(RE-SENDING) *Brazilian Freitas retains super lightweight titles* ---------------------------------------------------- PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Undefeated Brazilian knockout artist Acelino Freitas faced little resistance in defending his titles Saturday night, pounding out an easy unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Daniel Attah of Nigeria.

Freitas (32-0, 29 KOs) dominated the action throughout against the survival-minded Attah, defending his WBA super featherweight and lightly regarded WBO junior lightweight 130-pound titles.

Despite having a point deducted in the 10th round for a low blow, Freitas captured all three judges' scorecards, 117-110.

The heavy-handed, offensive-minded Freitas won his first 29 bouts by knockout, with 22 victories coming inside three rounds. However, he has been forced to go the distance in his last three fights.

"We trained for 12 rounds," Freitas said through an interpreter. "We were focusing on a victory."

Attah's best chance to turn the tide may have come in the sixth, when the lights went out in the arena for about 20 seconds a minute into the round.

Despite coming into the fight unbeaten, the African southpaw was reluctant to throw any meaningful punches and the champion was never in trouble.

A 1996 Olympian, Attah (20-1-1) fought defensively and displayed little firepower as the champion patiently picked his spots to force any type of action. Both fighters showed too much respect for each other, and Freitas carried the fight.

Freitas captured the WBO 130-pound strap in August 1999 and has made seven successful title defenses. He "unified" the titles when he posted a narrow unanimous decision over then-undefeated Cuban defector Joel Casamayor to capture the WBA strap in January.

One of Brazil's most popular athletes, the 26-year-old Freitas has his sights set on unifying the 130-pound crown before moving up in weight, perhaps to face undefeated current WBC lightweight champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

On the undercard, super middleweight contender Antwun Echols moved closer to another shot at a world title with a third-round stoppage of Richard Grant.

The power-punching Echols (29-4-1, 26 KOs) came out fast in the opening round. A minute into the fight, he dropped Grant with an overhand right to the ear followed by a left to the face.

Grant barely beat referee Tony Weeks' count, rising from the canvas at nine. Echols applied pressure for the remainder of the round but was unable to finish off Grant.

Grant, who represented Jamaica in the 1996 Olympics, switched to southpaw in the second round with some success, but Echols made the adjustments.

Echols had Grant in trouble again as he battered the Jamaican throughout the final minute of the round. Echols stunned Grant (14-9) with a right to the head and a follow-up barrage prompted the referee to stop the fight 59 seconds into the third round.

Echols moves into the mandatory spot in the IBF 168-pound super middleweight rankings and will face undefeated champion Sven Ottke of Germany later this year.

In two shots at a middleweight title, Echols lost decisions to current undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins.

"Sven Ottke is an old veteran, he comes to fight," Echols said. "He doesn't have anything for me."