Arreola's Promoter on Chris' Career, Klitschko Shots

By Lem Satterfield

Later tonight, heavyweight contender Chris Arreola will pursue his fifth straight win and his fourth knockout during that run when he enters the ring for the fifth time in the past six months and the fourth time this year opposite journeyman Friday Ahunanya at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

The 30-year-old Arreola (32-2, 28 knockouts) has been as busy in the gym as he has been focused on dropping weight and maintaining a relatively fit and trimp physique, having weighed in at 236 pounds for his 10-rounder with the 39-year-old Ahunanya (24-7-3, 13 KOs).

"You're going to love seeing Chris at 236 pounds [later tonight]. Quite frankly," said Arreola's promoter, Dan Goossen, of a fighter who stands 6-foot-4.

"Chris is looking at him continuing on the road that he is, which is being in top-top shape and fighting his way back to the top," said Goossen. "Based upon that, we'll move forward and fight whomever is there, whether it's Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko. We'll face whoever else may be there at the time that the opportunity arises."

Arreola-Ahunanya will take place on the undercard of the HBO televised main event featuring a junior middleweight clash of southpaws between Paul Williams (39-2, 27 KOs) and Erislandy Lara (15-0-1, 10KOs).

In an earlier interview on BoxingSCene.com, Arreola was mentioned as a potential fall opponent by WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO titlist Wladimir Klitschko (56-3, 49 KOs), who is coming off of last weekend's unanimous decision that dethroned David Haye (25-2, 23 KOs)

Arreola's first loss of his career was by 10th round stoppage September of 2009 during a failed attempt to dethrone WBC king Vitali Klitschko (42-2, 39 KOs), who will face Polish-born 34-year-old former light heavyweight and cruiser weight champion Tomasz Adamek (44-1, 28 KOs)Adamek on Sept. 10.

"The best thing for me, as for any fighter is to be active. For now my focus is on Saturday. I need these fights," Arreola told Rich Mancuso. "I am conditioned to go twelve rounds and feel great about myself. If the chance is there to fight either Klitschko, of course I will be ready."

Arreola has won four consecutive fights, including three straight by stoppage, Since losing the second bout of his career by majority decision in April to Adamek.

Arreola weighed 251 against Vitali Klitschko and 250.5 opposite Adamek, but has weighed 234, and, 236, respectively, for his past two fights -- stoppages in the third and seventh rounds against Nagy Aguilera and Kendrick Releford on May 14 and 27.

"We'll fight anybody that it makes sense for us to fight. The key thing is that we feel that Chris is certainly one of the elite heavyweights out there," said Goossen. "Now that he's weighing in lighter. He's going to be someone to be reckoned with as he continues to move forward."