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By Jake Donovan - The old line to appreciate the efforts of an honorable man goes “You’re a gentleman, a scholar and a good judge of bad wine.”
Undefeated heavyweight prospect Chazz Witherspoon almost fits the bill to a T. He’s a gentleman (and there isn’t a more befitting nickname in the sport), a scholar and - considering his next bout - a good judge of B.A.D. opportunities.
The second cousin of former two-time heavyweight titlist Tim Witherspoon, Chazz looks to make his own name this weekend when he meets fellow unbeaten heavyweight Cristobal Arreola in the HBO Boxing After Dark co-feature (Saturday, Memphis TN, 10PM ET/PT).
At first glance, some will say “it’s about time” in regards to Witherspoon advancing the level of his competition. But once you dig a little deeper, you realize that he’s only 3 ˝ years into his pro career. Chazz knows better than to expect too many to take that into consideration, as the bar has been raised the moment he decided to don boxing gloves.
“I got publicity in the beginning, when my skills didn’t warrant it,” acknowledges Witherspoon, the very definition of a cool customer. “People believe I have the easy road so to speak. I’m a cousin of a former two-time world champ. People have all of these ideas about who I’m supposed to be, but to be honest, I’m still trying to find myself in the ring.”
In the ring this weekend, Chazz finds himself facing the toughest test of his young career. Both he and Arreola boast identical win-loss records (23-0), but their styles couldn’t contrast any greater. Witherspoon is the patient boxer with deceptive power (15KO); Arreola (21KO) fights like he’s double-parked, having scored 11 straight knockouts, with none of his opponents lasting beyond the eight round. [details]
Undefeated heavyweight prospect Chazz Witherspoon almost fits the bill to a T. He’s a gentleman (and there isn’t a more befitting nickname in the sport), a scholar and - considering his next bout - a good judge of B.A.D. opportunities.
The second cousin of former two-time heavyweight titlist Tim Witherspoon, Chazz looks to make his own name this weekend when he meets fellow unbeaten heavyweight Cristobal Arreola in the HBO Boxing After Dark co-feature (Saturday, Memphis TN, 10PM ET/PT).
At first glance, some will say “it’s about time” in regards to Witherspoon advancing the level of his competition. But once you dig a little deeper, you realize that he’s only 3 ˝ years into his pro career. Chazz knows better than to expect too many to take that into consideration, as the bar has been raised the moment he decided to don boxing gloves.
“I got publicity in the beginning, when my skills didn’t warrant it,” acknowledges Witherspoon, the very definition of a cool customer. “People believe I have the easy road so to speak. I’m a cousin of a former two-time world champ. People have all of these ideas about who I’m supposed to be, but to be honest, I’m still trying to find myself in the ring.”
In the ring this weekend, Chazz finds himself facing the toughest test of his young career. Both he and Arreola boast identical win-loss records (23-0), but their styles couldn’t contrast any greater. Witherspoon is the patient boxer with deceptive power (15KO); Arreola (21KO) fights like he’s double-parked, having scored 11 straight knockouts, with none of his opponents lasting beyond the eight round. [details]
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