by James Slater – According to an extremely interesting news bit on FightNews.com, unbeaten heavyweight contender Chris Arreola may be the next man to face IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. 27-year-old Arreola, nicknamed, of course, “The Nightmare,” is the #2 contender with the IBF and apparently talks are currently underway for the Californian slugger to challenge “Dr. Steel Hammer” in April or May next year, most likely at The Staples Centre, Los Angeles. Klitscho, should he emerge victorious, would then have until September 13th to face another unbeaten contender in IBF #1 Alexander Povetkin.
This is interesting news, and the question that arises is, is Arreola, 26-0(23) ready for such a huge task at this stage of his career? Seen by many as the best unbeaten American heavyweight contender, Arreola has captured the imagination of the fans with his rugged style, his fighting heart and his likeable, everyday-guy-quality.. The fighter from Riverside, CA may not be the most athletic-looking guy in the sport, and there have been a number of concerns about the unbeaten banger’s weight, but Arreola has proven he can both give and take a shot and that he is for real.
Still, wins over dangerous guys such as Travis Walker, Chazz Witherspoon and Damian Wills – as impressive as they are – only make Arreola a contender with not much more than a fair chance to upset the 32-year-old Klitschko. In facing the near-6’7″ champion with the 81″ reach and the poundage of approx 244, Arreola would be going in with not only the most talented man of his career, but also by far the biggest and heaviest. Would the aggressive-minded warrior be able to get past Wladimir’s sledgehammer jab? Would Arreola be able to handle the champ’s sheer physical strength? Questions like this appear close to being answered.
Arreola, who has sparred with Klitschko in the past, has always wanted a fight with Wladimir, convinced as he is that he will have an excellent chance of beating him. Maybe now is the right time; after all, with his weight slowly but surely climbing almost with each further fight, Arreola faces the prospect of eating himself out of his career – even though Chris says he trains as hard as can be and that he will prove any concerns about his weight to be unnecessary. Get him in there with Klitschko now, while he’s still under the 260-pound mark, and Arreola just might be able to take the fight to Klitschko and have a fighting chance. At age 27, and after having had 26 bouts in just over five years, Arreola is probably at or around his very peak.
One more fight, against a top contender, wouldn’t have hurt, but if the chance at Klitschko does come next spring, no-one could blame the man with Mexican descent for grabbing it with both hands. Anxious to both prove the doubters wrong and make history as the first ever heavyweight world champion with Mexican heritage, “The Nightmare” just might give Klitschko a taste of his frightening-sounding nickname early next year.
It seems there is a very good chance both Klitschko brothers will be in action against exciting and hugely determined young contenders in 2009.