By Ryan Songalia (photo by Ed Mulholland/FightWireImages)
Mike Arnaoutis is home sick. Though he has lived in America for nine years now, his life is still thousands of miles away in Greece. His wife of two years Eleni, his six-month-old daughter Agapi Michelle, and the rest of his family all await his return after his next fight.
Instead of being at his daughter's crib side, whom he has only spent three days total with since she was born, he is in Vero Beach, FL, sweating away in his new trainer Buddy McGirt's boxing facility.
Arnaoutis doesn't know any other existence, though. The only time he is happy is when he is in the gym getting ready for a fight. Since the age of 12, he has dedicated his life to the dream of becoming a world champion. While he misses his family, he has reconciled that the time spent away will benefit everyone in the long run.
"It's a little bit hard because I don't see my baby," Arnaoutis, 21-2 (10 KO), says through a thick Greek accent. "But this is the life. I'm working for the title belt. I know it's hard but I try what I need to take this title. If I don't see my family, I don't see my family. I don't see my baby for a couple of months but it's OK."
Arnaoutis is in training for a fight with Victor Ortiz, Oxnard, CA's junior-welterweight southpaw contender with a 23-1 (18 KO) record. The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds at The Tank in San Jose, CA and will be promoted by Ortiz's promoter Golden Boy Promotions. The action will be televised by HBO.
The Ortiz clash will be Arnaoutis' first trip back into the division's limelight since dropping back-to-back decisions to Kendall Holt and Ricardo Torres. The Torres fight, in November of 2006, is a decision that is debated by some but upheld by all, whereas the loss to Holt in early '07 was a one-sided snoozer that Arnaoutis phoned in.
Arnaoutis claims to have had managerial and trainer inconsistencies that contributed to his sudden lapse in performance.
Since those two fights, Arnaoutis has run up four consecutive wins over winning competition. Arnaoutis says he is ready to return to the big time.
"I fight with Juan Urango, Torres, Holt," Arnaoutis says. "It's not my first step up."
Manager Jimmy "Zeek" Hartofilis likens this next task to the Urango fight in 2004. Arnaoutis was a six-round fighter at the time and received a 12-round draw in a fight that opened many people's eyes.
"Urango is the same like Ortiz," Hartofilis, of Astoria, Queens, says. "Mike has a lot of ring experience. Ortiz is going to be a tough fight, there's no doubt about it.
"We're preparing for a war, a lot of pressure."
Arnaoutis is more analytical in his breakdown of Ortiz, who stopped Jeffrey Resto in three in his previous fight this past December.
"He fights on the outside, he uses the legs when he wants. I have respect for everybody. Ortiz is good, but I am better. I need to win this fight."
On this particular day Arnaoutis is getting set to spar Michael Jean Louis, a 6-0 (6 KO) welterweight prospect from Orlando, FL. Louis, a 19-year-old orthodox fighter, is asked to switch stances to southpaw moments into the session. Apparently it was unknown previously Louis' natural stance. Louis transitions seamlessly.
Instead of using his traditional boxing sense, Arnaoutis elects to trade blow for blow with his larger adversary. It is later related to the writer that the reason behind such an aggressive session is to increase his stamina and acclimate him to getting hit flush by a natural puncher, which is considered Ortiz's greatest asset.
After the fourth round, former light-heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver walks in and takes a seat at ringside to watch the sparring. Arnaoutis acknowledges his presence with a respectful bow.
Tarver, himself a lefty, sheds some light on southpaw vs. southpaw matchups.
"What southpaws have problems with is adjusting to right hand fighters," says Tarver. "It's like when conventional fighters fight each other, they're just looking at each other from a mirror standpoint. When you're fighting a right-hander you have to do certain things like keep your front foot on the outside of his.
"You're both lined up directly across from the power hand, which is the left hand. It's just like when a right-handed fighter fights a right-handed fighter. All of the dos and don'ts go out the window, you just gotta let it go."
By the sixth round Arnaoutis is grunting like Glen Johnson every time he throws a punch. Arnaoutis mixes up some boxing with slugging for a change and ends the session on a positive note.
"Take a bet," Arnaoutis advises Tarver before disappearing to the dressing room.
"I think Mike has the potential to be a great champion," Tarver says. "He's been at it long enough, he's had some setbacks. It's the mark of a champion how you come back from setbacks. He looks to be in great shape, he's doing lots of great sparring here. I think if he wants it, it's his time.
"Ortiz will definitely pose some problems with his punching power but Mike can box with the best of them. With the movement, the power, he's going to be a nightmare for anybody. It's all on how bad he wants it."
Louis, who is known as "Pretty Boy" and trained by Robert Rene', showered praise upon Arnaoutis moments after showering "Mighty Mike" with southpaw lefts.
"He's a very strong fighter, he's smart. He's got power in both hands, I think he'll do good in his next fight.
"He's got a lot of heart, a lot of courage. That's a big thing in boxing."
For nearly three months now Arnaoutis has been in Central Florida training with McGirt. He plans on making Vero Beach his full-time residence, relocating from Atlantic City.
"Florida is beautiful for training," Arnaoutis says. "I think [McGirt] is the best trainer in the world. I have a lot of respect. He is very smart and he knows exactly how to take you to the next level."
"In my belief, this is the best move for Mike," Hartofilis says. "The training that Mike gets from Buddy is unbelievable. It's one on one, he gets his time in the gym. Not only is Buddy one of the best trainers, he's a good family man and he puts in a lot of time. Christmas, New Years, birthday parties, everything he invites Mike over to his house."
Adds Arnaoutis, "I'm surprised because he's one of us, he's one of the best people. I'm very happy."
Hartofilis, who resides in Astoria, Queens, where some 30,000 Greeks call home, says that as many as 200 Arnaoutis fans will be making the cross-country trip to support their compatriot. Still, he is concerned about home-cooking becoming a factor.
"I say to Mike, what do you think will be harder to do, knock him out, stop him or win a decision. It's a concern, so what we believe we're not going to go for the knockout but if we have the opportunity we're going to go for it. We're going to keep boxing and fight hard and take all of the rounds."
Arnaoutis is confident that his abilities will lead him to victory, regardless of the route he takes.
"I go to win the fight," he says. "If a knockout comes, then I'll take it. But my schedule is for 12 rounds."
Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at songaliaboxing@aol.com .
