The star of one of the boxing bouts with the biggest buzz in Brazil, Michael Oliveira is unbeaten in his 17-fight career. Personal archive photo.
The boxer Michael Oliveira, 22, is all set for the next big challenge of his career. He’ll be taking on former world champion Acelino “Popó” Freitas, now a congressman in the Brazilian capital of Brasília. The bout, the final farewell for the Brazilian hero, will go down on June 2 in Punta del Este, Uruguay, and Michael is facing the fight as a sort of passing of the torch. “Popó’s day is gone. He was fantastic, but now it’s my time.”
To get in tip-top shape for the fight, the pugilist has been training six hours per day. “I’m focused, trained hard, put a lot of effort and concentration into it, since boxing is like chess; it’s an art where you have to think before striking, before withdrawing,” remarked Michael, who is the current World Boxing Council middleweight champion and trains under Coach Orlando Cuellar.
Having won 12 of the 17 fights in his unbeaten career, Michael wants to push ahead on his winning path. “I want to remain unbeaten. Everybody’s watching this fight, and I want to show what I can do.” The fight between Michael and Popó caused major repercussions mostly because of the provocations issued by the former world champ.
“He can say what he wants, I don’t mind. I keep quiet and don’t taunt so much before a fight. I’d rather train, get ready and show what really matters in the ring,” explained the young boxer, then stating that his opponent can rest assured that the future of Brazilian boxing will be in good hands.
Speaking with some Jiu-Jitsu fighters, training six hours a day seems to be the consensus on how much training gi-clad combatants hoping to become world champion should put in. What do you think? How may hours of training per day does it take to become world champion?
Let us know in the comments field below.
