Vitali Klitschko Will Keep Mexican's Dreaming of a Champion
WBC heavyweight champion Vitali “Dr. Iron Fist” Klitschko will defend his title against Mexican-American Cristobal “Nightmare” Arreola at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Saturday night.
Arreola (27-0, 24 knockouts), who hails from nearby Riverside, Calif., will attempt to become the first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent in front of a crowd that will inevitably be supporting his every move throughout the night.
“I’m going to make him a pop-culture question,” Arreola, 28, said of Klitschko (37-2, 36 knockouts). “’Who did Cris Arreola beat to become the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion of the world?’ I’m honored by this, and it’s not just the opportunity. It’s history. It’s hard for me to even describe.”
In order to achieve such a historical feat in the ring, Arreola will have to overcome Klitschko’s three-inch height advantage and the devastating jab combinations that he is known to expertly employ.
Klitschko, 38, the owner of the highest knockout percentage (92%) of any heavyweight champion ever, is essentially an undefeated fighter.
The Ukrainian giant lost to former titlists Chris Byrd and Lennox Lewis because of injuries he suffered during their respective matches.
In both bouts, Klitschko was winning on points before the contests were halted due to the wounds that impaired his ability to box.
“Here is a guy who has never been knocked down and never been behind at the end of a fight because his losses were stopped due to injury,” said HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant.
Arreola, the winner of the National Golden Gloves in 2001 as a light-heavyweight, has long been considered a spectacular talent whose heart was not entirely into the sport of pugilism.
“I really didn’t know if boxing was going to be my career,” the heavily-tattooed Arreola recently admitted. “I wasn’t sure about turning pro and once I did, I just took it one fight at a time. But then I started knocking guys out and I gradually started thinking, ‘Hey, maybe I can make some money doing this.’”
If Arreola is able to emerge victorious this weekend, there will be ample opportunities for him to make vast sums of money in the world of prizefighting.
“I’ve said for more than a decade that the next Mike Tyson or Oscar De La Hoya that blows the doors off the economic equation in boxing will be the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion,” said HBO boxing analyst Jim Lampley. “The sky’s the limit for that kind of fighter and Chris has the personality and business savvy to score big time.”
Arreola is an extremely powerful puncher and he has the potential to knock Klitschko out at any moment Saturday.
Nevertheless, expect “Dr. Iron Fist” and his jab to ultimately prove to be an unsettling “nightmare” for Arreola.
By Sunday morning, Mexican fight fans will still be left hoping and dreaming for a champion of their own.
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