The timing is perfect for Samuel Arnold III to take his talents to his hometown.
Four straight fights away from the greater Dallas area have seen the rising super middleweight advance from a teenager to a red-hot prospect entering his man strength. His last fight came north of the border in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada—and left enough of an impression to where the event promoter was convinced that he struck gold.
“Sam Arnold III will be the next super Middleweight star,” Three Lions Promotions’ Daniel Otter told BoxingScene. “Mark my words. He had his pro debut at 17 and has dismantled every opponent he has faced. “
The next step towards tracking that bold prediction comes this weekend. Arnold, 11-0 (7 KOs) will face Mexico’s Julio Cesar Ortega, 9-1 (6 KOs) this Saturday at The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas.
It marks the first fight at home for Arnold since November 2022, when he claimed his seventh pro win in the final months of his teen years. He enters this weekend in the heels of his best win to date, a second-round knockout of then-unbeaten Julian Delgado on Otter’s December 7 show in Sydney.
The statement made prompted the bold prediction made by Arnold’s new promoter, especially given the star power at the top of the division.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, 62-2-2 (39 KOs) is the reigning lineal, Ring, WBA, WBA and WBO champion, as well as the biggest name in the sport.
Arnold has only recently landed on the prospect radar, but the 21-year-old is prepared to do whatever it takes.
He proved that sixteen years ago, when his boxing journey began on a modest lie. Arnold was 5 years old and still living in his birth town of St. Louis, Missouri. His family had to pass him off as an 8-year-old, the minimum age to train in the city’s gyms at the time.
Arnold’s boxing journey hit a speedbump when his family relocated to Dallas when he was ten years old. Any progress made was stalled, as Arnold essentially had to start from scratch.
Fast forward nearly a dozen years later, the reward is already worth the early sacrifice.
“My whole life is boxing,” insisted Arnold, who also fought on the Team Combat Pro circuit before recommitting to the pro ranks late last year. “I have my dad (Sam Arnold Jr.) as my head coach and with the support from my promotional company Three Lions Promotions and all my team, I will become the champion of the world.”
Saturday’s bout comes three weeks ahead of Arnold’s 22nd birthday. The goal is for this bout to serve as a springboard to a productive 2025 campaign, where his name is mentioned among the sport’s best prospects.
From there—who knows?
“Keep your eyes and ears open,” vowed Otter. “You will be seeing and hearing about him as he will be the next face of his division.”