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Acelino " Popó" Freitas (; born September 21, 1975) is a Brazilian politician and a former professional boxer who competed between 1995 and 2017. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBO super featherweight title from 1999 to 2004, the WBA (Unified) super featherweight title from 2002 to 2004, and the WBO lightweight title twice between 2004 and 2007. After retiring from boxing, Freitas went into politics, and was elected as a legislator for the state of Bahia, from 2011 to 2014. His nickname, Popó, was given to him by his mother, after the sound that babies make while drinking milk. " retrieved 15 May 2009.
Between 1997 and 1998, Freitas won four more fights and then took on Francisco Tomas Da Cruz, a former world title challenger of Julio César Chávez. Freitas handled Da Cruz with a knockout in two rounds and then added three more knockout wins before getting his first world title shot.
In a classic boxing confrontation between the Brazilian bomber Freitas (129½) and the Cuban boxer Casamayor (129½), the fighters switched roles midway through their encounter in what was reminiscent of Ray Leonard's first historic face-off with Thomas Hearns back in 1981. The scientist Casamayor became the aggressive slugger, while the puncher Freitas turned into the boxer as once again the unpredictable transpired in a mega-fight.
A glancing right-hand to the neck of the off-balanced Casamayor in the 3rd round was ruled a knockdown by referee Joe Cortez and intentionally hitting on the break in the 6th saw the Cuban penalized another point. It was the difference in the finale tallies and the two point cushion that the tiring Freitas retained across the boards on all three judges scorecards. Ring officials Robert Byrd, Bill Graham and Dave Moretti having identical scores of 114 to 112 for the Brazilian.
Freitas then retained the title in Chicago with a fourth-round knockout of Juan Carlos Ramirez. On August 9, 2003, he and Jorge Barrios engaged in what Showtime commentator Steve Albert called a candidate for fight of the year. Freitas was floored in rounds eight and eleven, but retaliated with a knockdown of his own towards the end of the eleventh, and ended up retaining the title by knockout in round twelve.
Freitas began 2004 by winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Artur Grigorian on January 4, to become the WBO's world Lightweight champion. On February 1 of that year, the WBA announced it had named Freitas their 2003 Fighter of the year.
On April 28, 2007, he fought Juan Diaz in Mashantucket, USA, losing by TKO after his trainer stopped the bout at the beginning the 9th round, drawing boos from the crowd.
He has fought three times since his last loss (2012, 2015, and most recently in November 2017), all wins against inferior competition and all in South America (two wins by knockout and one win by 8-round unanimous decision).
He has been able to help his family financially and has built a soccer field in his mansion, allowing him to practice his second favorite sport.
Freitas' married wife Eliana Guimarães in 2001, they divorced in 2003.
He was Secretary of Sports in Salvador and is member of Brazilian Republican Party.
The careers of Acelino Freitas and Luis Claudio Freitas are depicted in the 2019 biographical TV series Irmãos Freitas, directed by Walter Salles and Sérgio Machado. Brazilian actors Daniel Rocha and Rômulo Braga co-star as Acelino Freitas and Luis Claudio Freitas.
In 2024, Acelino Freitas performed cosplayed as chimarrão in the reality singing competition The Masked Singer Brasil.
| 43 | Win | 41–2 | Gabriel Martinez | UD | 8 | Nov 11, 2017 | ||
| 42 | Win | 40–2 | Mateo Damian Veron | TKO | 3 (10), | Aug 15, 2015 | ||
| 41 | Win | 39–2 | Michael Oliveira | TKO | 9 (10), | Jun 2, 2012 | ||
| 40 | Loss | 38–2 | Juan Díaz | RTD | 8 (12), | Apr 28, 2007 | ||
| 39 | Win | Zahir Raheem | SD | 12 | Apr 29, 2006 | |||
| 38 | Win | 37–1 | Fabian Salazar | KO | 1 (10), | Jul 16, 2005 | ||
| 37 | Win | 36–1 | David Saucedo | UD | 10 | Dec 11, 2004 | ||
| 36 | Loss | 35–1 | Diego Corrales | TKO | 10 (12), | Aug 7, 2004 | ||
| 35 | Win | 35–0 | Artur Grigorian | UD | 12 | Jan 3, 2004 | ||
| 34 | Win | 34–0 | Jorge Rodrigo Barrios | TKO | 12 (12), | Aug 9, 2003 | ||
| 33 | Win | 33–0 | Juan Carlos Ramírez | TKO | 4 (12), | Mar 15, 2003 | ||
| 32 | Win | 32–0 | Daniel Attah | UD | 12 | Aug 3, 2002 | ||
| 31 | Win | 31–0 | Joel Casamayor | UD | 12 | Jan 12, 2002 | ||
| 30 | Win | 30–0 | Alfred Kotey | UD | 10 | Sep 29, 2001 | ||
| 29 | Win | 29–0 | Orlando Soto | KO | 1 (12), | Jan 27, 2001 | ||
| 28 | Win | 28–0 | Daniel Alicea | TKO | 1 (12), | Dec 16, 2000 | ||
| 27 | Win | 27–0 | Carlos Rios | TKO | 9 (12), | Sep 23, 2000 | ||
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | Lemuel Nelson | TKO | 2 (12), | Jun 10, 2000 | ||
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | Javier Jáuregui | KO | 1 (12), | Mar 18, 2000 | ||
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Barry Jones | TKO | 8 (12), | Jan 15, 2000 | ||
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Claudio Victor Martinet | KO | 3 (10) | Dec 18, 1999 | ||
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Anthony Martinez | TKO | 2 (12), | Oct 26, 1999 | ||
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Anatoly Alexandrov | KO | 1 (12), | Aug 7, 1999 | ||
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Juan Angel Macias | KO | 8 (12) | Apr 2, 1999 | ||
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Peter Buckley | RTD | 3 (8), | Dec 19, 1998 | ||
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Jose Luis Montes | TKO | 1 (12) | Oct 16, 1998 | ||
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Francisco Tomas Da Cruz | TKO | 2 (12) | Sep 15, 1998 | ||
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Juan Gutierrez | TKO | 1 (12) | Aug 14, 1998 | ||
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Rafael Oliveira | KO | 3 (10), | Jun 8, 1998 | ||
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Rildo José Oliveira | TKO | 1 (12) | May 29, 1998 | ||
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Gustavo Rodolfo Sayaavedra | KO | 1 (10) | Nov 19, 1997 | ||
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Edwin Vazquez | TKO | 7 (12) | Sep 2, 1997 | ||
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Hilario Guzman | TKO | 8 (10), | Jun 27, 1997 | ||
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Johnny Montantes | TKO | 1 (8), | May 10, 1997 | ||
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Arcelio Diaz | TKO | 1 (12) | Apr 22, 1997 | ||
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Antonio Maria Do Nascimento | KO | 2 (6) | Mar 8, 1997 | ||
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Hamilton Cerqueira | KO | 4 (6) | Feb 1, 1997 | ||
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Gutemberg Ferreira | KO | 2 (12) | Aug 16, 1996 | ||
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Ralph Riveros | KO | 2 (6) | Apr 2, 1996 | ||
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Marco De Lima | TKO | 3 (6) | Nov 14, 1995 | ||
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Manoel Oliveira da Cruz | KO | 2 (4) | Sep 18, 1995 | ||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Valdevino Monteiro | KO | 1 (4) | Aug 14, 1995 | ||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Jose Adriano Soares | KO | 1 (4) | Jul 14, 1995 |
Exhibition | |
| 4 | Win | 3-0–1 | Kleber de Paula Pedra "Bambam" | 1(8), 36 | 24 Feb 2024 | |||
| 3 | Win | 2-0–1 | Junior Dublê | 1 (8), | 26 Aug 2023 | |||
| 2 | Win | 1-0-1 | Jose Landi-Jons "Pelé Landy" | 1 (8), | 25 Sep 2022 | |||
| 1 | Draw | 0–0–1 | Whindersson Nunes | 8 | 30 Jan 2022 |
| Acelino Freitas vs. Daniel Attah | ||||
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