21.09.07 – By Scott Frake: Heavyweight boxing prospect Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola (22-0, 20 KOs) destroyed Thomas Hayes (26-2, 18 KOs) in the 3rd round tonight to win the vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title at the Doubletree Hotel, in Ontario, California. Arreola, a large heavyweight at 6’4″ 245 lbs, used his size and his powerful right hand to club the smaller 5’11” Hayes into submission in the 3rd round. Though not a particularly fast heavyweight, Arrela, ranked #12 in the WBC, has good power with both hands and as Hayes found out tonight, it’s not a good idea to stand in front of him and attempt to trade shots. In the first round, Hayes, 26, spent the better part of the round trying to go to Arreola’s body.
However, he was only partially successful because Arreola showed good defensive skills and was able to block many of the punches with his forearms and gloves. It was pretty even round until the end when Arreola landed a good combination at the end to take the round.
Hayes continued trying to work Arreola’s body in the 2nd round, and was more successful this time around. Arreola’s midsection looks a little flabby, which appears to be why Hayes was looking to land there perhaps thinking that he might be vulnerable there for lack of training. However, Hayes’s body work was backfiring for him, as it left him in close for Arreola’s combinations. When Hayes was at a distance, Arreola’s accuracy wasn’t as sharp, however, each time Hayes would move in for a body shot, Arreola would nail him with right hands and left hooks. Around midway through the round, Arreola blasted Hayes with a powerful left uppercut, causing Hayes to backup momentarily. He looked partially stunned by the shot for a second. However, he quickly recovered and continued coming forward. Arreola responded with several hard combinations, including a head-snapping right uppercut seconds before the round ended.
In the 3rd round, Hayes came out fast, landing a combination to Arreola’s midsection. He then followed it with a large number of jabs which momentarily kept Arreola bottled up on the outside. However, as soon as Hayes let up for a second, Arreola waded in and landed a tremendous left uppercut followed by a chopping right hand that sent Hayes crashing against the ropes where he then slid slowly down to the canvas. The referee Tony Crebs quickly moved in and rendered assistance to Hayes, who was badly hurt and unable to continue fighting. The fight was stopped at 1:45 of the 3rd round.
Arreola, a 2001 National Golden Gloves light heavyweight champion, can really punch and with both hands. As I noticed tonight, he’s dangerous with either his left or his right uppercut, and he’s got an excellent overhand right hand. With his power and size, he’s be problems for any of the top 10 heavyweights.