Chris Arreola - The Next Great American Heavyweight?
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My dad recently asked me “Why didn’t you write about the HBO heavyweight fight a few weeks ago? The one where the young kid Chris Arreola just tore that poor Philly boxer Chazz Witherspoon up. That kid was something else.”
Back in late June I was much more interested in the Showtime fights that aired at the same night: the Arthur Abraham - Edison Miranda rematch its co-feature the Raul Marquez - Giovanni Lorenzo upset. A few days later when I got around to watching the HBO fights — Arreola’s third round KO and Andre Berto’s domination of Miki Rodriguez — there was nothing left to say.
Since then everyone and their mother (my father was on the cutting edge) has fallen in love with young, round, and large Chris Arreola. During the July 2 Friday Night Fights ESPN2 ranked him as America’s 2nd best heavyweight behind Tony Thompson, after the Wladimir Klitschko fight the HBO team was rushing to place him in a major fight, and today Arreola pops up in Ring Magazine’s Top Ten Heavyweights.
Is he deserving or is he merely a young American heavyweight at a time when no others seem to exist? I’ve rewatched the Chazz Witherspoon fight a few times now and keep coming away more impressed with the 27-year-old from Riverside, Calif.
At first glance Arreola looks short, round, out of shape, and plodding. But once the bell rings you realize that all your assumptions are wrong. Boxrec.com lists his height at 6′4″, he moves around the ring with deceptive ease, his hands throw quick pounding combinations, he closes down on his opponent with pit bull-like aggression, and he finishes with palpable viciousness.
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Whether or not he’s more than a just an exciting brawler remains to be seen but he is certainly a much more interesting heavyweight viewing option than 35+ year-old American never-weres, boring technical Eastern European ex-amateur champs, and a circus freak.
So, yes, it’s great to see Arreola break into the heavyweight division’s top echelon. His refreshing style and crowd pleasing tendencies are a breath of fresh air. Are his technical skills good enough to compete against the elite? Has he been rushed to fill a void before his talent is properly realized?
The answer to both questions is probably yes. The current crop of heavyweights just aren’t that good. Whether Arreola could become the elusive great American heavyweight and the often-pined-for “savior of his beleaguered division” remains to be seen.
Nevertheless, he’s a lot better than what we’ve got and he already has a casual boxing fan like my dad talking.
What do you guys think? Is Arreola deserving of his rank? Could he become a linear World Champ?
Tags: American Heavyweight, Chris Arreola, HBO, heavyweight, Ring Magazine, Tony Thompson, Wladimir KlitschkoRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Boxing
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