MASHANTUCKET, CT – It took some time, but Diego Corrales finally got the job done.
Diego 'Chico' Corrales took the WBO lightweight title from Acelino 'Popo' Freitas, stopping the previously undefeated Brazilian in the 10th round Saturday night at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino.
Corrales, from Sacramento, Calif., floored Freitas three times, with the Brazilian telling referee Michael Ortega that he didn't want to continue after he hit the canvas at 1:24 of the 10th round.
"I knew if I kept my focus, eventually I would close the gap," said Corrales. "I figured that eventually he was going to get tired. There was no way he could maintain that kind of pace. So I just took my time, stuck to fundamentals and kept my hands high."
Freitas, 35-1 (31 KOs) controlled the action and pace with his quick foot movement and a constant overhand right. The attack kept a stalking and apprehensive Corrales on the outside.
Though the plan to box and move seemed to provide success, when Freitas returned to his corner after the fourth round, the corner implored him to "stop running."
The following next few rounds saw Freitas attempt to slug a bit, but his tendency to run away after his attack eventually took the sting off his punches, as he no longer was able to commit all of his strength into his punches, for fear of being countered.
Freitas' punches apparently had no effect on Corrales, who took the punches surprisingly well and even had to time to offer a smile after a vicious exchange at the end of the seventh round.
After seven rounds Corrales 39-2 (32 KOs) was down on all three judges' scorecards.
The fast start by Freitas gave the Brazilian hero a comfortable lead, but Corrales, always the tough warrior, continued to keep on trucking. And finally in the eighth round, the former junior lightweight champion made his mark.
"We knew what we had to do, and we knew the movement. It was going to come early and we had to keep everything nice and tight and not give him the opportunity to land any big shots because he can punch," Corrales commented on Freitas movement.
Midway through the eighth round, a three-punch flurry on the ropes, ending with a grazing left hook, floored Freitas for the first time in the match.
Freitas rose off the canvas and was luckily given some time to recover, as the referee called a halt to the action to insert Freitas’ fallen mouthpiece. When action resumed, Freitas wisely ran and held on the remainder of the round.
"At that point, I knew that tide changed and the pace was all mine and I had to keep the pressure on and my corner told me to keep the pressure on," Corrales recalls.
Corrales continued to apply relentless pressure in the ninth round, dropping Freitas with a wicked counter straight right hand. Freitas once again spit out his mouthpiece, and being the second time he had done so, the referee deducted a point, making it a 10-7 round in favour of Corrales.
In the 10th round, Freitas began to swing for the heavens. But a confident Corrales would not be derailed, as he managed to pin Freitas into the corner.
"I think the weight change made a huge difference, I mean I felt so much stronger physically. I mean it is really a big difference," Corrales said about his power.
Corrales went on to land a hard left to the body and an overhand right. The punishment was too much for Freitas to handle, as he eventually dropped to a knee. Freitas managed to get up at the count of 6 and when the referee asked him if he still wanted to fight, the now former champion looked to his corner and shook his head indicating he no longer would like to continue.
"I was shocked that he quit," the new WBO 135-pound champ said. "But, it's hard to say what was going on in his mind at that point. There could have been a lot of things playing into it. I think it is the punching power more than anything else."
On the undercard, Thailand's Yodsanan '3-K Battery' Nanthachai retained his WBA super featherweight title, earning a 12 round unanimous decision over former title holder Steve '2 Pounds' Forbes.
All three judges scored the fight 117-111. Nanthacai, making his debut in the United States, improved to 43-2-1 (35 KOs). Forbes drops his third, making his record 24-3 (7 KOs). There were no knockdowns.
Yodsanan, a southpaw, controlled the early rounds and landed some impressive right hooks and straight lefts, pushing Forbes backwards.
Forbes landed some combinations of his own to the body in the fourth round, but Yodsanan returned with straight lefts over the top. Forbes managed to land some combinations in the seventh and eighth rounds when Yodsanan appeared to tire.
"I thought I hurt him a few times," said Forbes. "He didn’t hurt me. I didn’t expect him to move a lot and that kind of threw me off."
Despite the scoring, Yodsanan felt it was a much closer fight than the judges.
"I was very nervous fighting in the U.S. but the second time around will be a lot better," said Nanthachai. "Forbes was a very good technical fighter. I didn't think it was a one-sided fight."
Former world junior welterweight champion Sharmba Mitchell knocked out Moises Pedroza of Colombia in the second round of a 10-round bout. Mitchell dropped Pedroza with a right uppercut and referee Charlie Dwyer reached the count of 10 at 2:55. Mitchell is now 55-3 (31 KOs), while Pedroza drops to 24-8-1 (21 KOs).
Mitchell will now look forward to fighting undisputed junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu on Nov. 6., who incidently was was watching in a suit and tie at ringside.
"I knew he was here," Mitchell said. "I hope he's OK. Let's get it on."
Tszyu has been forced to twice pull out of the rematch with Mitchell. They were supposed to fight last fall but he suffered a heel injury. The fight was rescheduled for February but again Tszyu pulled out after severely injuring his shoulder in training.
USBA cruiserweight champion Felix Cora defended his title and picked up the vacant NABA belt with a 12-round unanimous decision over Jermell Barnes. The judges scored the bout 118-110 and 119-109 (twice) for Cora, who is now 15-0-2 (7 KOs). Barnes dropped to 16-6 (4 KOs).
"At that point, I knew that tide changed and the pace was all mine and I had to keep the pressure on and my corner told me to keep the pressure on," Corrales recalls. 