Raheem-Freitas, a Chance to Illuminate the Dark

Character and persona are two of the most critical elements that form what we call today, a prize fighter.

And like the wise man once said, “Character is what you are in the dark.”

The quote above once emphasized the magnitude of a series known as HBO’s Boxing After Dark.

This Saturday’s HBO televised bout between Acelino Freitas and Zahir Raheem, will serve as tangible proof of one’s character.

A statement of belief if you will, both fighters know, it’s not just a world title on the line, it could very well be their last chance in the elite competition.

And that goes without saying we just might be in for a spectacular fight.

This is what the show is all about.

HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

Boxing After Dark, which made its debut in 96′, started out with a bang on the night of February 3rd when a 22 year-old Marco Antonio Barrera defended his WBO Super Bantamweight Title against the former champion and 88′ Olympic Champion, Kennedy McKinney.

In a fierce bout between a young champion and a proud aging former champ, the fight had it all. After 11 grueling rounds of back-and-forth action which saw both fighters visiting the canvas, Barrera’s relentless body attack would prevail in the 12 th when Kennedy went down for the 4th time.

With a dramatic ending to a great fight, the night marked its beginning of a BADass series.

This also embarked a beginning of a great career for Barrera, who along with Kevin Kelley and Johnny Tapia rekindled the popularity of the lower weight divisions.

The late 90s also shared the limelight for the heavyweight prospects such as David Tua, Shannon Briggs, Andrew Golata, Michael Grant, and Ike Ibeabuchi, who all acclaimed notoriety of their own.

With a variety of match-ups coming to fruition, the series began taking its toll as a popular attraction.

It also produced a major star in New Jersey’s Arturo Gatti, who throttled the hearts of many with his unforgettable wars against the likes of Tracy Patterson, Wilson Rodriguez, Ivan Robinson, Angel Manfredy, and of course, his first encounter with Micky Ward.

There are just too many to list, but bouts like Ibeabuchi-Byrd, Ibeabuchi-Tua, and Morales-Barrera I also come to mind.

THE DOWNFALL

The series gradually began to plummet since the departure of Lou Dibella, who at the time was the matchmaker for the network. While it occasionally produced at decent level, it failed to live up to expectations, mainly due to terrible matchmaking.

Later, the network would be dubbed as ‘Home Boys Only’, often criticized for their lack of quality fights, subdued only to showcase their house fighters.

HBO > SHO?

Well, that’s always been the case between the two competing networks. Until last year, that is.

The rival network, Showtime, which also seemed to have lost its market value over the years, rebounded with a tremendous run in 2005, thanks to now former exec, Jay Larkin. Larkin, who was released from the network earlier this year, didn’t leave without a legacy, as he successfully aired the best matches of 2005.

But in the aftermath of his departure, the network now seems to be falling back to its usual path, televising on a once-a-month basis, with fights not cared by the mainstream media.

‘We’ll see if Showtime can regain the lost momentum with the finale of Castillo-Corrales in June.

HBO is seemingly gaining back its momentum, with this year’s lineup, which already saw the likes of Pacquiao-Morales II, Mosley-Vargas, Toney-Rahman, and Mayweather-Judah.

THE NEW B.A.D

Formerly led by the trio Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, and Emmanuel Steward, this Saturday will mark a debut of the new broadcasting team, which will include Fran Charles, Max Kellerman, and former undisputed heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis.

Fran Charles, who we’ve seen in the past occasionally filling in for Jim Lampley, is always a consummate professional. Lewis, who has also done commentary for various networks, does appear to be knowledgeable and well suit for this position. And most importantly, I think the addition of Max Kellerman could very well tell the story of the telecast.

Kellerman, a knowledge freak full of jubilance, could perhaps enlighten the viewers with his positive and colorful scheme of commentating. And in spite of the great job Brian Kenny’s doing, Friday Night Fights just haven’t been the same without the Brooklynite.

Perhaps the newly refurbished series can embark on the new generation of fans and bring back the days of Barrera-McKinney, Gatti-Rodriguez and Ibeabuchi-Tua.

In a must-win battle for the vacant WBO Lightweight Title, former champion Acelino ‘Popo’ Freitas (37-1, 32KOs) and top contender Zahir Raheem (27-1, 16KOs) will collide this Saturday at the Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, CT.

As mentioned earlier, this is a do-or-die battle for both combatants.

Hoping to redeem from his embarrassing TKO loss to Diego Corrales, Freitas will lay all of his cards on the deck, taking on a dangerous spoiler in Raheem, a slick Philadelphian.

For the Z-Man, it’s a chance to maintain his momentum as an elite fighter, following his shocking upset win over the legendary Erik Morales in past November.

In a classic case of boxer-vs-puncher , Freitas will see himself as the bigger and stronger of the two, while Raheem, should enjoy his advantage in all-around skills, speed, and mental toughness.

But another factor leading into this bout is the edge in experience, which favors the Brazilian bomber. Freitas, who’s enjoyed a five year world title reign at 130lbs, boasts a record of 12 -1 in world title bouts. As for Raheem, his sole win over a world class fighter only came against Erik Morales, who seemed to have seen his better days.

Stylistically, Raheem’s slick movement should cause problems for Freitas, but it’s something he’s seen before against the likes of Joel Casamayor and Daniel Attah, both of whom he previously outpointed.

Perhaps this bout will answer some questions about both fighters. Freitas, whose last appearance on TV was an embarrassing quitjob by the hands of Diego Corrales, will hope to erase any doubts about his heart. Also, adding another world title would indeed revive his superstar status.

For Raheem, coming off his career besting win over the legendary Erik Morales, he has to now display the same repertoire he displayed in September, to prove he isn’t just a flash in a pan.

In addition, a win will bring him his first world title.

So here we have, two semi-young hungry fighters, one trying to rise to the next level, and other trying to reclaim his spot.

This is what Boxing After Dark is all about.

Hopefully, the fans will be redeemed. And as for HBO, there’s only room for vindication.

JOHN-MARQUEZ, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?

Well, what really happened was a close fight.

After finally watching the featherweight title bout between Indonesia’s Chris John and Mexico ’s Juan Manuel Marquez, I’ve come to a conclusion of my own, that some boxing writers/reporters really need to learn how to differentiate a robbery and a close fight which could’ve gone either way.

I, for one, am not going to do a round-by-round. But to summarize this fight, let’s put it this way.

The first round was a feel-out round. Neither fighter did much, could’ve gone either way, but it was in John’s home court. So let’s assume that he won the round, which by the way I scored for Marquez. The next few rounds would see Marquez playing the role of an aggressor and successfully so, he landed enough one-twos and hook s to the body to pile up the early lead.

As I began to score this fight, I took notes and put a mark on the rounds that were close.

After the 9th round, I had Marquez up by three points. By this point, Marquez had been warned a few times for low blows. The 10 th saw a clear round for Marquez, but was tainted by the ref’s point deduction after a low blow which appeared to be right on the belt. John caught his second wind in the 11th, connecting well on the inside to earn him the round. Marquez would suffer another point deduction in the same round, giving John a 10-8 on my scorecard. The final round was intense, as Marquez desparately tried to go for the finish, but unsuccessfully so, as John held is own, making it another close round to score.

My final tally read 114-112 in favor of Marquez. Now, I mentioned that the first round could’ve gone either way. In that case, it could easily be 113-113, a draw. Or, if you scored both the first and last round for John, you can see a 114-112 win for the Indonesian.

In the end, I don’t know what all the fuss was about. This was no Whitaker-Chavez, or even a Famechon-Harada. This was a very close fight.

To those who haven’t seen this fight, look back to Freitas-Casamayor. A lot felt that the Cuban might have won in terms of winning the rounds, but lost because of the point deductions.

So in reality, John retains his title via technicality. I do admit, the official scores were ridiculous, but what exactly did Marquez and Beristein expect going overseas?

There’s no room for sympathy at this point.