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By Lyle Fitzsimmons - I’m in a quandary as it relates to Chris Arreola, the Californian who upped his record to 26-0 and cemented his status – in the eyes of Max Kellerman, at least – as the No. 1 American heavyweight with his topsy-turvy stoppage of Travis Walker on HBO Saturday night.
As a guy, I like him.
I interviewed him on the phone last week, and, though my expectations going in were pretty low, I happily found him to be not only cooperative, but also charming, humble and funny during a 20-minute chat that covered movies, basketball and, oh yeah… boxing.
And because we share a March 5 birthday, I figure I have to pull for him at least a little bit.
Problem is, as a fighter, I’m not at all impressed.
Oh sure, I know he beat Walker.
And yes, I’m aware of the 14-fight stoppage streak and the multiple top-10 alphabet rankings.
I just don’t think he’s all that good.
And the more I had it drilled into my head – simply because he got off the floor to beat Walker – that he’s automatically become the next big threat to the Brothers Klitschko, the more ridiculous it sounded.
Maybe it was just me, but as he droned through an in-ring soliloquy following the close of the Paul Williams-Verno Phillips main event at 154 pounds, it seemed the literary name-dropping Kellerman was as much trying to convince himself of Arreola’s worthiness as he was actually sure of it.
I mean, c’mon people, just take a look at what he’s really, errr… accomplished.
Aside from a third-round mugging of mildly talented Chazz Witherspoon a few months back in Memphis, Arreola’s proven little more in the ring than a ravenous taste for the tattoo needle and a terrific aversion to anything approaching serious abdominal work.
And on a world stage, he’s barely more qualified than the tough-guy bouncer at the local bar.
A guy as limited as Walker made him look pretty silly at the outset, landing repeatedly with jabs and straight right hands and scoring the aforementioned knockdown before his own balky chin was exposed, just as it had been in a one-round KO loss to – ugh! – TJ Wilson only 13 months earlier. [details]
As a guy, I like him.
I interviewed him on the phone last week, and, though my expectations going in were pretty low, I happily found him to be not only cooperative, but also charming, humble and funny during a 20-minute chat that covered movies, basketball and, oh yeah… boxing.
And because we share a March 5 birthday, I figure I have to pull for him at least a little bit.
Problem is, as a fighter, I’m not at all impressed.
Oh sure, I know he beat Walker.
And yes, I’m aware of the 14-fight stoppage streak and the multiple top-10 alphabet rankings.
I just don’t think he’s all that good.
And the more I had it drilled into my head – simply because he got off the floor to beat Walker – that he’s automatically become the next big threat to the Brothers Klitschko, the more ridiculous it sounded.
Maybe it was just me, but as he droned through an in-ring soliloquy following the close of the Paul Williams-Verno Phillips main event at 154 pounds, it seemed the literary name-dropping Kellerman was as much trying to convince himself of Arreola’s worthiness as he was actually sure of it.
I mean, c’mon people, just take a look at what he’s really, errr… accomplished.
Aside from a third-round mugging of mildly talented Chazz Witherspoon a few months back in Memphis, Arreola’s proven little more in the ring than a ravenous taste for the tattoo needle and a terrific aversion to anything approaching serious abdominal work.
And on a world stage, he’s barely more qualified than the tough-guy bouncer at the local bar.
A guy as limited as Walker made him look pretty silly at the outset, landing repeatedly with jabs and straight right hands and scoring the aforementioned knockdown before his own balky chin was exposed, just as it had been in a one-round KO loss to – ugh! – TJ Wilson only 13 months earlier. [details]
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