Paul McCreath – On December 5 in Atlantic City New Jersey two American heavyweights of some note, Chris Arreola and Brian Minto will collide in a ten round match to be televised on HBO World Championship Boxing. This is a bout that could spell the end of the title dreams for either man should he lose. It is on the undercard of the Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez middleweight title match.
Arreola is the better known of the two fighters.He recently was stopped in 10 rounds by Vitali Klitschko in a WBC heavyweight title bout. While he fought bravely he was well beaten.There has been much controversy over Chris, mainly regarding his weight. He stands 6 foot 4 inches and has weighed over 250 pounds for his last 4 fights. As an amateur he was a National Golden Gloves Champ at 175.According to health experts anyone weighing over 245 pounds at his height would be considered obese. You can disagree with those numbers if you like but there is no denying he is fat yet it does not seem as though it has effected his stamina all that much so far in his career. In the one fight that would have tested his stamina against Vitali he was well beaten after ten rounds but more worn down from punishment than out of gas..
Chris has an aggressive style that depends more on punching power than finesse. He is rarely in a dull fight and this has made him very popular in America especially among the Hispanic population. He has a good chin as he proved in lasting 10 rounds with Vitali. His best victories came over Jameel McCline, Chazz Witherspoon and Travis Walker, all by KO although the Witherspoon fight was officially called a disqualification when Witherspoon’s cornerman entered the ring illegally. It saved him from a KO so as far as I am concerned it is the same thing. McCline was a faded veteran coming out of retirement for the fight and both Walker and Witherspoon were aspiring prospects at the time. Other than Vitali Klitschko Minto could be the best man Chris has met yet. Overall Chris has a 27-1 record with 24 KOs. He needs to re-establish himself as a contender after the Klitschko loss. At age 28 he has lots of time. Vitali won’t be around forever so Chris can come again later when he is more experienced if he can keep on winning.
Brian Minto has been around as a pro about a year longer than Chris but has fought mostly in obscurity until the last couple of years. He turned pro in 2002 and has amassed a record of 34-2 with 21 KOs. The first loss came on points against foxy old pro Tony Tubbs in December 2004 over 10 rounds. Minto was still pretty green then and was stepping up a fair bit. Until then he had fought about 18 previous fights but most were against pretty soft touches. We won’t hold that one against him. He also had two great brawls with Vinnie Maddalone, one in 2004 before the Tubbs fight and then again in 2005, winning both by KO first in 10 then in 7 rounds. Vinnie is a real battler but basically just a club fighter and he nearly stopped Minto in their first bout. This is some cause for worry.
In November of 2006 Brian travelled to Germany to take on the former title contender Axel Schulz who came out of a seven year retirement for the fight. Axel had not fought since his KO by Wlad Klitschko in 1999. He was hardly much of a test and was stopped impressively in 6 rounds but the next fight was tougher. Back in Germany again in March of 2007 Brian met former European champ Luan Krasniqi who had not fought for a year since his win over David Bostice. He was still a fringe contender and had enough left to win a unanimous decision over Minto in 12 rounds. Since then Brian has won six in a row over soft opposition before his latest 4 round technical decision over Donnell Holmes last August. While Holmes boasted a 31-0-2 record going in that was rather flattering. He had beaten mostly soft touches.This fight was hardly definitive one way or the other but Minto did not look sharp.
Now Brian is going to try once more to step up to world class. At age 34 it seems a little late. Chris Arreola will be as tough an opponent as he has ever met. Brian is a small heavy at 5 foot 11 inches and between 215 and 220 pounds. While not really obese he carries more weight than would be ideal. He is really more the size of a cruiserweight. He is basically a slugger with good power but he probably does not hit as hard as Chris. The Holmes and Krasniqi fights suggest he may be in over his head but at least Brian comes to fight every time just like Chris. It should be great action while it lasts and Minto is not in without a chance like any puncher has but I expect a fairly early KO win for Arreola as long as he hasn’t gotten even heavier. The winner can go on to more good paydays.For the loser it will be back to the bush leagues or retirement.