Photo: Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions – By Dave Lahr: Now with only two days to go before the huge clash between heavyweight contender Chris Arreola (27-0, 24 KO’s) and champion World Boxing Council heavyweight title holder Vitali Klitschko (37-2, 36 KO’s) at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles. Arreola took part on Wednesday in a public workout at Venice Beach, in Los Angeles.

Arreola, 28, said “It’s going to be a changing of the guard. Very simple. The steel curtain is closed and now I own it.” Arreola is talking about his Ukrainian opponent Vitali Klitschko, who Arreola is hoping to beat on Saturday and take Klitschko’s title away in what will be a huge upset victory.

As of now, most of the big betting money is being put on Klitschko to win the fight by knockout. It’s a safe choice for betters to makes because Klitschko has the size and experience going for him in this fight. But what the gamblers are missing is the determination, power, youth and hear that Arreola possesses.

Those attributes will more than even out any advantages that the 38-year-old Klitschko has going for him in this fight. Klitschko has been able to win most of his fights idling at half speed, mainly because his opponents were either too small or too afraid to rush him and try to force the fight on him. They threw away their chance of beating Klitschko by playing it safe and not taking the fight to him.

When you have a big fighter like Klitschko, who has limited stamina, you have to try and go at him, make him expend his energy in order to beat him. To his credit, Arreola is smart enough to see where Klitschko’s previous opponents have failed, and he plans on not making the same mistake as the other fighters.

As most people guess, this fight won’t go to the finish. One of these fighters won’t be around at the final bell in the 12th to end the fight. Arreola refuses to be knocked out, because he will be looking to make history on Saturday night by becoming the first Mexican to win a heavyweight title. As such, it looks as if Vitali will be the one that ends up getting knocked out because there’s little chance that Arreola will go down from Klitschko’s big shots.

Vitali seems to be aware of his detractors in this fight, saying “This time everybody is saying, ‘sorry, we don’t believe you can do it.’ I will show my skills and punch in the ring on Saturday.” I’m afraid that Klitschko has a case of wishful thinking. He’s still thinking he’s a young fighter and doesn’t recognize that he’s reached old age and has finally met his match in the younger, stronger Arreola.

Klitschko might have been able to beat a fighter like Arreola four to seven years ago, but not now. Klitschko has been away from the ring for too long, has aged and is facing the best punching machine since Lennox Lewis. There’s probably only one heavyweight that can stand up to Arreola right now, and that’s Vitali’s younger brother Wladimir Klitschko.

And the only reason why Wladimir could beat Arreola is because he would have the movement and jab to avoid getting into a fatal war with Arreola in the trenches. Vitali doesn’t have the tools needed to stay on the move against Arreola, and will be forced to fight at close range until the bitter end.