By Dave Lahr: Unbeaten heavyweight Chris Arreola (27-0, 24 KO’s) will be looking to put the boxing world in a state of shock on September 26th, if he can pull off a major upset by beating WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (37-2, 36 KO’s) at the Staple Center, in Los Angeles. And in beating the 38-year-old Klitschko, Arreola would become the first Mexican to win the heavyweight title. Arreola, 28, has a much better chance than a lot of people are giving him credit for. Klitschko has fought only twice in the past four years, has a history of injuries, has stamina problems and hasn’t faced a fighter like Arreola since Klitschko’s 6th round TKO defeat at the hands of Lennox Lewis in 2003.
It goes without saying that Arreola and Lewis are two completely different fighters with different looking physiques, and offensive weapons, but what they do have is that they both can punch hard. That might be all that Arreola needs against Klitschko. Vitali hasn’t been tested since he was nearly knocked down in the 1st round by the hard punching southpaw Corrie Sanders in April 2004.
Klitschko survived the 1st round and later came back to batter and then stop Sanders in the 8th round. After retiring for a period of four years due to a string of injures to Klitschko’s knee and back, he came back last year to recapture the World Boxing Council heavyweight title with an 8th round stoppage victory over champion Samuel Peter in October. Klitschko has since then defended his WBC title once, stopping number #1 contender Juan Carlos Gomez in the 9th round in March.
Even though fighting for the title, Arreola has stayed surprisingly cool and collected about his big title shot, saying that he sees the fight as any other bout during his pro career. It’s unknown whether Arreola means what he says or not. He could be just whistling past the graveyard and bluffing himself and reporters by saying it’s just like any other fight. However, it still looks good to see Arreola staying together and not losing his head under the pressure of what he’s about to go through.
This is going to be a big step up in competition for Arreola, not so much in terms of size, but rather talent. Arreola defeated big 6’6” Jameel McCline by a 4th round stoppage in April. Arreola looked good and didn’t seem to have too many problems in the other, other than when he was staggered in the 3rd round by McCline.
Beyond being the first Mexican heavyweight champion, Arreola will bring back one of the heavyweight titles to the U.S. if he can beat Klitschko. In doing this, Arreola will make himself somewhat of a star and will likely get endorsement deals and a lot of other perks that come with being a heavyweight champion in the U.S.
However, Arreola is going to have to try to find a way to land his big shots against Klitschko, because it probably won’t be easy to do. Vitali is very good at making his opponents miss with their punches and then come back and counter them with short powerful left hooks and right hands.
Klitschko also has a very good jab, which he uses to bust up his opponent’s faces. Vitali doesn’t have a jab like kid brother IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, but it’s still a very respectable jab and one for Arreola to be concerned about.
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