Acelino Freitas quit again.

After coming out of retirement and winning three straight bouts, including picking up a world title, Acelino 'Popo' Freitas couldn't take the heat from young Mexican-American slugger Juan Diaz last night at the Foxwood Resort in Connecticut.

Diaz never stopped working and coming forward, firing punches in flurries, and it paid off. After getting off to a good start with lateral movement and hard uppercuts, Freitas started to tire in the second half of the fight. Whenever Freitas hit Diaz with a clean shot, the younger fighter went into brawl mode and threw hellfire, landing clean to Freitas' head. Although not known as a power puncher, Diaz clearly hurt the Brazilian and came as close as one can get to stopping an opponent without actually doing it in the 8th round. However, Freitas' trainer Oscar Suarez wouldn't let his fighter out for the 9th round, and Diaz was awarded a TKO victory, and Freitas' WBO trinket.

For Freitas, 38-2 (32), the loss--another virtual "no mas"--must haunt him, for it comes in the same venue where he fought and quit against Diego Corrales. Frietas' illustrious career always held a big question mark: is his resume padded with knockout victims from South America, or is he the real deal? Does he have heart? Does he have the psychological makeup to excel in the upper echelons of the sport? It was thought those questions were answered when Freitas got off the canvas to win a compelling war of attrition with hard-punching Argentine Jorge Barrios in 2003, but the Corrales fight exposed his often erratic behaviour. His comeback wins over Zahir Raheem and the unheralded Fabian Salazar set him on the right track, but quitting against Diaz is inexcusable. It proves that when things aren't going his way, he folds up like a tent.

Diaz, 32-0 (16), on the other hand, passed all the tests with flying colours, and deserves major credit. Ability to stay focused in the biggest fight of your career? Check. Ability to trade with and take a punch from a known power puncher? Check. Chin? Check. Intestinal fortitude? Check. Ability to stop an opponent? Check. The 'Baby Bull', at 23-years-old, unified the lightweight WBA and WBO trinkets, and stands a better than decent chance at beating any of the other titlists, including WBC champ David Diaz (who will fight the worn Erik Morales on PPV) and an aging Joel Casamayor, the Ring magazing and pound-for-pound 135-pound champ.

Freitas' legs, as in the Corrales fight, were once again not able to carry him through to victory. He has tremendous power in both hands and exceptional boxing skill, but he's missing that elusive ingredient that makes a great champion: heart. And Diaz has it in spades.