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by Cliff Rold - In a well made preview feature on last week’s Friday Night Fights, Heavyweight Chris Arreola (36-3, 31 KO) talked about how much it would mean to win the “green belt” held by so many of his fistic heroes growing up. He has his second chance to do it this weekend.
That green belt, the WBC’s, is vacant in the aftermath of Vitali Klitschko’s retirement and pursuit of issue far bigger than any boxing ring can hold. Arreola’s first chance, against Klitschko in 2009, ended in a one-sided drubbing. One year ago, fighting for a chance to be the WBC mandatory, Arreola took another fairly one-sided loss to Bermane Stiverne (23-1-1, 20 KO).
He has a chance to avenge that loss and capture the glory that eluded him almost five years ago. It should be a fun fight and, yes, the winner will leave with the “green belt.”
In the Heavyweight division in 2014, winning a belt isn’t enough.
In the words of Ric Flair, to be the man, you gotta’ beat the man. There is only one real Heavyweight Champion right now. His name is Wladimir Klitschko (62-3, 52 KO). If you haven’t defeated him, all you’ve really done is agree to shell out some green so someone will call you ‘champ’ before the honor is earned.
So the big question of the week besides who wins Saturday is this: will Saturday’s victor be satisfied with a shiny new diadem? Or will they move on to trying to beat the man?
It doesn’t look like that’s the immediate direction things are headed. Last week, there was news of an angry altercation between Stiverne and undefeated 2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist Deontay Wilder (31-0, 31 KO). Wilder and Arreola have exchanged words through the press over the last year as well. Wilder has a good chance to be elevated to the WBC’s mandatory position in the near future. [Click Here To Read More]
That green belt, the WBC’s, is vacant in the aftermath of Vitali Klitschko’s retirement and pursuit of issue far bigger than any boxing ring can hold. Arreola’s first chance, against Klitschko in 2009, ended in a one-sided drubbing. One year ago, fighting for a chance to be the WBC mandatory, Arreola took another fairly one-sided loss to Bermane Stiverne (23-1-1, 20 KO).
He has a chance to avenge that loss and capture the glory that eluded him almost five years ago. It should be a fun fight and, yes, the winner will leave with the “green belt.”
In the Heavyweight division in 2014, winning a belt isn’t enough.
In the words of Ric Flair, to be the man, you gotta’ beat the man. There is only one real Heavyweight Champion right now. His name is Wladimir Klitschko (62-3, 52 KO). If you haven’t defeated him, all you’ve really done is agree to shell out some green so someone will call you ‘champ’ before the honor is earned.
So the big question of the week besides who wins Saturday is this: will Saturday’s victor be satisfied with a shiny new diadem? Or will they move on to trying to beat the man?
It doesn’t look like that’s the immediate direction things are headed. Last week, there was news of an angry altercation between Stiverne and undefeated 2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist Deontay Wilder (31-0, 31 KO). Wilder and Arreola have exchanged words through the press over the last year as well. Wilder has a good chance to be elevated to the WBC’s mandatory position in the near future. [Click Here To Read More]
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