By Dan Ambrose: #1 WBC, #3 IBF, #5 WBO, #8 WBA, heavyweight contender Chris Arreola (35-2, 30 KO’s) could be fighting 2nd tier heavyweight Mike Mollo (20-3-1, 12 KO’s) in a 10 round bout on the undercard of the Victor Ortiz vs. Josesito Lopez bout on June 23rd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Steve Kim from Maxboxing.com said on his twitter “The name I’m hearing for Chris Arreola on June 23 on Showtime is Mike Mollo. It’s great being with Al Haymon.”

I don’t know about you but I think that’s an awful fight. Arreola has faced seven consecutive weak opponents since losing to Tomasz Adamek in April 2010. And if you add Mollo to that list, it would be Arreola’s 8th easy fight in a row. The wins have done a lot for Arreola’s confidence, because he’s been sounding incredibly confident about his skills despite not having faced anyone good in two years. Mollo would actually be a step down from the 2nd tier guys that Arreola has been feasting on lately. Mollo has losses to DaVarryl Williamson, Andre Golota and Jameel McCline.

Molla hasn’t lost in four years, but he also has fought on twice since 2008, being journeyman Billy Zumbrun by an 8 round decision in March of 2010, and then fighting to an eight round draw with Gary Gomez in August of 2010. Mollo hasn’t fought in two years since the Gomez fight. That’s not the type of opponent that you want to be putting in with a puncher like Arreola. It’s unclear what the problem is with Arreola. He should have been facing 1st tier guys at some point in the last two years, but for some reason he hasn’t.

If Arreola wins his next fight against Mollo, or whoever he ends up facing, Mollo will likely face IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in December in Madison Square Garden. Arreola will likely be way out of his class in that fight just as he was in getting stopped by Wladimir’s brother WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko in 2009.