By Vivek Wallace – Tomorrow night, the world of boxing will attempt to breath life into a division that many presumed to be dead a long time ago. Once a main staple of the sport, the rich culture of the heavyweight division to most is now a faded picture from a broken past. With no attention grabber of the Ali, Tyson fabric on deck, the only buzzworthy headlines in recent times have had more to do with what isn’t happening in the division, (the recent David Haye debacle), as opposed to what is. Anxious to change that trend stands a heavy-fisted Mex-Am contender who has the right amount of personality, combined with drive, to turn a few heads. At yesterday’s weigh-in, knowing that everyone thought he would come in out of shape, the oreo-eating heavyweight even made a joke of himself by tipping the scales at 272lbs, only to remove his shirt and reveal a weighted jacket at the humorous surprise of on-lookers. No doubt, looking the part isn’t quite his strong-suit, but as most has learned, that’s nothing an aggressive demeanor and a dominant personality can’t cure when the first bell rings.
Unproven, untested, and practically unknown, the road that lies ahead for the evolving Chris Arreola (27-0, 24KO’s)contains a trail of questions. The path that this trail has carried him down will stop in Los Angeles at the famed Staples Center Saturday night when Arreola moves beyond the simple sands and effectively enters a far more challenging mountainous terrain. Looking at his resume is perhaps the best way to assess how truly untested Arreola really his. Granted, he does boast victories over Mosley, Taylor, and Johnson, but after further review, a detailed investigation reveals that it wasn’t Shane, Jermaine, and Glen, it was Ed (Mosley), Curtis (Taylor), and David (Johnson). Three men that few of us know of, let alone sat and watched.. That’s where the fork in the road splits for Arreola, because this will be a rare time when he’s actually the smaller man in the ring, and it’ll be across from the last man to leave Lennox Lewis questioning himself – which is no easy feat.
Vitali Klitschko, 37-2 (36KO’s) is quite different from his brother. Wladimir, as talented as he is, still appears at times a bit unsure of himself when the going gets rough. Vitali, on the other hand, carries a rather S.A.D. disposition; as in ‘Seek-And-Destroy’. Of the 37 victories he boast, only one man, (Timo Hauffman), was able to walk away from the ring without a need for medical assistance. That type of track record shows us precisely why he was dubbed “Dr. Ironfist”. How Arreola handles such aggression will go a long way in explaining exactly what role he’ll play in the future of the heavyweight division. Despite the long layoff due to medical reasons, Klitschko has appeared healthier than any point in his 13 year career, and his results have been consistent with his current level of success. If Arreola can find a way to not only press the action, but get inside those hammering jabs and land a few of his own patented combinations, we could all be in for a rather interesting night.
The thing that makes this a great fight to watch is that neither man is scared, neither is known for backing up, and neither will come to lose. Don’t look now, but it appears that our lukewarm heavyweight division has heated up like soup from lastnight. The old adage states that “a doughboy is only good for making cookies”; but for those who insist on calling him such a name, stay tuned……this one may instead be on the brink of making history!
Can Arreola become the first Heavyweight champion of Mexican ancestry? Tune in Saturday night on HBO at 10PM est live, as these two warriors hash it out, and bring a well needed spark back to the sports most celebrated division.
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Facebook, Myspace, and www.vivekwallace.com)