Freitas Defends Titles With 12th-Round TKO Over Barrios

Photos © Tom Casino/Showtime

The Thrilling Bouts Will be Replayed in Their Entirety On SHO2 on Tuesday, August 12, at 11 PM ET/PT

10.08 - Heading into the final three minutes with his titles and undefeated record hanging in the balance, Acelino "Popo" Freitas successfully defended his World Boxing Association (WBA)/World Boxing Organization (WBO) 130-pound crowns for the third time by scoring a dramatic 12-round TKO over WBA & WBO No. 2 contender, Jorge Rodrigo Barrios, Saturday on SHOWTIME.

In one of the co-features, North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Welterweight Champion Teddy Reid retained his title for the second time by knocking down WBA FEDECENTRO Welterweight Champion Elio Ortiz five times en route to tallying a fourth-round TKO. World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth Champion Francisco "Panchito" Bojado rounded out the telecast by registering a 10-round unanimous decision over National Boxing Association (NBA) Lightweight Champion Lemuel Nelson. Banner Promotions promoted the bouts, which aired at 10 p.m. ET/PT from Miami Arena.

Freitas (34-0, 31 KOs), of Salvador, Brazil, rallied from a punishing 11th-round knockdown to keep his perfect record intact. After Barrios landed a punishing left-right combination to send the champion to the canvas early in round 11, Freitas regained his composure and floored the challenger as the bell sounded to end the stanza. In the opening seconds of the final round, Freitas smelled the victory and knocked Barrios down for the third and final time. The brave challenger managed to rise from the canvas, but slipped soon after. Referee Jorge Alonso decided he had seen enough and waved the fight off at :50 of round 12.

Appearing on SHOWTIME for the sixth time, Freitas, who captured the WBA belt with a victory over previously unbeaten Joel Casamayor on SHOWTIME Jan. 12, 2002, made his third WBA and 10th WBO defense. In his last outing on March 15, 2003, Freitas retained his titles by scoring a fourth-round TKO over Juan Carlos Ramirez on SHOWTIME from Chicago. The undefeated knockout artist closed out the 2002 campaign on Aug. 3 in Phoenix by registering a 12-round decision over WBO No. 1 contender Daniel Attah on SHOWTIME. Freitas captured the WBO title on Aug. 7, 1999, with a first-round knockout over Anatoly Alexandrov in Cannet, France.

Barrios (39-2-1, 29 KOs), of Buenos Aires, Argentina, survived a brutal cut over his left eye and a bloody ear to come within one round of winning the WBO and WBA 130-pound titles. Entering the 12th round, the judges had the bout scored even. Guy Jutras had it 106-104 for Barrios, Dennis Nelson saw it 106-103 in favor of Freitas, while Peter Trematerra had the bout scored 105 apiece. Despite suffering an early cut, the challenger overcame an eighth-round knockdown to floor the champion in the 11th. Barrios won the WBO Latin American 130-pound crown by tallying an 11th-round TKO over Javier Alvarez on Aug. 24, 2002, in Montevideo, Uruguay. Two months later on Oct. 26, 2002, the once-beaten brawler added the vacant Argentine super featherweight title to his resume with a six-round technical win over Carlos Rios.

Reid (22-5-1, 16 KOs), of Baltimore, by way of St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, appeared to be on his way to an early victory when he floored Ortiz three times in the first four minutes of the contest. After his opponent regained his legs, Reid ended the see-saw battle with two more knockdowns in the fourth. Following Ortiz' fifth trip to the canvas late in the fourth, referee Bill Connors waved the fight off with two seconds remaining in the round. Reid won the vacant NABF welterweight title by scoring a third-round TKO over Germaine Sanders on June 28, 2002, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Reid previously captured the North American Boxing Association (NABA) and United States Boxing Association (USBA) 140-pound crowns in 1991 and 2001, respectively.

Ortiz (24-6, 18 KOs), of Falcon, Venezuela, miraculously recovered from sure defeat to briefly take control of the title bout by winning the third round on each of the judge's scorecards. Ortiz tallied a 12-round unanimous decision over Marco Avendano on July 28, 2001, to capture the WBA FEDECENTRO welterweight crown in Coro, Venezuela. In his lone title defense, Ortiz stopped Presente Brito in the fourth round on July 6, 2002, from Caracas, Venezuela.

Bojado (13-1, 11 KOs), of Los Angeles, by way of Guadalajara, Mexico, had little trouble in gaining his 13th victory in 14 outings. Despite failing to knock out only his third opponent, Bojado earned the unanimous decision by the scores 99-90 twice and 98-91. The once-beaten 20-year-old made his 10th SHOWTIME appearance, including highlights, in 14 pro bouts. Bojado captured his first pro title, the World Boxing Council (WBC) junior welterweight youth crown, on Oct. 13, 2001, with a second-round TKO over Eleazar Contreras on SHOWTIME.

Nelson (25-7-1, 13 KOs), of Pensacola, Fla., stunned Bojado in the opening round and managed to land a number of decent shots in his home state. The Florida native, who did not go down in the bout, captured the vacant NBA lightweight crown with a seventh-round TKO over Johnny West on Sept. 7, 2002, in Portland, Ore.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING's Steve Albert and Al Bernstein called the action from 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.