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Showtime Championship Boxing Freitas vs. Corrales
August 7, 2004 Foxwoods Resort Casino Mashantucket, Connecticut
Corrales hands Freitas first loss and wins WBO title with Thrilling, come-from-behind 10th-round knockout on Showtime Championship Boxing from Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut.
for Fight of the Year, World Boxing Organization (WBO) Junior Lightweight Champion Diego Corrales spotted previously undefeated WBO lightweight champion Acelino Freitas a big early lead before rallying to register three knockdowns en route to dethroning Freitas on a thrilling 10th-round TKO Saturday on SHOWTIME at Foxwoods Resort Casino. Banner Promotions presented the world title fight, which aired at 9 p.m.
ET/PT (delayed
on West Coast). on July 30 as well as highlights from the World Boxing Association (WBA) 130-pound title fight between champion Yodeshan “3-K Battery” Nanthachai and Steve Forbes (“3-K Battery’’ retained his crown with a unanimous 12-round decision) and a super lightweight bout between former world champion Sharmba Mitchell
and Moises Pedroza (Mitchell won by second-round knockout). to triumph in the eagerly anticipated matchup between two of boxing’s most talented, hardest-hitting world champions. Corrales had edged in front on two of the three scorecards – 85-83, 85-84 and 83-85 -- entering the 10th. But he turned an intense bout which featured many exciting exchanges around in the eighth when he dropped the tiring Freitas with a right-left combination. Freitas made it to his feet, but spit out his mouthpiece, which gave him additional time to recover. He also spit out the mouthpiece after going down from a counter right in the following round, but, this time, the referee took a point away. The forever-stalking Corrales knocked down Freitas the last time in the 10th round. After getting up, Freitas indicated to the referee that he had had enough, and the bout was halted at 1:26. Perhaps the most feared pure puncher in the lighter weight classes, the lanky Corrales was making his first start since winning the WBO 130-pound belt with a 12-round decision over defending champion Joel Casamayor on March 6, 2004, on SHOWTIME. Corrales won the International Boxing Federation (IBF) 130-pound title with a seventh-round TKO over Roberto
Garcia on Oct. 23, 1999, on SHOWTIME. setting an incredibly fast pace. Always quicker, he landed numerous solid shots to Corrales’ jaw, often in combination. In the process, he managed to nullify the taller Corrales’ jab. But fatigue set in and Corrales, who surprised many with his ability to take a punch, began to close the gap. Freitas was appearing before a paying audience for the first time since winning the WBO 135-pound title with a 12-round decision over previously unbeaten Artur Grigorian on Jan. 3, 2004, on SHOWTIME. Like Corrales, Freitas was a former world champion at 130 pounds. He captured the WBO 130-pound title with an eighth-round TKO over Anatoly Alexandrov on Aug. 7, 1999, and added the WBA belt by outpointing Casamayor across 12 rounds
on Jan. 12,
2002, ON SHOWTIME. ringside with Jim Gray serving as roving reporter. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast was Jay
Larkin, with David Dinkins, Jr. producing and Bob
Dunphy directing. Brewster makes the first defense of his heavyweight title against Kali Meehan. In the co-feature at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, undisputed welterweight champion Cory “The Next Generation” Spinks will defend against former world champion Miguel Angel Gonzalez.
- Post Fight Release issued by Showtime (http://www.sho.com/boxing)
WBO Lightweight Title Bout (12 Rds) Diego Corrales (39-2, 32 KOs) wins by TKO at 1:24 of the 10th round over Acelino Freitas (35-1, 31 KOs)
WBA Super Featherweight Title Bout (12 Rds) Yodsanan Nanthachai (43-2-1, 35 KOs) wins a unanimous decision over Steve Forbes (24-3, 7 KOs) - all three judges scored the bout 117-111 - Nanthachai retains title
(8/10/04)
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