Following Big HBO Win, Chris Arreola Looks Forward To Any Klitschko That Will Have Him

American boxing fans can rejoice. For the first time in quite a while, it looks like we have a legitimate heavyweight contender within our borders.
With a third round KO of Travis Walker on Saturday night Mexican-American Chris Arreola has made it crystal clear that he is the best heavyweight prospect in the United States. Despite showing up to the fight a bit beefier than one might be comfortable with, Arreola dispatched Walker with a flurry of headshots to improve his record to 26-0.
After the fight, HBO’s Max Kellerman asked Arreola who his next target might be. Not surprisingly, the contender has his eyes fixed on a title fight with either of the Klitschko brothers.

First, Kellerman asked Arreola just how much more he thought he needed to do before he fought one of the Klitschkos, for either Vitali’s WBC title or one of Wladimir’s three belts, governed by the IBF, WBO and IBO. As Saturday’s fight was in Ontario, California, and not too far from Arreola’s Los Angeles home, he let the crowd answer for him.

“I don’t know. Let’s ask everybody. What you guys think? How much more?”

It’s worth noting that the crowd was so strong for Arreola on Saturday that Walker got booed during his ring entrance, simply for the crime of not being Chris Arreola. So, when the victor answered Kellerman, the crowd predictably went crazy for Chris.

“I think they’re ready, so I gotta come ready. Ready means being in better shape than this fight.”

It’s a good thing that Arreola realizes that his weight might have been a problem against a better fighter than Walker. At 254 pounds, this was the heaviest Arreola had ever been for a fight, and when Walker got a few good shots in during the first round the HBO announcing crew was quick to point to the weight as a potential problem. Kellerman asked Arreola about the weight, and the fighter said that while he was not concerned about it when it came to Walker, he would certainly slim down for his next fight.

“I’m already concerned. I’m already thinking about it.”

When that next fight may be is still up in the air. Wladimir Klitschko will square off against Hasim Rahman on December 13, so presumably a title bout could be made following that.
Last week, Arreola chastised boxing promoters for living in the past, pointing specifically to Rahman’s title fight and the December 20 battle/potential televised murder between Nikolai Valuev and Evander Holyfield. We can’t say we disagree with him, especially in the case of Holyfield, who is well beyond his prime and not deserving of a major fight at 47-years-old while guys like Arreola are forced to bide their time.
Hopefully, the new year will bring Arreola his big chance.
Image [HBO]