By Ted Sares: Chris Arreola has now firmly exploded upon the heavyweight scene, but he still has a way to go before I am ready to anoint him as the next Coming.
Arguably, the first solid opponent he has faced was Chazz Witherspoon Saturday night and he certainly did impress as he blew “The Gentleman” away and upped his record to 24-0 with a lofty KO percentage of 88%. He showed a nice relaxed style and then, all of a sudden, an explosion of power that should serve notice on any future opponent.
But aside from Malcolm Tann, most of his other opponents have been no-names who have fought other no-names. Only well-traveled Sedreck Fields, 20-37-2, has fought anyone of note.
Another issue is the fact that Chris may be too good for his own good, as twelve of his outings have lasted two rounds or less and two of his wins have come by way of 3-round DQ.. This suggests at least the possibility of whether he has the necessary stamina if taken into the late rounds. Only Andrew Greeley, now 14-21-2, has taken him the distance and that one was for 6 rounds.
Sam Peter
Another nightmare, a well known Nigerian one by the name of Sam Peter, 30-1, has documented strengths that play into each of Arreola’s potential shortcomings. Peter has fought outstanding opposition, has gone many rounds (24 alone with James Toney), and has surprising technical skills and superb stamina for a man his size. Moreover, Peter recently captured the WBC heavyweight title by taking out the very “takeable” Oleg Maskaev in Cancun, and Chris Arreola is nowhere near a title shot–yet.
Arreola’s Future
The Mexican American “Nightmare” out of East LA now has some financially appealing options. These might include a fight with the winner of Rahman-Toney, Andrew Golota, Lamon Brewster, Kali Meehan, an always tough-to-fight, if ugly, John Ruiz, Oleg Maskaev, tough Chicagoan Mike Mollo, Friday Ahunanya, even aging Michael Moore. There are many others. One in particular might be a fight with “Fast Eddie” Chambers who looked equally devastating on Saturday. However, in my view, a still formidable David Tua, and a talented David Haye should not be in his immediate future. And under no circumstances should Sam Peter be on Chris’s drawing board.
In an immediate (and ill-timed) clash of Nightmares, look for the Nigerian variety to prevail in brutal fashion, but down the line, it could well be the other way around.
The aggressive and exciting Chris Arreola (with a solid amateur background) has a great future and I regard him as one of the best American prospects in the division, but he needs more seasoning; he needs to learn how to run before he sprints.