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It was in this poor but scenic area where Freitas first became enamored with boxing, and since then he has burned his way to the junior lightweight world title and elite status in Brazil.

“I used to watch my brother Claudio in the gym,” Freitas remembers. “I was five years old.”

Now at 28, the Brazilian superstar known as “Popo” has an air of urgency around him as he prepares to meet Artur (CQ) Grigorian (36-0) for the WBO lightweight title at the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. The fight takes place on Jan. 3, 2004 and will be shown on Showtime.

Freitas (34-0, 31 KOs), who remains an undefeated world champion, wants bigger challenges to show the boxing orbit he belongs in the same company as Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya. Against Grigorian, he is moving up in weight.

“I know I’m facing a great fighter,” Freitas said. “I wish him the best of luck.”

In Brazil, where more than 172 million people live, Freitas has a massive following that rivals the fanatic madness for its soccer teams.

“Popo is a big hero in Brazil,” said Jesus Coronado, a former member of the U.S. Consulate in Sao Paolo, Brazil. “Everybody loves him.”

And why not?

Despite his super hero status the WBO junior lightweight world title-holder maintains the same quiet humility not seen since Mexico’s Salvador Sanchez. In fact, he slightly resembles the late Sanchez with his curly locks, square jaw and high-pitched voice.

When Freitas meets someone, he greets them with sincerity in his eyes and voice.

“I’ve never met anyone like Popo,” said Oscar Suarez, who has trained Freitas for several years. “He’s such a humble kid.”

After beating Cuba’s great fighter Joel Casamayor almost two years ago to unify the junior lightweight titles, Freitas came very close to becoming an American favorite. But subsequent fights against little-known fighters hid the Brazilian from the limelight.

Matches against Daniel Attah, Juan Carlos Ramirez and Jorge Rodrigo Barrios followed the win over Casamayor and led to mass desertion by American fans that loved his make or break style that saw him knock out 29 consecutive opponents.

Americans wanted Freitas to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., Diego Corrales, Jesus Chavez or even Casamayor again. Those bouts never happened and the American audience lost their fascination with the Brazilian fighter.

Then, last August, in his bout with Argentina’s Barrios, the people greeted the match up with lukewarm reception. But those who witnessed the bout were treated to a slugfest that proved South American fighters have that same guts and glory seen in other Latin American countries.

Freitas was knocked down twice by Barrios’s stiff lefts and right hands and for the first time in his career was behind on the scorecards coming into the final two rounds. But in the last second of the 11th round a thunderous right hand by the curly-haired Brazilian found its mark on Barrios’s jaw to finally drop him. Barrios survived but in the 12th, two more right hands sent Barrios to the canvas in 30 seconds and the fight was over.

“People don’t know how good this Barrios kid is,” said Suarez, who has trained Great Britain’s former featherweight title-holder Naseem Hamed. “That night, Barrios would beat a whole bunch of those top 10 fighters in the division. I just hope a guy like Barrios fights a guy like Casamayor or Barrera or Morales and they are going to see the type of fighter that Acelino faced that night.”

Despite the scintillating finish, some wonder if Freitas can beat the other junior lightweights let alone the lightweights. But those who get in the ring with Freitas say he has something extra that other fighters don’t possess.

“He has power,” said Julio Diaz, a top contending lightweight who has sparred with Mayweather in the past. “He can hit.”

Steve Quinonez, another lightweight world contender from the desert area, backs Diaz’s statement.

“He really hits hard,” Quinonez said.

Sparring with a combination of Brazilian and Coachella fighters, Freitas brings his frenetic style of movement as he moves left then right, and bends backwards to avoid punches then suddenly moves forward to launch a left from the belt line. It’s his own brand of fighting.

“I’ve always had this style,” Freitas said, admitting that he uses some elements of Sugar Ray Leonard’s defense. “I don’t like to stand there and get hit and hit and hit.”

With his brow furrowed, Freitas spars at a maddening pace as if a timer were placed on ticking bomb. The pace is dizzying as he trades rapid shots from all angles with his sparring partner in the Coachella Boxing Club.

“After I fight Grigorian I’d like to fight Floyd Mayweather,” Freitas said after sparring eight rounds in Coachella. “But I can’t think about anybody else but Artur Grigorian.”

Lee Espinoza, who supervises the Coachella Boxing Club and handles numerous world-class fighters, recognizes talent and true humility in the sport.

“This Acelino is a real nice kid,” Espinoza said. “He’s a very humble person. He’s a real good fighter. We’re honored to have him train here.”

Freitas said never thinks of himself as a super star or something other than a Brazilian from the poor streets of Bahia.

“The week before I won my first world title, I was sleeping on the dirt floor,” said Freitas, recounting that cold day in August 1999. “To see my family living like this in poverty it motivated me to work hard and become a world champion.”

Like the smoky smell of Bahia in the winter, Freitas still has fire burning inside him somewhere.

“I do it for the 500 kids in gyms in Bahia and Guayani,” Freitas said.

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