Unbeaten Polish heavyweight star Adam Kownacki and former title challenger Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola exchanged words and previewed their upcoming showdown on “PBC Face to Face” ahead of their heavyweight duel Saturday, August 3 that headlines FOX PBC Fight Night from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
The program originally aired on Sunday on FOX and will re-air tonight, July 24 on FS1 and 9:30 p.m. ET.
The August 3 main event will see Kownacki, a rising contender in the red-hot heavyweight division, as he looks to make a statement in his hometown of Brooklyn against the three-time title challenger Arreola, who can vault himself back up the heavyweight rankings with a win against the currently unbeaten Kownacki.
Adam Kownacki vs. Chris Arreola ticket information
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.
Here are highlights from when the two heavyweights sat down and went “face to face”:
Opening Statement
Adam Kownacki: “I love fighting. I love the mentality of going out and fighting and putting on a good show making sure the fans are happy and getting their money’s worth. I think I am the best heavyweight out there. I just haven’t been given the opportunity to prove myself.”
Chris Arreola: “If I lose this fight, I will retire, plain and simple. I love the sport of boxing and I want people to still remember me as a world heavyweight champion. I believe I still have the skills to do so.”
Kownacki on being the face of Polish boxing
Kownacki: “Wearing the red and white colors means a lot to me. That’s where I was born. That’s where my family is from, it means everything to be the first Polish born heavyweight champion of the world. There were six fighters that tried it and none of them accomplished it. So I will be the first to do it.”
Arreola on fighting former heavyweight champions
Arreola: “I literally love fighting. I think it’s the most enjoyable thing to do. The most gentlemanly sport there is. Two guys beating the crap out of each other and then after that just shaking hands like nothing happened. There’s nothing more gentlemanly than that. The older that I get, the more I appreciate that.”
Arreola on a possible title push with new trainer Joe Goossen:
Arreola: “I needed someone like Joe to light a fire in me and to be right next to me and point out the mistakes that I am making.”
Kownacki on having similar body frame to Heavyweight Champion Andy Ruiz Jr.
Kownacki: “Andy Ruiz Jr. just proved that the dad bod is in style for the summer. That’s the look. That was something I dealt with my whole career, but the last couple of fights were tough ones, so the cat is out of the bag, that I can fight.”
Kownacki on watching Chris Arreola fight as he was growing up
Kownacki: “I remember even watching him as an amateur growing up. Every time he fought, I had to tune in because he was so exciting. I think our styles are perfectly matched for each other to make a fight that will be a legendary night. I think it will be an action-packed fight. Truly I wish I could watch it from the sideline, and I will do that after the fight is over.”
Arreola on what’s different about this fight for him
Arreola: “I love boxing. The love for boxing came back to me and the fact that I’m a different person. I’m more mature, I understand the significance of this fight. This is a big fight, there’s a big opportunity for him and a big opportunity for me. I can’t leave one stone unturned because I know that this man is going to come and try to break my head and try to make a statement with my name and I can’t let that happen.”
On the friendliness between the two of them and if it lasts until August 3
Arreola: “Oh no, the smiles are going to go away. That’s right. That’s for sure. But, the thing is, I have a respect for him. I have a lot of respect for him. Like you said, he was watching me. While I was at home during those two years off that I was just watching PBC at home, I got to watch him do his thing and watch him mature watch him grow and what I love most about him is his smile. The fact that he fights with a smile. I love that.”
Kownacki: “Your life is always on the line with your fight. You got to be ready, I’ve got to prove myself. He’s been there with everybody, from Klitschko to Deontay Wilder, and I think if I could beat him in a better fashion than Deontay beat him before, then that’s a good statement.”
Arreola on if he is happy with his career so far
Arreola: “No, I’m not happy at all. I started boxing when I was seven years old because I wanted to be a world champion. I remember seeing we Julio Cesar Chavez. I remember meeting him and being in awe with this man and my dream was always to be a world champion. So if I’m not a world champion. I did nothing with my career.”
Kownacki: “That definitely makes him a lot more dangerous. But don’t let the door hit you on the way out man.”
Kownacki on what version of Chris Arreola he will see & Arreola’s response
Kownacki: “Time will tell. I feel like a young, hungry dog and this will be a passing of the torch.”
Arreola: “This is this is kind of fight how I felt when I was fighting for the title. When I fought Jameel McCline, he was one of those big heavy weights that everybody was talking about, but never made it. I don’t want to be that guy. I don’t want to be his Jameel. So that’s why I’m working hard out here with Joe Goossen. To make sure to put a little setback to his plans for the world title. He will get there, but my plan is to not let him use my name as a stepping stone.
Arreola on how he plans to stop Kownacki’s offense
Arreola: “Offense.Like you said, offense is the best defense. I’ve got to give offense and that’s the beauty about this fight that we are having. We’re both fighters that just want to fight. We don’t care who we are fighting. We respect them but we just want to fight, and we love what we do. That’s the fun part about this fight.”
Kownacki on Arreola’s weaknesses that he can take advantage of
Kownacki: “He leaves himself open, he throws a lot too, he’s a little bit wild and the age, I think that will be a huge factor. But I think out of all of the boxing names out there, he’s the biggest one. He’s been through everybody and out of his generation, he’s the one who’s actually left, everybody else is either retired or gone. So I’m going to try to make sure he’s going off into the sunset.”
Kownacki on if he is ready for title fight against the elite of the heavyweight division
Kownacki: “I have been with two guys that Deontay Wilder fought with Artur Szpilka and Gerald Washington. It took Wilder 10 rounds to knockout Artur Szpilka in a very competitive fight when I just walked right through him and the same thing with Gerald Washington, I knocked him out in two rounds. My next fight against Chris Arreola, another fight Wilder and I have in common, and I plan to do the same thing, walk right through him.”
Arreola on if he can stop Kownacki
Arreola: “That’s the goal. I have to stop him to win in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is his home. I have to. There is no ifs ands or buts about it. No I have to go in and bring him a war and give him a fight that he wasn’t expecting.”
Kownacki’s expectations for August 3rd
Kownacki: “I am expecting a war. I can say I was watching Chris for a long time. I know he always comes to fight so I am ready for a war.”
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ABOUT KOWNACKI VS. ARREOLA
Kownacki vs. Arreola pits undefeated Polish star and Brooklyn-native Adam Kownacki against veteran former title challenger Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola for a 12-round heavyweight showdown that headlines FOX PBC Fight Night on FOX and FOX Deportes Saturday, August 3 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
The broadcast starts at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features former world champion Andre Berto taking on Miguel Cruz in a 10-round welterweight clash and unbeaten interim WBA Light Heavyweight Champion “Sir” Marcus Browne battling former world champion Jean Pascal in a 12-round bout.
Viewers can live stream the PBC shows on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. In addition, all programs are available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.
