By Maria Bezchastnaya

WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko has finished the first phase of his basic fitness preparations for his bout with Chris Arreola, which will take place on September 26, and is now ready for sparring. Vitali considers Arreola the best opponent from all the fighters who are available in the heavyweight division.

“My opponent holds the number one position in WBC rankings and is the official title challenger, - told the Ukrainian boxer to Klitschko.com. – He still has yet to lose a fight in his career. He’s got an impressive record and especially the knockout victories. Arreola won only 3 bouts out of 27 by decision, his other fights were finished with his opponents lying unconscious on the canvas. I really think that for now Arreola is the most decent opponent for me.

"He is young, aggressive and very motivated. Arreola hasn’t fought a world champion yet. But it had to happen someday. I think I know how to beat him. I will try to adjust to his fighting style, analyze his previous bouts, work on strategy and tactics. In that relation boxing is a lot like chess – our fight with Arreola had already begun a long time ago, before the bell. I’m interested in this opponent, because for me it will be the first bout against the sportsman with such a style, a sportsman of a Mexican descent”.

The Klitschko brothers official site informs that Arreola’s paycheck for this bout will be larger than David Haye’s earnings for the November 7 bout with Nikolai Valuev because this meeting is more interesting for boxing fans and will be televised in more than 100 countries.