By Dan Ambrose: Former two-time world title challenger Chris Arreola (36-4-1, 31 KOs) will be getting his third title shot next month when he fights WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (36-0, 35 KOs) in his own hometown at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Arreola sees the 6’7” Wilder as a good fighter, but not someone in the same class as former WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko.
Arreola was stopped in the 10th round by Vitali seven years ago in 2009 in a one-sided fight. Arreola says Vitali was the smartest fighter he’s ever faced before in his career. Arreola plans on pressuring Wilder and getting inside his punching range so that he can’t get maximum power on his shots like he’s accustomed to.
“No disrespect to Wilder but he’s no Vitali Klitschko,” said Arreola to RingTV.com. “Klitschko wasn’t just big; he was the smartest fighter I ever faced. He slapped me around good but I kept coming. I’m not sure Wilder can keep me off of him like Vitali did.”
Wilder will probably be using the same strategy for the Arreola fight that he did in his contest with former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne last year in January. Wilder stayed on the move for 12 rounds, jabbing and landing hard pot shots. Stiverne tried to cut off the ring on Wilder but he couldn’t do it on a consistent enough basis for him to land his shots.
By the time Stiverne started to find success in the later rounds in cornering Wilder, he’d already taken a huge beating and he wasn’t in the position to take full advantage of it like he needed to. Stiverne reportedly was dehydrated for that fight for some reason. Arreola says Stiverne wasn’t ready for the fight with Wilder like he had been for his two fights against him in the past.
“Not to take anything away from Wilder but Stiverne was ready for me,” said Arreola. “He didn’t take Wilder seriously at all. His athleticism and power sets him apart. His power is in the snap at the end of his punches. I can’t give him range. I have to be ready for his speed and be able to get in close.”
Arreola had problems getting past the jab of Stiverne in his two fights with him. It’s likely that Arreola will have a hard time cutting off the ring on Wilder and getting near enough to land his big shots. Arreola will need to take advantage of the times he does get close enough to Wilder for him to land his shots. If Arreola can’t get to Wilder in the early rounds, he might not be around later in the fight for him to last his shots.
With Arreola, he’s got the kind of power that can end the fight early if he can land his shots flush. Arreola destroyed Seth Mitchell and Eric Molina early in his fights with them. Some boxing fans think Wilder has a weak chin. If that’s true, then Arreola will have a very good chance of scoring a knockout in this fight if he can get in close enough to connect with full power.
Arreola can change his financial situation if he beats Wilder in this fight. A win over Wilder will likely to a potential unification match against IBF champion Anthony Joshua or a fight against the winner of the Tyson Fury vs. Wladimir Klitschko fight.