In the eyes of many, Floyd Mayweather is one of, if not the greatest fighter in boxing history.
The 47-year-old from Grand Rapids, Michigan walked away from boxing in 2017 having won all 50 of his professional contests.
He won world titles in five weight classes, defeating the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya throughout his incredible career.
JUST IN: (Highlights) David Benavidez Outworks David Morrell in Electrifying Brawl, Moves to 30-0
There was one man, however, who has accused ‘Money’ of avoiding a fight with him. That man is Brazilian boxing legend and two-weight world champion Acelino Freitas, who is often regarded as one of the most underrated fighters of all time.
Freitas rose from a poverty-stricken childhood to become an accomplished fighter who captured world titles at lightweight and super featherweight, in a career that spanned 22-years.
Speaking in an interview with BoxingScene, ‘Popo’ spoke of how he believed Mayweather ‘ran’ from him during his campaign at super featherweight.
“So many were running from me when I made 10 defenses [of lightweight and super featherweight titles].
I wanted to fight Floyd Mayweather but he did not want to fight me. It was easier for these guys to run from me. You can’t blame them.”
Freitas lost on just two occasions throughout his 43-fight career. He defeated the likes of Joel Casamayor and Barry Jones during his tenure, but did fall short in his 2004 contest with the late-great Diego Corrales, suffering a tenth-round stoppage victory at the hands of ‘Chico’.
‘Popo’ retired from unofficially professional boxing in 2017, but has since had four exhibition contests in his native Brazil.
