly after the biggest victory of his career, Chico Corrales, now 39-2 with 32 KO’s and the brand new WBO lightweight champion, had this to say.
“I figured he would tire. There was no way he could maintain that pace. I took my time and stuck to fundamentals and held my hands high. I knew that if I kept my focus that eventually, I would close te gap. I was shocked he quit. I really want to establish myself as the best fighter at 135. Even being off for two years, I knew I had the faith to come all the way back. Tonight, I came all the way back.”
Coming all the way back puts him right atop the interesting mix at 135 with young champions, Juan Diaz, Julio Diaz and two-time world champ, Jose Castillo.
“This is what big fights are all about,” said Corrales. “I live for these kinds of moments.”
So do we.
Defending WBA jr. lightweight champion, Yodsanan 3K Battery, 130, of Srisaket, Thailand defeated former IBF champion Stevie Forbes of Portland, OR over 12 rounds.
3K, 130, used a steady body attack which nullified Forbes’ offense during the first half of the fight. He was also effective with his right uppercut but the ever resilient Forbes hung tough. The question during the midway point was whether Forbes would be stopped or 3K Battery would tire down the stretch. Prior to tonight, the last Thai fighter to have won in the United States was the great Saman Sorjaturong in Inglewood, CA over a decade ago.
In the 7th Forbes seemed to catch a second wind that may have discouraged 3K with his vigor. To the surprise of many who had watched 3K dominate, Forbes began establishing his jab and worked several combinations, which backed the champion up. In a memorable exchange, a six-punch combination of left-rights made 3K take a few backward steps and allowed Forbes to follow up.
Forbes’ success continued in the next three rounds as he refused to wilt. In fact, 3K changed his attack in the 10th round by circling and getting in and out. The fight on this scorecard was decided in the 11th, when Forbes gave it away. Forbes made a pretty good attempt to stop 3K but the resilient champion recovered enough only to lose the round. All three judges scored the bout 117-111 for 3K Battery now,43-2-1 with 35 KO’s. Forbes fell to 24-3 with 7 KO’s.
“Before the decision was announced, I asked my trainer what he thought and he said,’I don’t know,” lamented Forbes afterwards. “He never hurt me but what surprised me was his movement. I didn’t expect him to move as he had in the second half of the fight.
In a 12-round cruiserweight title bout between two up and coming young fighters, Felix Cora, Jr., 200, of Galveston, TX retained his USBF title with a wide-points win over Jermal Barnes, 199 ½, of Rochester, NY.
Though Cora won the majority of the rounds, Barnes had his moments and fought competitively with Cora throughout the bout. Barnes, biggest problem was allowing Cora to be busier, which has often cost him in close fights. Cora won by 118-110 and two scores of 119-109. The win raised Cora’s record to 15-0-2 with 7 KO’s while Barnes’ mark dipped to 16-6 with 4 KO’s.
In the opening bout, former WBA jr. welterweight champion and IBF interim IBF world champion Sharmba Mitchell of D.C, knocked out journeryman, Moises Pedroza at 2:55 of the second round. Mitchell, 142 froze Pedroza, also 142, with a quick counter right hand and followed up with a vicious 3-punch combination that dumped Pedroza on his butt in a neutral corner for a 10-count administered by Charlie Dwyer. The bout served as another tune-up for Mitchell’s mega-meeting with world champ Kostya Tszyu on November 6th. Tszyu, who sat at ringside saw Mitchell’s record improve to 55-3 with 40 KO’s. Pedroza of Barranquilla, Colombia is now 24-7-1 with 21 KO.s
In the first of two swing bouts, Marvin Cordoba, Jr., 142, of Pueblo, CO had an impressive pro debut when he knocked out undefeated Luciano Silva, 142, of Salvador, Brazil at :43 of the 4th and final round. Silva is now 3-1 wit 3 KO’s. Aderivaldo Dos Santos made it 0-3 for the Salvador Brazilians as he was stopped at 1:18 of the fifth round by Philadelphia’s Ramazan Palyani. Palyani, 138, improved to 9-0 with 5 KO’s while Dos Santos is now 5-2 with 4 KO’s
Promoter - Banner Promotions
Network - Showtime
Ring announcers - Jimmy Lennon, Jr. and M. Mark Beiro
