Stiverne-Arreola II – post fight presser and analysis

Bermane Stiverne stopped Chris Arreola at 2:02 of the sixth round Saturday night to become the first heavyweight titlist of Haitian heritage. ESPN picked up the anticipated rematch and aired it live on the main network rather than ESPN2, which is the home of their popular “Friday Night Fights” series. Here’s a look back at a great event.

The Atmosphere:

It was a unique setting for a heavyweight world title bout, with the card taking place on the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles. By contrast, the first Stiverne-Arreola match last April was held in front of a larger audience at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.

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Bermane Stiverne proves he’s for real, and now everybody wants to fight him!

If Haitian-born heavyweight puncher Bermane Stiverne didn’t prove he was for real in his last fight, when he out-pointed Chris Arreola over 12-rounds, he sure proved it last night in stopping Arreola in the 6th-round. Stiverne, a powerful counter-puncher, was losing the fight last night, yet he sensationally made the score-cards null and void courtesy of his right hand.

Almost instantly, the talk turned to who the brand new WBC king will fight next (or who his promoter Don King – who, with last night’s big win, made a comeback to the top of the heavyweight division – will allow Stiverne to fight next). King spoke of Stiverne’s right to box a voluntary defence, making it a real possibility that Stiverne will not face WBC mandatory and unbeaten KO artist Deontay Wilder next. King also spoke of taking Stiverne on a “world tour.”

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Stiverne stops Arreola in classic heavyweight battle

(Photo credit: Tiffany Lam) Tonight millions of boxing fans tuned into a heavyweight title fight live on primetime ESPN. A raucous crowd got their money’s worth at the Galen Center on the University of Southern California campus, just a couple miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Haiti native Bermane “B WARE” Stiverne, who now trains out of Las Vegas, squared off against Mexican-American Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola in a rematch for the vacant WBC title. Stiverne won their first bout last April via decision, but not before shattering Arreola’s nose at the end of the third round. As intense and bloody as the first contest was, fans eagerly anticipated the rematch.

The USC marching band played the national anthem in the ring, and then Chris Arreola made his ring walk, inciting a wild eruption from the partisan LA crowd. Next to the ring was Bermane Stiverne, who was serious as always as he shrugged off boos from Arreola supporters. Michael Buffer introduced the fighters and got the crowd pumped. The atmosphere was electric in anticipation for the opening bell.

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Stiverne Proves 1st Win No Fluke – Stops Arreola in 6th

(Photo credit: Tiffany Lam) Bermane “B Ware” Stiverne’s 24-1-1 (21KO) toughest task saturday night at USC Galen Center, Los Angeles, California seemed to be getting off the canvas himself. He put himself there collapsing, completely overjoyed with his 6th round stoppage of Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola 36-4-0 (31KO). The end came at 2:02 of the 6th round, when referee Jack Reiss stopped the fight.

The end came abruptly. Arreola had been doing a good job, winning rounds by being busier. Arreola was rocked in the early rounds by a left hook, but that seemed to wake him up, so he was a bit more cautious. But, it didn’t stop the ongoing chatter between the two. At one point, Chris smiled and raised his eyebrows in a gesture of confidence. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

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Stiverne stops Arreola in 6th

(Photo credit: Tiffany Lam) Chris Arreola (36-4, 31 KO’s) made the mistake of standing directly in front of the big hitting Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KO’s) and he paid for it tonight by getting stopped in the 6th round for their fight for the vacant WBC heavyweight title strap at the USC Galen Center, in Los Angeles, California, USA. Arreola was put on the canvas twice in the 6th, and the fight was stopped after Stiverne hit a totally defenseless Arreola with a couple of more shots. Referee Jack Reiss had seen enough and stepped in and stopped the bout at 2:00 of the round.

In the first knockdown in the 6th, Stiverne clipped Arreola with a tremendous right hand to send him down. It was a looping shot that Arreola didn’t seem to see until too late. As Arreola was picking himself off the canvas, Stiverne stood directly behind Reiss waiting to pounce on Arreola. Reiss turned around and gave Arreola a hard shove to get him to go to the neutral corner.

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Khan deserves the Mayweather fight, says Haye

David Haye feels that Amir Khan’s victories over Luis Collazo, Julio Diaz and Carlos Molina are the right stuff to get him a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in late 2014 or in 2015. Haye believes that the way that Khan beat those three fighters was more than enough to show that he deserves to be in the same ring with Mayweather. Haye also has Khan rated as the number 2 welterweight in the division behind only Mayweather, and he sees Khan as being capable of defeating Manny Pacquiao right now.

“I think Khan deserves a fight against Mayweather. Maidana gave Mayweather a hell of a fight,” Haye said. “Khan smashed him [Maidana] before, put him down and dominated him. If anybody can beat Mayweather, its Amir Khan…He put him [Collazo] down multiple times, and he dominated him. That was a performance for me to say he is the best fighter on the planet behind Mayweather.”

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Canelo Alvarez vs. Erislandy Lara press tour finale in Puerto Rico; quotes

(Photo Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez – Hoganphotos) CANELO ALVAREZ

“Thank you all. Yesterday we arrived and the reception we got showed the quality of people you are, and I am very pleased.

“I’ve heard a lot about Puerto Rico. I’ve always wanted to come; that’s why I decided that we make a stop here during the press tour.

“I’m always working, I’m always training and this was the chance to come here. I hope to have the opportunity to come here on vacations.

“Puerto Rico is much more beautiful than I thought. I want to thank everyone for their support and I just want to say that I am always 100 percent prepared.

“He [Lara] is a great fighter, a great boxer, a tough fighter, but I have fought against all styles.

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Stiverne-Arreola II fight week coverage – Weigh In

Weigh-ins for the WBC heavyweight title bout between Bermane Stiverne and Chris Arreola took place this afternoon at the Radisson Midtown near the USC campus in Los Angeles, where the action will take place tomorrow night. Both men came in lighter than they weighed for their first bout last April, showing just how serious the fighters are taking this rematch.

Arreola stepped onto the scale first, weighing in at 239, his trimmest physique in years. By comparison, “The Nightmare” came into the first match with Stiverne at 248, and tipped the scale for his most recent bout (a quick destruction of American Seth Mitchell last year) at 242 pounds.

Stiverne hit the scale next, measuring 239.5 pounds. By comparison, “B WARE” was 247 for the first fight with Arreola last April, and came in at 243 against journeyman Willie Herring in his only bout of 2012. Against former title challenger Ray Austin in June of 2011, Stiverne weighed in at 239 pounds.

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Deontay Wilder — I Fought Cyber-Bully Zelenoff… To Save His Life!!

by TMZ Sports — Boxing champ Deontay Wilder — the reigning WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight — says Zelenoff has been harassing him for 3 years … calling him the N-word in texts and in phone calls and even threatening to harm his young daughter.

“He said he was going to murder me. He said he was going to tape my daughter’s mouth … when dealing with my kids, that’s below the belt. That’s what really got me.”

Wilder says he finally got fed up with the constant harassment and told Zelenoff to meet him at the Hollywood Boxing Gym on May 7 to settle their beef once and for all.

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Wilder: Stiverne doesn’t deserve to fight Arreola for WBC title

(Photo credit: Goosen Tutor Promotions) #3 WBC Deontay Wilder (31-0, 31 KO’s) doesn’t think #1 WBC Bermane Stiverne (23-1-1, 20 KO’s) deserves to be fighting for the vacant WBC heavyweight title tonight against Chris Arreola (36-3, 31 KO’s) at the USC Galen Center, in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Deontay thinks that the 6’2” Stiverne lacks the resume to be fighting for a world title given that his only one big named opponent he’s faced during his career is Arreola, who Deontay felt was out of shape when Stiverne beat him last year by a 12 round unanimous decision in April of 2013.

“I don’t feel that Stiverne has done nothing to deserve a title shot,” Deontay said via Fightnews. “The only person he beat to deserve a shot was Chris Arreola. He [Stiverne] got pounded by my man Ray Austin.”

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