Acelino Freitas vs Anthony Martinez

Twenty-two professional contests had brought twenty-two victories inside the distance by the time Acelino Freitas completed his first world title defence. Fighting in his home city of Salvador on 26 October 1999, the Brazilian stopped Anthony Martinez at 1 minute 20 seconds of the second round to retain the WBO super featherweight championship. The ring stood on the football pitch at the Fonte Nova stadium, where the spectators in the surrounding stands saw a brief contest decided by two knockdowns.

Freitas had won the championship eleven weeks earlier, knocking out Anatoly Alexandrov in the opening round at Le Cannet, France, on 7 August. Martinez, a Costa Rican known as “Maestrito”, arrived with twelve victories, one defeat and two draws, including six wins by knockout. He was a replacement for the originally proposed challenger, Puerto Rico’s Ricardo Rivera, whose withdrawal was attributed to travel difficulties caused by bad weather. Martinez’s selection had attracted criticism because he did not appear in the WBO’s latest published rankings and had contested his previous bout at featherweight. Both men weighed 130 pounds for the championship contest.

The opening round established the difference in their punching effectiveness. Freitas put his combinations together with both hands and knocked Martinez down late in the round. Referee William Connors began a count, but the challenger recovered sufficiently to continue and reached his corner at the bell. The knockdown gave Freitas a clear advantage on the cards: judges Roberto Ramirez Sr, Antonio Bernardo Soares and Luis Claudio Braga each scored the round ten points to eight for the champion.

Martinez was instructed between rounds to keep his distance, but he could not prevent Freitas from reaching him again. Early in the second, another sequence of punches sent the challenger to the canvas. He got up and resumed his fighting stance, only to come under further attack. The interval had provided no lasting recovery, and his attempt to box beyond the champion’s reach failed to alter the course of the contest. Connors intervened with Martinez still standing, ending the bout before further punishment could be inflicted.

The spectators greeted the result enthusiastically. Freitas, visibly emotional afterwards, attempted to sing the hymn to Senhor do Bonfim, associated with his native Bahia, but managed only its opening phrases. His unbeaten record advanced to twenty two victories, while Martinez suffered his second defeat. The defence had lasted little more than four minutes of boxing: the challenger survived the first knockdown, but neither his recovery nor his corner’s advice enabled him to withstand the champion’s renewed combinations in the second round.

Every new champion deserves a homecoming bout, surely? I see this as a homecoming defence against a challenger who wasn’t equipped for the job. Freitas had flattened Alexandrov to win the belt, so the excitement in Salvador made sense. He offered the crowd something exciting: heavy punches and early finishes. Martinez came in as a replacement, with precious little on his record to justify a world title opportunity. That matchmaking deserves scrutiny, even if the champion did exactly what was required.

Technically, what matters is that Freitas hurt him with combinations from both hands. Martinez survived the first knockdown, but his corner’s instruction to keep his distance achieved nothing lasting. Once the champion reached him again, he went down a second time. Getting up showed willingness; it didn’t mean he could defend himself effectively against the next attack.

I’ve no argument with the stoppage. Freitas finished the job in the second round, but this defence told us more about the gap between them than his ability against elite opposition. The Alexandrov victory remained the stronger evidence of his quality.