Stiverne Vows Pain: This Time I'll Knock Arreola Out!

By CARLOS ARIAS

LOS ANGELES --- Bermane Stiverne was able to inflict a lot of punishment on Arreola in their first fight in April 2013, but he wasn't able to finish him.

Stiverne knocked down Arreola and broke his nose, but Arreola went the distance. Stiverne took the unanimous decision. The two fighters meet in a rematch for the vacant WBC heavyweight championship on Saturday night at USC's Galen Center on ESPN.

"The plan was not to knock him out," Stiverne said. "I never tried to knock him out. I wanted to punish him for 12 rounds. Oh no, this fight he knows it's not going the distance. I came here and he's gonna know what it feels like to get hit by a truck. That's what's going to happen. Chris like to talk. I don't like to talk. I do my talking in the ring."

Arreola said if he hurts Stiverne, he will move in for the finish and knock him out. Arreola said the first fight showed him that Stiverne lacked a killer instinct.

"That was not the plan," Stiverne said. "The plan was to whup him and I whupped him. This time, I will knock him out. Let me tell you something how the fight gonna go. I'm going to knock him down, he gonna get back up and I'm gonna whup him and then knock him out. That's how it's gonna happen."

Stiverne is supremely focused on obtaining the WBC championship.

"The No. 1 thing is to get the title," Stiverne said. "I want this more than breathing right now. I would die. I would risk my life for the title for all the bull---- I been through. All the bull---- and sacrifices and even hurting people around me. I mean, I have to get this title and Chris is not going to stop me from getting it."

Follow me on Twitter @PunchyMcGee.