By Allen Fox: Photo credit: Goossen Tutor Promotions – Heavyweight contender Chris Arreola (33-2, 28 KO’s) will be the smaller fighter tonight against 6’3″ journeyman Raphael Butler (35-11, 28 KO’s) in their scheduled 10 round fight at the Domo De La Fena Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. At Friday’s weigh-in, Arreola came in at a relatively slim 239 lbs compared to the 255 lbs for the 27-year-old Butler.

But what was really shocking was when Butler and Arreola stood eye to eye with one another. Butler, who is listed at 6’3″, looked to beat least two inches taller than the 6’4″ Arreola. This isn’t surprising because the fighter’s heights are usually nudged upwards by at least two inches and sometimes as much as three. Butler looks to be a genuine 6’3″, but Arreola appears to be no taller than 6’1″.

It probably won’t matter for this fight, because Butler five of his last seven fights, including back to back KO losses to David Price and Tye Fields among those losses. Arreola, ranked #1 WBC, #3 WBO, #4 IBF, should win this fight without too many problems but it doesn’t bode well for Arreola if he gets thrown in with IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2012 in a fight that could take place in the United States. Arreola won’t have the size or the reach to lay a glove on the much taller Wladimir, who is a genuine 6’6″ and knows how to use his long reach.

Arreola, 30, has been matched softly in his last five fights since losing to Tomasz Adamek by a 1 round decision last year in April 2010. Tonight will be yet another soft fight for Arreola. However, Butler can punch and if he can land some of his big shots on Arreola, we could see an upset. It’s not likely though. The only time that Arreola was stopped before in the past was against Vitali and even then it was a case of the fight being halted in between rounds because Arreola was little more than a round punching bag for Vitali.