Brazil’s Prodigal Son Michael
Oliveira Returns Home to Capture Interim WBC Title March 26, 2011
SAO PAULO, Brazil - Somebody’s “O” had to
go in tonight’s Brazilian-Argentinean showdown between unbeaten
prospects, as Michael “The Brazilian Rocky” Oliveira’s rising popularity
in his native country continued to grow with his 10-round unanimous
decision victory against a game Abel Nicolas “El Principito” Adriel,
headlining the “International Boxing Challenge” pro-am event at Mauro
Pinheiro Gymnasium in Sao Paulo. The 20-year-old Oliveira (14-0, 11
KOs), rated No. 10 by the USBA, captured the Interim World Boxing
Council Latino Super Middleweight Championship, defeating (98-92, 98-92,
97-93) previously undefeated Adriel (10-1-2, 2 KOs) in front of a
spirited, partisan crowd.
“International Boxing Challenge,”
presented by MO Productions, aired live on TV Globo Network, SporTV
cable, GloboEsporte and TV Globo International.
Brazilians and Argentineans are traditional arch-rivals in sports and
the 21-year-old Adriel, who fights out of Buenos Aires, was a natural
foe for the hard-punching Oliveira. The extremely active Adriel is a
consummate boxer who has now had 13 fights in only 14 months as a
professional.
“He changed his style,” Oliveira said after the fight. “I usually fight
on the inside but he fought on the inside, and I had to fight on the
outside. My performance was sufficient to win and put smiles on the
faces of the fans here tonight, but I’m not smiling. I know I’m 100
times better than I showed. I knew he didn’t have any power and he liked
to work the body, but he didn’t go to the body as much as I had
expected. When he started protecting himself downstairs, I went back
upstairs at the end of the fight. It was a fight of adjustments.”
Oliveira, the repeat winner of the Brazilian International Press Award’s
Athlete of the Year (2009 and 2010), was born in Sao Paulo but he moved
two weeks after birth to Miami with his family. He made his Brazilian
debut last November, stopping Junior Ramos in the third round, and
remains committed to re-establishing boxing in Brazil.
“I think the people here in Brazil have put me on a pedestal but I’m
really not there, yet,” Oliveira noted. “This fight was a valuable
learning experience for me. I got sidetracked, expecting one thing from
him, and I getting something else. You know, it was like at Christmas
when you expect a ball but get a doll. He was tough and I’ll be better
because of this fight.”
Oliveira expects to return to the ring once again in Sao Paulo in late
May or early June.
Brazil’s last superstar boxer, 4-time world champion Acelino “Popo”
Freitas, was in attendance supporting Oliveira.
“This was a very structured event and an incredible project,” Freitas
commented. “Michael is very humble and calm in the ring. I flew two
hours from my home to support him and what MO Productions is doing for
boxing in Brazil.”
Complete Results Below:
‘International Boxing Challenge” – March 25, 2010 – Sao Paulo, Brazil
Professionals
SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS:
Michael Oliveira (14-0, 11 KOs), Miami, FL WDEC10 (98-92, 98-92, 97-93)
Abel Adriel (10-1-2, 2 KOs), Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Oliveira
won the Interim WBC Latino super middleweight title)
MIDDLEWEIGHTS:
Douglas Ataibe (1-0, 0 KOs), Sao Paulo, Brazil WDEC4 (40-36, 40-36,
40-35) Valdevan Pereira (5-5, 4 KOs), Sao Paulo, Brazil
Amateurs (Brazilian Olympic Team members)
119 POUND DIVISION:
Jackson Junior, Bahia, Brazil WPTS3 (3-0) Adauto Silva, Para, Brazil
Gilson Barros, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil WPTS3 (2-1) Jefferson Silva, Para,
Brazil
