Juan Diaz hopes to make himself the future of the lightweight division as he takes on old master Acelino Freitas in a WBA/WBO unifier on HBO tonight.
It’s an excellent matchup that will hopefully answer questions surrounding both men. Can Diaz, 23, take the power of a top-level operator? Does Freitas have the desire to fend off a young and accomplished fighter at 31, after his surrender against Diego Corrales a couple of years ago?
Diaz has all the momentum on his side. The Texan has improved steadily since winning the WBA crown as a 20-year-old whipper-snapper and has transformed from hyperactive pressure fighter (think Jesus Chavez on speed) to a man who can dominate with the jab and block the returns at will.
Starting to look the complete fighter – minus one punch power, of course – it’s assumed that Diaz will end the Acelino’s storied career. But Freitas does have pedigree, and those in doubt should check out his wins over Jorge Barrios and Joel Casamayor in outstanding fights.
Furthermore, the Brazilian has taken a far tougher fight than was scheduled. Set to take on ageing WBC champ Casamayor, at home in Brazil, Freitas instead settled on Diaz, at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
In an interesting bit of symmetry, Freitas edged Casamayor in their super featherweight superfight, to unify the WBO and WBA crowns. Now the WBO lightweight titlist, he aims to add Diaz’s WBA 135-pound title.
But winning at the elite level can be life and death, and like a prime James Toney or today’s promising Jermain Taylor, Freitas was always hanging on by a thread versus the best. Though dominant early against Casamayor, the Cuban master gradually took over and Freitas may have lost had Joel not had a point deducted. Freitas was on his way to certain defeat versus the marauding Barrios, but found the perfect punch to turn the fight around in that August 2003 war.
Yet his spirit appeared to have been broken by Corrales. After winning all the early rounds, Freitas was brutalised by the best ‘Chico’ ever seen – via sickening, flush punches – and decided against continuing after a third knockdown in a tenth round that sent his career in dramatic decline.
In his next meaningful fight, Freitas was hesitant against the negative Zahir Raheem, but won a contentious split decision to add the vacant WBO crown (the one vacated by Corrales) up at lightweight.
Though he only has one loss, it’s a loss that may have robbed him of the quality that made the man special. If there are cracks, the fast paced, fierce and hungry Diaz will burrow them open and never let up the torment.
Thanks to a busy schedule (defending his crown three times last year), Diaz has gradually been able to improve. Since signing with Don King, he’s not been getting the rounds, though it’s to King’s credit that he paid step aside money to unknown (and meaningless) mandatory Prawet Singwangcha in order to secure a more meaningful foe.
With Freitas being a dangerous, but compromised force, it’s hard to pick against the best of the three Diazes to hold lightweight titles (Julio Diaz holds the IBF and David Diaz somehow has the WBC). It’s a fight more likely to deliver on the HBO B.A.D. legacy of exciting, gritty fights than the non-action Freitas-Raheem fight, which threatened to become the new formula.
If Juan is as good as I think he is, he should be able to win tonight and herald a new era for his division. 135-pounds is fertile ground for the youngster, what with Manny Pacquiao just one weight down (and vowing revenge on Diaz for stopping his friend Manny Suico!) and Ricky Hatton one up (Diaz was short listed for Hatton’s US debut, but Luis Collazo was chosen instead).
With HBO watching the clean cut, talented and exciting good guy (much was made of him being a college boy and role model etc), he is poised for better opponents than the middling ones he’s had thus far, giving him extra incentive to win.
Casamayor, 35, is the recognised lightweight champ, and that’s another essential fight for Juan. Thankfully Joel has been promised the winner, and he deserves no less after having his WBC belt shamelessly stripped.
Spoiled for choice, no?
As if that wasn’t enough, the excellent Joan Guzman takes on Aussie puncher Michael Katsidis for the interim version of the WBO title (May 26). Eastern assassin Yuri Romanov, 24, defends his European title against Tontcho Tontchev in Belarus tonight, and surely Diaz will be around long enough for super prospects Amir Khan and Willy Blain (also in action tonight in Germany) to be ready for HUGE fights.
After all, he’s only 23.
There may not be another champion in the sport with as many potential superfights ahead of him. He has so much more to fight for and should grind down Freitas to set up a storied career.
