On August 3, 2002, at Phoenix's Dodge Theater, Acelino Freitas defended his newly unified WBA/WBO super featherweight titles against undefeated Nigerian challenger Daniel Attah in a contest that revealed vulnerabilities in the champion's armor despite a clear victory.
The bout marked Freitas's first defense of the WBA title he had captured from Joel Casamayor, while his WBO belt was being defended for the eighth time. Both fighters weighed in at the division limit of 130 pounds, with Freitas entering at 31-0 and Attah at 20-0-1.
Though the unanimous scorecards of 117-110 from judges Guy Jutras, Raul Caiz Sr., and Chris Wilson suggest dominance, the fight exposed some defensive gaps in Freitas's game. Attah, a southpaw who had earned his shot through a technical decision win over Ariel Nistal, consistently found openings to land clean shots on the champion throughout the contest.
The action saw Freitas penalized a point in the tenth round by referee Robert Ferrara for landing a low blow, though this deduction proved inconsequential to the final outcome. Despite his ability to connect with precision punches, Attah lacked the power to seriously trouble Freitas, who maintained control of the bout's tempo across the twelve rounds.
The Showtime-televised contest served as a revealing chapter in both fighters' careers - confirming Freitas's position at the division's summit while simultaneously highlighting the technical proficiency of Attah, who would later see his career momentum halted by Nate Campbell in a punishing 2004 defeat.
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