by James Slater – The word is, 28-year-old heavyweight contender Chris Arreola will most likely fight either Brian Minto or Derric Rossy when he makes his planned return to the ring in December. Although ESPN.com are reporting how 29-year-old Rossy has yet to be approved by HBO (who will show the fight, it being a co-feature to Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez), there have been no other names mentioned aside from Rossy and Minto. So it looks like “The Nightmare” will be squaring off with one of these two guys in what will be his first fight back since losing gallantly to WBC heavyweight ruler Vitali Klitschko.
But who would you, the fans, prefer Arreola to get it on with: “The Beast,” or “The Shaolin Fist?.”
Minto is arguably the better known fighter of the two, and he has already been approved by HBO; most likely due to his high ranking in a couple of recognised organisations. Currently 34-2(21), Butler, Pennsylvania’s 34-year-old has given the fans some excellent and exciting fights already. Who can forget his two winning fights with fellow brawler Vinny Maddalone? Or how about Minto’s brave but losing effort against Luan Krasniqi? There is no doubting Minto’s fan appeal, and win or lose, he would give his all against Arreola.
But is the 34-year-old, at just 5’11” and approx 217-pounds, big enough for the job? Gutsy, aggressive and pretty fast of hand, Minto would surely test Arreola, but would he have enough ammunition and physical strength to have a realistic chance of beating him?
Size-wise, 29-year-old Rossy of New York matches up to Arreola well enough. A solid-looking 240-pounds or so, the 6’3″ slugger wouldn’t be pushed around by the popular Mexican/American. And at 22-2(12) Rossy can punch some, too. But on the other hand, he is nowhere near as fast as Minto, and Rossy has also been stopped before, whereas Minto has not. In what was probably his most high-profile bout to date, Rossy was dismantled by slick operator “Fast” Eddie Chambers back in 2007, and he has was also out-gunned in his fight with the man Chambers so impressed against in Alexander Dimitrenko, who stopped Rossy in the 5th-round, two-rounds sooner than did Chambers.
Rossy is big and tough, no doubt, but if Chambers and Dimitrenko could stop him, so, one would think, could Arreola, a bigger puncher than either. The 29-year-old has bounced back well from his two stoppage losses, though, winning his last four.
It’s a tough pick to make when choosing who would test Arreola greater, Minto or Rossy. But either way, and whichever guy he fights next month, I see a win for “The Nightmare.” Because in all honesty, I don’t think Minto or Rossy are capable of doing any more than giving him just that, a test.