By Mark Vester
"Baby" Joe Mesi (36-0, 29KOs) is looking for door to get back in the heavyweight picture, and undefeated prospect Chris Arreola may be the door he's looking for.
Mesi has been struggling to land big fights due to licensing issues with several athletic commissions. He's still unable to fight in the state of New York, with a past medical condition being the sole reason. Following his narrow decision win over Vassiliy Jirov in 2004, Mesi's post-fight medical exams revealed a brain injury that resulted in his suspension for over two years. After numerous legal battles and controversy, a judge would later lift the suspension, but several commissions are not willing to license him.
Since his return to the ring, he's been able to pile up a string of wins over less than stellar opposition. Mesi tells the Buffalo News that he's ready to take a step up in class to show he's one of the best at the weight.
Mesi's promoter, Jimmy Burchfield, said one possible opponent is Donnell Holmes (28-0-2, 24KOs). He's also held discussions with ESPN about a possible bout between Mesi and Brian Minto (29-2, 18KOs) or Terry Smith (30-4-1, 18KOs). Mesi on the other hand says he's ready to take on one of the best prospects at the weight, Chris Arreola (22-0, 20KOs). Arreola is an aggressive, come forward puncher. Arreola’s qualities make him a very dangerous fight for Mesi to take, but the Buffalo native seems to be willing to take that risk.
Burchfield agrees that his fighter needs the right opponents to move up the ladder in the rankings to position him for a title shot.
“We want to really make things happen,” Burchfield said to the Buffalo News. “Joe adds a lot to the pie here. We’re going to be a little choosy and sophisticated in getting where we want to get. Where we want to get is the heavyweight championship of the world. That’s where we want to get with Joe.”
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