Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former world Heavyweight title challenger Chris Arreola will be in action on February 18th against once-beaten Eric Molina in Corpus Christie, Texas.

The bout will be part of a card that will feature Paul Williams battling Nobuhiro Ishida and IBF Light Heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud taking on Gabriel Campillo.

“We’ve come to an agreement with (Molina promoter) Don King to have Molina challenge Cris,” Dan Goossen, Arreola’s promoter said Thursday. “Cris is a world class heavyweight and we’ll find out where Molina is. We expect a good fight, a good challenge and we certainly believe Cris will come out on top. And between Molina, his camp and Don, they believe they will pull the upset.”

“The game plan is simple — we’re looking to fight for the world title this year, end of story,” Goossen said. “Cris has every opportunity to make history and accomplish the goal that was set many years ago when he started out, to have him to be the first Mexican-American to hold a heavyweight championship.”

“This fight is very important because it will tell me where I’m at,” Molina said. “If I win, it’ll mean greater things ahead for me. If I lose, I’ll know that I had my shot. But I don’t plan to lose.

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (January 18, 2012) – Former world heavyweight champion Sergei “The White Wolf” Liakhovich is not fighting this Saturday because his scheduled opponent, “Fast” Eddie Chambers, failed in a timely fashion to notify Team Liakhovich that he was pulling out of their fight due to broken ribs, which resulted in the cancellation of their fight as well as insufficient time to find a suitable replacement for Chambers..

Liakhovich (25-4, 16 KOs) and Chambers (36-2, 18 KOs) were scheduled to headline Saturday’s NBC Sport Network’s “Fight Night” debut show live from Philadelphia’s Asylum Arena.

“Eddie Chambers is trying to save face in the press but I want to set the story straight by telling everyone what really happened,” Liakhovich said. “Chambers’ medical report about his broken ribs is dated, January 6, 2012. He knew about his broken ribs back then but he didn’t let us know until January 13, seven days before our fight. Instead of shooting his mouth off to the press for a week about how easily he was going to beat me, when he already knew he was not going to fight me, he and his team should have acted professionally and immediately informed my team of his injury. If we had two week’s notice, I have no doubt that finding a suitable replacement and making training adjustments wouldn’t have been a problem, but it was a serious problem trying to do so with only seven days to go before the fight.

“I think boxers like Chambers should be punished by every promoter and networks should know how he operates. He plays the good guy to the press, but Chambers is a fake. He didn’t have the simple decency to tell another athlete about him pulling out of the fight as soon as he knew. It was his obligation to inform everyone immediately.I wasted six weeks of training, as well as the expenses for training camp, and now I’m not fighting because of his actions. NBC Sport Network, Main Events and everyone involved had to scramble to put together a main event at the last minute, all the results of Chamber’s action. He is all talk and no action. So, for now, Chambers is history.”

Liakhovich, a 1996 Bellarusian Olympian, captured the World Boxing Association (“WBO”) heavyweight title in 2006 by way of a unanimous 12-round decision over Lamon Brewster.

Already in top shape for his now cancelled fight against Chambers, Sergei is now targeting world heavyweight contender Chris Arreola. “Arreola is waiting for another big payday to fight one of the Klitschkos,” Liakhovich commented. “He’s been fighting journeyman after journeyman. How about a real fight with me? I challenge Arreola to take a fight with me. This is a fight boxing fans would love to watch.”

Promoter Dan Goossen talks about the October 29 showdown between Andre Ward and Carl Froch plus updates Eddie Chambers, Tony Thompson and Chris Arreola

Heavyweight contender Chris Arreola talks to 15rounds.com/gfl.tv Marc Abrams about his win over Friday Ahunanya

Heavyweight contender Chris Arreola will take on Friday Ahunanya on July 9th in Atlantic City as part if the Paul Williams – Erislandy Lara Jr. Middleweight bout according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The Williams – Lara and Akifumi Shimoda – Rico Ramos Jr. Featherweight title bout is scheduled for the HBO Broadcast while the network will air highlights of the Arreola – Ahunanya bout.

“The best thing for any fighter is to be active, and he seems to thrive on being active at this stage of his career,” said Dan Goossen. “That is one of the things that made James Toney a great fighter, that he stayed so active during his younger years.”

“There’s something to be said about staying in the gym and staying in shape like Arreola is doing,” Goossen said. “Since he’s staying in shape and staying in the gym, getting in a real fight where you earn money and enjoy the fruits of your hard labor in the gym by being in front a television camera and a crowd is a lot better than doing all of the same things to prepare in the seclusion of the gym and not getting to fight for real.”

Said Henry Ramirez, Arreola’s trainer: “He’s excited about being back so soon and excited about being on an HBO undercard, so the HBO people will be there to see and a lot of media will also be there. So he’ll be in good fighting shape, around 235, 237, and then go out there and perform the way he has lately.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it went the distance, but if we can get a stoppage, great,” Ramirez said. “We’re just happy to stay busy. If all goes well, we’re looking to have Cris fight two more times this year.”

“Friday’s a durable, experienced veteran,” Ramirez said. “Obviously, he’s toward the end of his career, but he’s a name people in the boxing industry know and a step above a Kendrick Releford.”

RENO, NEVADA – Crowd-pleasing heavyweight Cristobal Arreola continued his climb back near the top of the division with a one-sided seventh-round stoppage of former fringe contender Kendrick Releford at the Reno Events Center on Friday night.

Arreola (32-2, 28 KOs) of Riverside, California did not exactly come out guns blazing, but controlled Releford (22-15-2, 10 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas from the early going. Arreola, 236, worked over Releford, 230, in the corner for a stretch in the first, which was a somewhat tentative round for both combatants outside of that exchange.

Arreola, the WBC #2/IBF #5/WBO #13/WBA #15 ranked heavyweight contender worked over Releford’s body in round two and began opening up with combinations that kept Releford’s guard up. In the third, Arreola really mixed up his attack, aiming his shots in between and around Releford’s guard, while mixing in shots downstairs as well. Arreola may have been a bit winded late in the round, which allowed Releford to open up momentarily.

By the fourth Releford was beginning to break down from Arreola’s varied attack. Just before the bell Releford was rocked by a right, which would be a sign of things to come. By the fifth Arreola was finding a home for his uppercuts. By this time Releford was mostly in cover-up and flea mode instead of aggressively attempting to win the fight. At the end of the round the ringside physician stepped in Releford’s corner to give the fighter a look over.

It may have been a better idea to stop the bout in between rounds, at least for the sake of Releford’s health. It would be a combination left uppercut-overhand right that would finally force Releford to drop to a knee. To his credit, Releford got up, but was eventually rocked by another left uppercut that had him moving back to the ropes. The writing was written on the wall. Arreola landed a left hook that gave Releford reason to change the expression on his face and back up. The Riverside resident moved in ready to pounce, but referee Russell Mora decided to call it off at 2:43 of round seven.

Friday’s win over Releford marked the second appearance and second knockout for Arreola in as many weeks. More importantly, Arreola came to both fights in great physical condition, especially in comparison to some of the outings in his recent past. “I am in great condition and it paid,” said Arreola. “It’s only going to get better. I am going to work my ass of and get that title. I love boxing and you are going to see it.”

While Arreola was in good shape, his body did work against him in the fight. “I felt sick and nasally when I made it into Reno,” said Arreola, who could hardly be seen without a tissue on Thursday. “I felt great, but I could have taken him out earlier.”

Tony Thompson (36-2, 23 KOs) of Silver Spring, Maryland moved one step closer to another crack at a world title with a one-sided drubbing of an either faded or disinterested Maurice Harris (24-15-2, 10 KOs) of East Orange, New Jersey.

Harris, 244, simply did not show up for the fight. Thompson, 255 ½, started out behind the jab in round one, but soon found chopping rights to be a better weapon. Harris, the IBF #6 ranked heavyweight, appeared to have trouble finding the right stance as he threw mostly off balance shots against the southpaw Thompson.

Thompson, who entered the bout the IBF #7 ranked heavyweight, worked over Harris in the second before landing a chopping right that downed Harris. The New Jersey native rose and made it out of the round on unsteady legs.

Thompson landed a light right hand that dropped Harris down again early in the third. When Harris returned to his feet Thompson landed another chopping right at the top of his head and aided his fall with a light push. Referee Vic Drakulich waved off the knockdown, but soon called the fight anyway. Official time was 1:51 of round three.

With the victory, Thompson earned a title eliminator against IBF #1 ranked heavyweight Eddie Chambers, who earned that position with a victory over Derric Rossy. “It’s going to be my title,” said Thompson after the fight. “The title is coming back to DC. Maurice got the real “Tiger.” No man is going to stand in front of a Tiger, not Eddie, not Wladimir.” IBF Heavyweight ruler Wladimir Klitschko scored an eleventh-round stoppage over Thompson in 2008 in a fight that had some competitive action.

2008 U.S. Olympian Javier Molina (7-0, 4 KOs) of Norwalk, California justly scored a six-round unanimous decision over better-than-his-record journeyman David Lopez (3-6-3) of Nampa, Idaho, but still looks to be a work in progress.

Molina, 149, got off to a solid start, dropping Lopez, 149 ½, with a short right on the inside early in the first. Lopez proved to be game, as he came right out after Molina, forcing the Goossen Tutor Promotions prospect into an exchange. Once Molina slowed down the pace again, he easily outboxed Lopez to close the round.

For controlling rounds two and three with his better technical skills, Molina was drawn into another wild exchange in fourth. This time with was the crude southpaw Lopez that got the better of the action. Lopez seemed to edge a close fifth with a right, left combination that rocked Molina right before the bell.

Lopez refused to go away and traded with Molina again to close the sixth. In the end, the judges gave Molina a wide decision, 60-53 and 59-54 twice. For Molina it was his second fight in thirteen days and his first six-rounder, which could have played a part his less than spectacular performance. Some of the credit must go to the determined Lopez as well.

In the walkout bout, super featherweight prospect Guy Robb (4-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California scored the most entertaining shutout decision you could see over durable Noe Lopez Jr. (7-8, 4 KOs) of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.

Robb, 128, forced Lopez, 131, into a corner in the early going to start off a heated two-way exchange. Robb proved a much more elusive target than was Lopez. The Sacramento resident landed the harder shots throughout the bout.

Throughout the next two rounds Robb continued to outpoint Lopez. Robb threw punches at odd angles and from odd places, and Lopez could not adapt. The fight did close with another wild exchange, but Robb took all three rounds on all three cards, 40-36. Robb returns to the ring June 25th in Fairfield, California.

Ricardo Williams Jr. (18-2, 10 KOs) of Cincinatti, Ohio continued his low pressure comeback run with a lackluster six-round unanimous decision over journeyman Chris Gray (13-15, 1 KO) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Williams, 148, did not flash much of the hand speed that made him a 2000 Olympic silver medalist and professional prospect nearly a decade ago. Gray, 148, was game and caught the slow-moving Williams on several occasions.

After six fairly competitive rounds, Williams took the cards 58-56 and 59-55 twice. For Williams, once an HBO favorite, the road back to a meaningful fight looks to be a tough one to navigate.

In a rematch of a November draw, bantamweight prospect Michael Ruiz Jr. (8-0-1, 3 KOs) of Fresno, California scored a six-round unanimous decision over the always tough Jonathan Alcantara (4-5-2) of Novato, California.

Alcantara, 120, was aggressive at the outset, but missed with an overhand right that left him open for a Ruiz, 119, counter. Just as was to be expected after their contentious interaction at the weigh-in, the action heated up early. Late in the round, Alcantara came on and landed a couple solid right hands.

The inside fight resumed to the start of the second before a Ruiz counter forced Alcantara to stumble back. The Novato resident would not be outdone, and landed two solid left lands solid. Late in the round, Alcantara unloaded a flurry that bothered Ruiz puffed up his left eye. Ruiz had some trouble getting out of the way of Alcantara’s combinations as the round progressed.

Ruiz came back well to start the third, rocking Alcantara with a one-two combination. With Alcantara seemingly stunned for the first time in the fight, Ruiz really opened up and forced his opponent across the ring. Just when it seemed the third would be a clear cut Ruiz round, Alcantara stormed back beginning with a right uppercut. With Ruiz a little punched out for a moment, Alcantara came on for a stretch. Ruiz seized control again, as he landed and overhand right-left hand combination.

Alcantara came back in the fourth as he may have hurt Ruiz with a right hand in the opening moments of the round. Ruiz came back midway through and the fourth was another hard round to score. The last two rounds were fought at a slower pace as perhaps the high work rates coupled with the high elevation began to play their part.

In the end, the Nevada judges seated ringside failed to give Alcantara any credit in their scoring. Two judges had the fight a shutout, 60-54 and the third had it 59-55 all for Ruiz.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

Los Angeles, CA (May 16, 2011) – Southern California heavyweight star Chris “The
Nightmare” Arreola (31-2, 27 KOs) will make a quick return to the ring when he
faces 28-year-old Kendrick “The Apostle” Releford (22-14-2, 10 KOs) of Fort Worth,
Texas, in a 10-round main event on Friday, May 27, at the world-class 6,000-seat
Reno Events Center operated by the Reno-Sparks Convention Visitors Authority and
televised LIVE on ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights” at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Goossen Tutor Promotions will present the televised doubleheader of heavyweight
championship boxing billed as “Blame It On Reno, ESPN Style.” The main event of
the ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights” telecast was originally scheduled to feature Josesito
Lopez (29-3, 17 KOs) in his first championship defense of his NABF Light Welterweight
Title against “Showtime” Steve Upsher Chambers (23-1-1, 6 KOs).

An injured knuckle by Lopez has forced the postponement of the fight.

The co-feature – in association with Boxing 360 – will remain a scheduled 12-round
IBF Heavyweight Championship Elimination bout matching former Heavyweight World
Title challenger Tony “The Tiger” Thompson (35-2, 23 KOs) against newly crowned
USBA Heavyweight Champion Maurice “Sugar Mo” Harris (24-14-2, 10 KOs).

Last Saturday, May 14, a newly slimmed-down and focused Arreola once again put on
a power-punching display as he recorded a third-round knockout against Nagy Aguilera
at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on the undercard of the Andre Ward-Arthur
Abraham Showtime Super Six World Boxing Classic Semifinal. After the fight, Arreola
told reporters he hoped to get another fight soon.

“It’s only my second fight back since being serious,” Arreola said on Saturday.
“I’ll be back in the gym, back to work on Tuesday. I need another fight fast just
to stay focused on what I need to do.”

After learning his wish was granted by promoter Dan Goossen of Goossen Tutor Promotions
on Monday, Arreola said: “I didn’t think twice when Henry (Ramirez) told me the
possibility of going right back into the ring in Reno. I’ve got one objective in
my career now – train, fight and win.”

“It’s always unfortunate when a main event fighter gets hurt, but in this case,
the fans are the real winners having Chris accept this challenge on such short notice,”
Goossen said. “He’s everything you would want in a heavyweight world contender,
he loves to fight.”

In the former WBO Latino Heavyweight Champion Releford, the 30-year-old Arreola
will face an experienced fighter with a rich family history in boxing. Releford
is trained by his father Kenneth Releford who won several amateur titles, including
the Fort Worth (Texas) Golden Gloves. Releford’s three uncles – George Releford,
Anthony Releford and Vincent Releford – also had noteworthy amateur careers.

Doors open at 4 p.m. with the first bout at 5 pm. The first ESPN televised bout
is set for 9 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the May 27 boxing card at the Reno Events Center are priced at $100,
$59.50 and $29.50 (General Admission). Tickets may be purchased at Reno Events
Center, Eldorado and Silver Legacy’s Ticket Offices, or by phone at 1-800-745-3000
and on line at www.ticketmaster.com.

CARSON, CALIFORNIA–In the first Super Six World Boxing Classic semi-final, tournament favorite Andre Ward continued his unbeaten run through the competition with a decisive twelve-round decision over Arthur Abraham at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on Saturday night.

Abraham (32-3, 26 KOs) of Berlin, Germany by way of Yerevan, Armenia did have his moments in the early going. Ward (24-0, 14 KOs) of Oakland, California did not appear to be comfortable in rounds one and two. Abraham, 167, kept Ward, 168, out of his rhythm while making the former Olympian fight his fight.

The fight got rough and ugly in the third, as Abraham, the WBO #1/WBA #3 ranked super middleweight, got on the inside and smothered Ward. Not much was accomplished, but it was Abraham that landed the only clean blows in the round.

Incredibly after winning all of the first three rounds on this writer’s unofficial card, Abraham reverted back to his shell defense of previous fights to start the fourth. Slowly as the round progressed, Ward began to open up offensively, while Abraham remained defensive. Just before the end of the round, Ward began to break through Abraham’s guard. A heated exchange to close the fourth woke up the crowd.

Each fighter had their moments in a back-and-forth fifth. Two rights for Ward stunned Abraham. The Germany-based, Armenian-born crowd favorite managed to catch Ward while chasing the champion into a corner. After a warning from referee Luis Pabon for holding, Abraham landed a solid left near the end of the round.

In the sixth, Ward began to find a home for his one-two combinations. The jab forced Abraham to cover up, but Ward would place his follow-ups where he could find openings. Abraham’s body also became a more available target once Ward began utilizing his jab. Before round’s end, Ward landed a clean uppercut followed by a hard right hand. Again, Abraham just covered up and offered nothing in return.

Rounds seven, eight and nine were near mirror images of each other. Abraham remained defensive and Ward found success boxing and moving his hands. Not everything landed clean, but even when Ward hit Abraham’s gloves it took an effect on his face, which was hiding behind them. In the tenth, a now ultra-confident Ward turned southpaw for the longest stretch in the fight and pounded away at Abraham while facing no consequences.

After making little visible effort to win from the middle rounds of the fight, Abraham made a somewhat spirited attempt at making something happen in the final round. It would be far too little too late. Ward weathered the brief on rush was out in front again by the end of the round. The scoring was academic, as judge Ingo Barrabas had it 118-110, James Jen-Kin, 118-111, and judge Stanley Christodoulou, 120-108.

Given the large Armenian community in Southern California, Ward had the crowd against him for the first time in a long time Saturday night. It was something Ward, who has received criticism from pundits as well as opponents’ promoters for fighting at home in recent bouts, welcomed with open arms.

“I told people before, who said they thought he might have more fans, ‘He might have more fans but it’ll be fun.’ That’s what it was, because you have to prove you as a champion that you can win under different circumstances,” said Ward at the post-fight presser. “I know that I can perform under any circumstances, but it was good to let the people know I can perform under any circumstances.”

With the victory, Ward retained his WBA 168-pound title and moves on to the tournament finals where he will meet the winner of the June 4th clash between Carl Froch and Glen Johnson, which takes place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Froch is currently the WBC Super Middleweight ruler, and a unification bout is something Ward looks forward to. “I want that green belt,” said Ward, citing its historical relevance as the reason.

While Ward does not discount Johnson’s chances in the bout, he expects Froch to come out victorious and move into the finals. It is a fight that Ward eagerly anticipates, should it come to fruition. “He’s been calling for it,” said Ward of Froch. “We want to give the fans what they want. It is going to be an action-packed fight. It’ll be a live atmosphere like it was tonight.”

Chris Arreola (31-2, 27 KOs) of Riverside, California came in shape, but fought a risky fight en route to a third-round knockout over Nagy Aguilera (16-6, 11 KOs) of Newburgh, New York. Arreola, 234, landed a right hand that staggered Aguilera, 238, early in the first. With Aguilera in the ropes Arreola opened up, but left himself open to a right hand counter that looked good. But Arreola did not flinch and kept coming before rocking Aguilera again.

Arreola, the WBC #3/IBF #5/WBO #12/WBA #15 ranked heavyweight, worked over Aguilera again in the second, but the New Yorker remained game. Late in the second round Arreola went for the kayo, but ended up punching himself out. Aguilera took note of Arreola’s waning energy level and opened up himself to some success.

Arreola came out swinging and wobbled Aguilera with a right in the third. As the Riverside native unloaded a combination, referee Raul Caiz Jr. almost jumped in to stop the fight. However, Aguilera would fire a wild swing every time the stoppage looked eminent. When Arreola took a break and flurried again, Caiz decided Aguilera had taken enough. Right when Caiz leaped in, Aguilera fired a wild shot. While Aguilera was coherent and angry over the stoppage, Caiz made the right call. Time of the stoppage was 1:58 of round three.

Shawn Estrada (12-0, 11 KOs) of East Los Angeles, California did what he was supposed to in knocking out Joseph Gardner (7-3-1, 1 KO) of Woonsocket, Rhode Island early into round one. Estrada, a 2008 U.S. Olympian, was the much bigger man in the fight and it showed. Estrada, 174, landed a right hook, left hook combination to drop Gardner, 166, in the first round. The referee immediately waved off the bout at 1:27 of the first.

In Gardner’s two previous losses it took former world title challenger Elvin Ayala four full rounds to get a stoppage and prospect Vladine Biosse only managed a four-round decision. Given that information, Estrada’s performance looks pretty impressive on paper. However, much of the praise he would have received for outshining Gardner’s previous foes will not come due to the fact that Estrada, a middleweight as an Olympian, came in several pounds over the contracted weight on Friday. At the scales Estrada outweighed Gardner by eight pounds, a differential that was likely increased by first bell.

Goossen Tutor Promotions’ Javier Molina (6-0, 4 KOs) of Norwalk, California scored a four-round unanimous decision over durable Danny Figueroa (3-2, 2 KOs) of Hastings, Minnesota. Molina, 148, was clearly the more technically sound boxer and used those skills to outbox the determined Figueroa, 148. After four-rounds, Molina, a 2008 U.S. Olympian, had scored a shutout on all three cards, 40-36. Molina will get a quick turnaround with a fight already scheduled for May 27th at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. Molina is slated to take on David Lopez in a swing bout that may be his initial foray into the six-round scheduled distance.

Dominik Britsch (23-0, 8 KOs) of Neckarsulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany stopped Delray Raines (18-10-1, 13 KOs) of Paris, Arkansas in the fifth-round of a bout that was put together at the last possible minute. Britsch, who had his opponent switched several times in the last month, scored one knockdown each in the second thru fifth rounds. Most of them looked brutual enough to warrant the stoppage. The one that did it in the end was a right that sent the journeyman down in a heap. Referee Ray Balewicz had finally seen enough at 2:21 of the round.

Armen Ovsepyan (11-1, 9 KOs) knocked out Arturo Brambila (9-15, 4 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in the first round of a scheduled four-rounder. A two-punch combo started with the left dropped Brambila to the canvas and referee Raul Caiz Jr. opted not to begin a count. Time of the stoppage was 2:44 of the first.

Rising bantamweight prospect Matt Villanueva (6-0, 5 KOs) of Van Nuys, Caifornia overpowered young journeyman Frank Gutierrez (2-10-2, 1 KO) of Highland, California in an impressive first-round knockout. Gutierrez, 118, was game us usual, but also outgunned as usual. Villanueva, 117, went swing for swing with Gutierrez before placing a blow that looked to catch the Highland resident behind the head. However, the referee ruled it a knockdown. It was quickly downhill from there, as another right knocked Gutierrez down and out. Official time of the stoppage was 2:56 of the first.

Andrey Klimov (11-0, 6 KOs) of Van Nuys, California by way of Klimovsk, Moscow, Russia scored the most impressive win of his young career with a third-round knockout of former prospect Ty Barnett (18-2-1, 12 KOs) of Washington, DC. Klimov, 137, was in control of the fight from the outset before putting Barnett, 135, down and out in the night’s opening bout. Official time of the stoppage was 1:12 of the third round.

Bowie Tupou (21-1, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Nuku’alofa, Tonga battled back from some tough early rounds to stop former world ranked contender Manuel Quezada (29-7, 18 KOs) of Wasco, California in the final bout of the evening.

After a feeling out first round, Quezada, 233, turned up his aggression and took control of the fight in the second. Quezada stuck Tupou, 245, with a hard left early in the round. The shot put Tupou against the ropes and set him up for a clean right. The series put Tupou in clinch mode, which helped him get out of trouble.

After winning the third close, Quezada was got caught by a suddenly wild Tupou in the fourth. One flurry forces the Wasco native to the ropes, but Quezada managed to avoid Tupou’s fiercest bombs. After a shaky fourth, Quezada battled back in the fifth and got the better of some heated exchanges.

The fight then turned against Quezada in the sixth, as Tupou suddenly discovered his right hand. After some hard shots upstairs, Tupou landed a combo to Quezada’s body that had the former contender bending at the waist. Another right to Quezada’s body seemed to score a knockdown for Tupou, but it was waved off as a slip by referee Jerry Cantu.

Further illustrating the fact that Tupou had really scored a knockdown in the sixth, Quezada was quickly in trouble after the start of the seventh. With “El Toro” against the ropes, Tupou landed a clean left to his face that forced Quezada to his knees. Stunned with a bloody and perhaps broken nose, Quezada failed to get up off of his knees and was counted out. Official time of the knockout, the most significant win of Tupou’s career to this point, was 53 seconds of the seventh.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

With more and more of the top Heavyweights coming from Europe one man looking to snap that dominance and bring back the Heavyweight title to America is Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola. The 30 year old Californian currently sports a 30-2(26) ledger, he fights on the undercard of Andre Ward-V-Arthur Abraham at the Home Depot, Carson, Ca on the 14 May against fringe contender Nagy Aguilera. He’s looking for an impressive performance to set him up for bigger business in the second half of 2011. Currently Arreola is ranked by all four major governing bodies WBC 3, WBA 15, IBF 5, WBO 12 & The Ring 10.

Hello Chris, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – You will be fighting Nagy Aguilera on the Ward-Abraham card. What are your thoughts on this fight & what are your expectations going into it?

Chris Arreola – Umm the main thing man, I’m going in there and be me. When I say me is come in there an aggressive Chris Arreola but yet smart and throwing a lot of combinations.

Anson Wainwright – Last time out you demolished Joey Abell in a round. Can you tell us about that fight?

Chris Arreola – Well the thing about that fight it was the first lefty I had fought in many years. It was kind of hard getting sparring to imitate him but the one thing Ronnie (Shields) kept on emphasising was when I throw my punches that I step through and follow through. I saw that he threw his left hand and would always pull back so I just timed it when he threw a jab , I countered with a right hand as he was going back and I caught him flush on his chin.

Anson Wainwright – After the fight you leant in and kissed him, can you tell us about that?

Chris Arreola – You know what; it was a spur of the moment thing I was caught up in the moment. I didn’t mean any disrespect with that. I’m sure a lot of people took it that way and I apologise for that. I’m not a poor sport or one of those guys who likes to showboat. It was spur of the moment, that was it.

Anson Wainwright – Though you won’t want to look past the Aguilera fight, what are your plans for 2011? Who are you targeting?

Chris Arreola – My main thing is staying busy man. Right after this fight staying busy, busy, busy, staying active. I want to get one of the top 10 contenders out there, one of the top 5. And prove myself, prove I’m worthy of my top 10 (ranking) with the Ring magazine and other belts (Other organisations rankings) That’s my main thing proving myself this year and by the end of the year if I keep winning I’ll probably get a title shot.

Anson Wainwright – Can you talk to us about your weight? Many people believe you are a few pounds over what would be a better fighting weight for you. How do you respond to them & what sort of weight are you looking at being for the Aguilera fight?

Chris Arreola – Umm you know what, the weight thing is gonna be answered the night I weigh in. I’m very comfortable where I’m at right now. People won’t believe the numbers I throw out there so regardless I’m coming in ready and prepared. People are gonna see a dedicated Chris Arreola. That’s main thing about this year dedication.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team; who is your manager, trainer & promoter?

Chris Arreola – My manager Al Haymon, Wes Crockett and all them. Henry Ramirez (Trainer), Dan Goossen there always behind me they believed in me more than I believe in myself. That’s part of the problem. I probably didn’t believe in myself as much as I should have. And umm now I’ve got to prove to my promoter, manager and my trainer that I am a world class fighter and come May 14th that’s what I’m going to prove everyone that believes in me right.

Anson Wainwright – Where do you train?

Chris Arreola – I train at it’s my cut man’s gym. He built a Boxing gym, It’s in his back (yard) it’s very nice. It’s like a barn type of set up. It’s very nice and there’s not kids around so I don’t have to kick them off the bags Haha

Anson Wainwright – Back in September 2009 you met Vitali Klitschko, though it wasn’t a positive experience as you were stopped in the tenth round, you showed a big heart and gained many fans from your stout performance. What are your thoughts on the fight looking back?

Chris Arreola – You know what, I recently watched the fight for the first time since the day of the fight and honestly he kicked my ass, there’s nothing to it. My trainer did the right thing by stopping it. Of course me being a fighter I am I never wanted the fight to be stopped. But Vitali Klitschko was just a better fighter than me that night. He was smarter, that’s the thing that stood out above everything. He’s such a smart fighter in the ring. I made him fight and he threw an unbelievable amount of punches because I made him throw those punches. He was smart enough to throw those punches at the right time and they kept connecting on me. My hat goes off to him that’s why he’s the champion and he came out victorious that night.

Anson Wainwright – The other loss on your record was to Tomasz Adamek a year ago, it was a very entertaining fight. You rocked him several times. What are your feelings on that fight now?

Chris Arreola – That fight I kicked my own ass! With regards that fight I probably trained 3 weeks for that fight. I was stupid and I was full of myself, I was believing the hype Chris Arreola is the next big thing. I fell into that trap of just believing the hype. Did he beat me? Yes. But the thing that beat me was his preparation and my lack of preparation. If I was prepared better like I am now that fight wouldn’t of lasted as long as it did and I hate myself for that fight it really gets me mad. The loss to Tomasz Adamek no disrespect to him, he came in and beat me because he prepared himself better , that was the bottom line to that fight.

Anson Wainwright – How do you see some of the big upcoming Heavyweight fights coming up like Wladimir Klitschko-V-David Haye how do you see that fight?

Chris Arreola – If I was a betting man, I’d put money on David Haye. David Haye is a very fast fighter, he’s a very active fighter, a hard puncher, he moves around very well. I don’t think Wladimir Klitschko has seen anyone like him. There’s a lot of times I’ve talked crap about David Haye but to me he’s earned his stripes. I believe he’ll beat Wladimir Klitschko.

Anson Wainwright – How about two men you know well Vitali Klitschko-Tomasz Adamek?

Chris Arreola – I see Vitali Klitschko beating him, there wont be much of a fight. Tomasz Adamek isn’t strong enough for someone like Vitali Klitschko. He is fast, I’ll give him that but Vitali Klitschko’s ring knowledge and the way he uses his size and his training and everything. So I’d have to give the edge to Vitali Klitschko easily.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your younger days growing up in Los Angeles, Ca were things tough for you & how did you first became interested in Boxing?

Chris Arreola – You know actually I wouldn’t say I had a tough upbringing because it wasn’t tough. I stayed in the Boxing gym since I was 7 years old. My father never gave me chance or the opportunity to be part of a gang or be a hoodlum on the streets or anything like that. My life since I was a kid revolved around Boxing. I didn’t have a silver spoon in my mouth, I’m very humble, we had beans and rice to eat. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my father which I don’t give enough of. I’m where I am because of him. My toughness in the ring is because of my father. My father used to make me spar with professionals when I was 12, 13 years old. And then If I wanted to get out of the ring he was like ‘get your butt back in there’. So all my toughness, my Boxing balls or cojones come from my preparation as a kid. My father always encouraged me to be a tough , rugged professional boxer.

Anson Wainwright – Who were your hero’s growing up?

Chris Arreola – Actually growing up it was easy to say Julio Cesar Chavez because I saw him many times, he used to come to our gym and train when he was on his tour before fights. When I was in Mexico I met him plenty of times. But the reason he was such a big hero to me was because he was an even better person outside the ring than he was inside. That’s what drew a lot of people to him, he was a real person, what you see is what you get. It’s what I try to emulate , is him inside and outside the ring.

Anson Wainwright – Who do you like to watch today?

Chris Arreola – I love watching Manny Pacquiao and the reason is because I’ve seen him a couple of times training and everything that he works at in the gym with Freddie Roach he does in the Boxing ring. It’s amazing to see someone perfect his craft so well that it translates in the ring in the Boxing fight. That’s probably one of the main reasons I like watching Manny Pacquiao.

Anson Wainwright – When you’re not Boxing, what are your hobbies and Interests?

Chris Arreola – I’m not a hobbies type of guy. I like going to the movies, I watch movies all the time. Every weekend if a new movies out I’ll go watch it. (I like) Playing video games every now and then but mainly watching movies. Like the man that I am going to the pub, going to a club, hanging out and being a man, having a couple of drinks here and there, nothing wrong with that as long as you know when to stop.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for the Heavyweight division?

Chris Arreola – The main thing is I’m a focused Chris Arreola . I’m coming in here, I’m coming to fight. I mean no disrespect to anyone but the Heavyweight division they better be scared. That’s it they better be scared.

Thanks for your time Chris, good luck on the 14 May.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

Former world Heavyweight title challenger, Chris Arreola stopped Joey Abell in round one of a scheduled ten round Heavyweight bout of knockout artists at the Pechanga Resort in Temecula, California.

Abell had a little success early as he landed a couple of decent left hands. Arreola then landed a huge right that rocked Abell on the ropes. Arreola then landed three vicious shots that led to referee Tony Crebs possible early stoppage at 2:18 of the opening frame.

Arreola, 249 1/2 lbs of Riversidce, CA is now 30-2 with twenty-six knockouts. Abell, 238 1/2 lbs of Champlin, MN is now 27-5.

Josesito Lopez fought through a nasty cut from round one and came back to stop previously undefeated Michael Dallas Jr. in round seven of a scheduled ten round Jr, Welterweight bout.

Dallas showed the speed early and cut Lopez over the left eye in round one. Dallas fought very well over the first four rounds . Slowly but surely, Lopez started imposing his well and landed a nice left that rocked Dallas in round seven. Lopez jumped on Dallas with two shots and referee Raul Caiz stopped the bout at 1:47 of round four.

Lopez, 140 lbs of Riverside, CA is now 29-3 with seventeen knockouts. Dallas, 139 3/4 lbs of Bakersfield, CA is now 17-1-1.

Former U.S. Olympian Shawn Estrada remained perfect by dropping Jon Schmidt three times in round one of a scheduled four round Super Middleweight bout.

Estrada, 167 lbs of East Los Angeles is now 11-0 with ten knockouts. Schmidy, 166 lbs of North Minneapolis, Mn is now 10-2.

Matt Villeuneuva kept his perfect knockout streak in tact by scoring a second round stoppage over Jose Luis Cardenas in a scheduled four round Super Flyweight bout

Villeuneuva, 114 lbs of Burbank, CA is 5-0 with five knockouts. Cardenas, 115 lbs of Santa Ana, CA is now 6-12-2.

Heavyweight contender Chris Arreola will headline in season debut of ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, which takes place January 7th, his trainer Henry Ramirez told 15rounds.com Thursday. Doctors recently signed off on the hands that he injured in his last bout against Manuel Quezada, which will allow him enough time to train and get ready for the January bout.

Arreola (29-2, 25 KOs) of Riverside, California downed Quezada three times en route to a clear-cut twelve-round unanimous decision win despite badly injuring both hands in the bout this past August. The opponent and venue have yet to be decided for the WBC #5/WBA #9/WBO #11 ranked heavyweight’s return bout. Should Arreola succeed in January, it is expected that he would return to HBO sometime during the first quarter of the year.

Photo by Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com

When the sun arose on the morning of September 26, 2009, Cristobal “Nightmare” Arreola was an undefeated prospect, sporting an unblemished record of 27-0, and about to fight for a world heavyweight title against Vitali Klitschko. He was continually built up by and showcased on HBO and was arguably the best American-born heavyweight. By the time the clock struck midnight at the end of that autumn day, Arreola hoped to be the first world heavyweight champion of Mexican descent.

Fast forward just ten months to present day and Arreola is somewhere in southern California, walking around in his 256 pound body with two injured hands, two losses on his record, and no significant titles.

Presumably before then — but ever since the night of September 26, 2009, Arreola has not taken his career seriously.

From the opening bell against Vitali Klitschko, it was clear that Arreola would struggle against the experienced champion. Although pouring his heart out in the ring, Arreola was never able to penetrate the elder Klitschko’s jab-built wall and was continually pummeled with the 6’7” Ukranian’s pulverizing lead left hooks.

After ten rounds of boxing for the WBC heavyweight title, Henry Ramirez, Arreola’s trainer, told referee Jon Schorle ‘no mas.’ There would be no eleventh round and subsequently, no WBC title for Arreola.

During an expletive-laden post-fight interview with HBO’s Larry Merchant, Arreola burst into tears, assuring his fans and viewers that he never wanted to give up and that he “trained his a** off” for the fight.

At the time, nobody had the right to question Arreola’s words. Sure, his stomach was soft and 251 pounds was too much for his 6’4” frame, but up until that point, he had been successful in every professional bout of his career.

It wasn’t until his next fight in December of that year that it became clear Arreola was less than fully committed to his career as a boxer.

Picking up its fallen warrior, HBO came calling for Arreola, putting his bout between he and Cruiserweight-bound, Brian Minto on the Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams undercard in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Embarrassingly, the man who trained his a** off in preparation for his title fight against Klitschko weighed in for his ‘rebound’ fight at a whopping 263 pounds. In two years, during the time between his fight against Chazz “The Gentleman” Witherspoon to the bout against Minto, Arreola ballooned from 239 to 263 pounds.

His fight against the undersized Minto may have actually been the one fight where Arreola needed the extra weight to keep him grounded after Minto continually landed his strongest punches on Arreola’s chin.

After three-plus rounds of barroom brawling, the considerably bigger Arreola dropped Minto for the final time, prompting referee Eddie Cotton to step in and call a halt to the bout.

After the Minto fight, HBO tapped Arreola once again, this time pitting him against the Polish-born, Jersey-based former world champion, Tomasz Adamek. Even though a fight in Newark, New Jersey, Adamek’s home arena, would have drawn about eight thousand or so more fans than Arreola’s home arena in Ontario, California, HBO sent its crew & cameramen to the west coast to watch its fighter take on the aspiring heavyweight.

In advance of his fight with Adamek, Ramirez told the media that he hoped his fighter would weigh in at about 240 pounds — what Ramirez claimed was Arreola’s best fighting weight.

Fat chance, Henry.

Arreola weighed in at a heavy 253 pounds. Having dropped a majority decision to Adamek in front of his hometown fans, Arreola was now clinging to a number ten ranking in Ring Magazine’s top ten heavyweights in the world.

After the Adamek fight, Ramirez informed the media that Arreola had missed multiple days of camp at a time. It showed.

This past Friday night, on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, Arreola (29-2, 25 KO) bested Manuel Quezada (29-6, 18 KO) by unanimous decision.

Coming into the fight, Arreola gave us his same old speech about how hard he worked in prepping for his upcoming bout. This time, Arreola claimed, he only missed two days of training and one of them was because his house almost caught on fire. Further, Arreola stated that Ramirez has had him “boxing” more this camp — working on his skill set.

But just because one is physically at camp does not necessarily translate into a fighter giving everything he has day in and day out during ‘practice.’ At the end of the day, Arreola gained weight during his camp, tipping the scales at 256 pounds for the Quezada fight.

Although Arreola canvassed his opponent on three separate occasions, the “Nightmare” wasn’t able to deliver the finishing blow that people have become accustomed to in Arreola victories. Unable to get Quezada out of there, Arreola had to settle for the unanimous decision in a fight that failed to showcase either Arreola’s power or boxing ability. If possible, while Arreola’s win tally rose, his stock fell.

The choices Arreola have made outside of the ring — whether it be from a dietary or a training standpoint — have not been to his benefit.

But moreso than anything written above, Arreola may have best summed up his attitude toward his career when he said, “If Michael Phelps can smoke pot, why can’t I have a beer?”

When the sun goes down on August 18, 2010, the twice- defeated Arreola will be nursing his broken hand and hopefully be thinking of ways to repair his career.

PHOTO BY Claudia Bocanegra

Chris Arreola scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Manuel Quezada in a Heavyweight bout at the Citizens Business Bank Business Arena in Ontario, California.

Arreola was very busy over most of the fight seemed a bit slow as he came in at 256 pounds. His size and strength plus the volume was too much for Quezada who was very tough in the defeat.

Arreola took the early rounds on punching that wasn’t pretty but came in bunches which started to fatigue both fighters. Quezada was tough and in the middle rounds Quezada started getting in a few shots. Both guys were bleeding with Arreola bleeding from the mouth.

Over the final four rounds, Arreola put a stamp on the bout as he dropped Quezada twice in round nine and once again in the final round. Arreola showed plenty of guts as he told his corner he hurt his hand before the final three minutes.

Arreola dropped Quezada from a big uppercut in round nine from a uppercut and again from a flurry of punches. Arreola sent a tired Quezada to the canvas again from a flurry in the final thirty seconds of the bout.

Arreola, 256 lbs of Riverside, CA won by scores of 118-107; 118-107 and 117-108 to raise his record to 29-2. Quezada, 228 lbs of Wasco, CA is now 29-6.

Josesito Lopez scored an eight round unanimous decision over Marvin Cordova in action filled and competitive Welterweight bout.

Lopez worked the body early in the fight and built up a nice lead on the cards. Despite bleeding from the mouth, Cordova fought very hard in round’s six and seven ad he landed some solid combinations. With the fight possibly on the table, Cordova was deducted a point in the final round for a low blow.

The point was not as costly as first fears because Lopez won by scores of 78-73; 78-73 and 77-74. Lopez, 141 lbs of Riverside, CA is now 27-3. Cordova, 144 lbs of Rocky Ford, CO is 21-2-1.

On August 21, the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey will play host to “The Big Challenge” fight card, presented by Main Events, Ziggy Promotions and X-Cel Worldwide. The main event will feature North Jersey’s adopted son, Tomasz “Goral” Adamek, against “Big” Michael Grant. Adamek (41-1, 27 KO), who is coming off an impressive majority decision victory against heavyweight contender Chris Arreola, will look to continue building his heavyweight resume and retain his IBF International Heavyweight Title when he takes on his 6’7” opponent. Grant (46-3, 34 KO), who has already defeated a Polish icon in Andrew Golota, will look to disappoint a sure to be packed Prudential Center with a victory over Adamek.

The card will also feature a junior middleweight bout between Colombia’s Joel Julio (35-4, 31 KO) and Philadelphia’s Jamaal Davis (12-6, 6 KO). Julio will look to bounce back from a violent KO loss that came at the fists of Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo back in April.

Also fighting on the undercard will be former United States Olympian Sadam Ali (8-0, 4 KO). Most recently, Brooklyn’s Ali defeated Julias Edmonds by third round TKO on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, as part of the Zab Judah-Jose Santa Cruz undercard. “The Big Challenge” will also feature Paterson, New Jersey’s Jeremy Bryan. The two-time national Golden Gloves Champion, Bryan (13-1, 6 KO), will look to rebound from his only professional, which came back in April.

Adam “Baby Face’ Kownacki and Shemuel Pagan will join Ali as other Brooklyn fighters on the card.

Kownacki (4-0, 4 KO), who was born in Lomza, Poland, will return to the Prudential Center, where he viciously defeated Damon Clement by second round KO less than two weeks ago.

As for Pagan, August 21 will mark the date of his professional debut. The twenty-two year-old is a 5-time New York Golden Gloves Champion and has compiled an impressive amateur record of 85 wins and only 19 defeats.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at Prudential Center Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or www.PruCenter.com. Tickets are priced at $53, $78, $103, and $253 (ringside).

The bout will also be distributed as a Pay-Per-View card by Integrated Sports Media. It will be available on both cable and satellite Pay-Per-View via iN Demand, DIRECTV, Avail-TVN and DISH Network. The price for the event is listed at $29.99.

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NOTES FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE: Kathy Duva:
“Tomasz is moving along in his career very nicely…This is Tomasz’s first PPV fight in the United States, we are pretty excited about that. His opponent is Michael Grant, 6’7” “Big” Michael Grant. The title of it is “The Big Challenge.” That is what this is going to be for Tomasz…the biggest challenge of his career, as he will fight the biggest opponent of his career.” Roger Bloodworth: “This is a very important fight for Tomasz…Grant is trained by a very good trainer, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. I haven’t seen Grant’s fights since he last lost (which was in 2003 to Dominick Guinn). He presents a difficult problem in that he’s 6’7”…he’s got a long reach. So what I think you are going to see is a hell of a fight.”

“I don’t want to give you the impression that this is rehearsal because I’m taking Michael Grant very seriously. He needs this fight desperately, so I don’t want to give the impression that he is taken for granted or he is a dress rehearsal. It is going to show us what Tomasz can do against an extremely tall guy.”

“In the heavyweight division, you don’t have tremendous knockout power, but you have to have the ability to hurt people with combinations. Evander Holyfield wasn’t a great one-punch [boxer], but he put enough punches together, he made you quit. That’s the way I see Tomasz. I think eventually he’ll put enough punches together he will make you quit.” “One advantage of his weight having settled in at 220-222 lbs. is that he is still able to carry his body around. He has very good legs. When you start getting up around 240-250 lbs., sometimes it’s tough.”
*For his last fight, Tomasz Adamek was trained by both Roger Bloodworth and Ronnie Shields. When Bloodworth left camp to train with David Tua, Adamek worked exclusively with Ronnie Shields. This time around, Shields was not figured into the Adamek equation at all.

In an interview with Beats, Boxing, and Mayhem, Ronnie Shields admitted he doesn’t really know why Adamek decided not to work with him again. “You’ll have to ask his manager Ziggy Rozalski,” Shields explained. “I got a call from someone else [not] Tomasz or Ziggy telling me that he wasn’t coming to Houston. I have no idea what happened.” I asked Bloodworth about it all and he replied by saying, “It doesn’t have to do with anything except that Tomasz wanted to train up here and Ronnie trains in Houston. Simple as that.”

Tomasz Adamek:
“I’m very excited to come back to the Prudential Center…I think we will make a good fight with Michael Grant, for my fans. I would like to invite everyone to see my fight in Newark. Thank you very much, see you August 21.” No other boxers spoke at the press conference. Michael Grant attempted to phone in from Las Vegas, but due to technical problems, it was inaudible.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former world Heavyweight title challenger, Chris Arreola will take on fellow Mexican-American Heavyweight Manuel Quezada on August 13 in a bout that will take place at the Citizens Business Bank Center in Ontario, California.

The bout will be braodcasted on ESPN 2.

“This fight is an opportunity for Cris to jump back into the thick of things with a win,” Dan Goossen, who promoted both Arreola & Quezada said. “And this is something Quezada has been asking for for quite awhile. He’s been asking to fight Cris. He feels like he’s taken a backseat to Cris and he thinks he’s just as interesting and aggressive and exciting as Cris is in the ring. I know that Cris has never had any problem fighting Manny, but it never worked out that way the last few years. Now, obviously, here it is. They’re both coming off very disappointing losses and they need to win this one.”

“Cris has to perform and also this is Manny’s big shot,” Said Henry Ramirez, who trains Arreola. “You’ve got two guys whose backs are against the wall, my guy and Manny. Whoever loses is basically done. But I’m hoping Cris knows his back is against the wall. Manny is a tough guy. I like Manny a lot and I respect him a lot. I know him well. He’s a good friend of mine. But Cris has been in the gym and sparring for about a week.

“I think Cris knows the only way to get back to those paydays he had and to get back into the limelight is for him to take the fight seriously and to pull his head out of his ass. Is it pulled out yet? Little by little it’s coming out. For this fight he hasn’t missed any workouts — yet. But I know Cris. Let’s see if he can take this seriously.”

“Our conversations with HBO, as it relates to the heavyweight division, is if you’re not out there giving 100 percent and showing that aggressive style and the ability to draw fans and ratings, that it’s a hard road back to HBO, and Cris knows that,” Goossen said. “I believe the winner of this fight comes right into a fight with Adamek, either a rematch for Cris or a shot for Manny. Cris would love to have that rematch and Manny would love to pull the upset on Aug. 13 and jump into Cris’ shoes.

“I think Aug. 13 is a springboard to having one of the fighters come out and say, ‘I’m ready to take on everybody and to do it in tip-top shape.’ ”

Arreola is 28-2 with twenty-five knockouts. Quezada is 29-5 with eighteen knockouts.

Just a week after he lost a gruelling Heavyweight fight Chris Arreola was in Las Vegas to watch the Welterweight Super fight between Floyd Mayweather & Shane Mosley. When asked about where he goes next Arreola told me that he will be having a rematch with Tomasz Adamek in New Jersey at the end of August.

It seems a logical fight, both guys were well matched and can make good money in a rematch. It’s also interesting that the fight will go to the East coast where Adamek is extremely popular. Arreola lost a majority decision by scores 117-111 & 115-113 against 114-114. Though he hurt Adamek on several occasions.

On Saturday night from the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California in front of 6,256 patrons the pride of Poland Tomasz “Goral” Adamek 41-1(27) proved he belongs amongst the Heavyweight elite when he posted a majority decision over hometown favourite Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola 28-2(25) in his second defence of the IBF International Heavyweight title.

Both guys came out in the first round and took a look at the other for a minute or so, by the end of the round both guys had exchanged several blows as they looked to make a statement of intent. The second saw Arreola bring lots of pressure and by the end of the round it was noticeable that Adamek’s left cheek was growing redder and a little swollen. Adamek has evolved from his days in the Light Heavyweight division and more recently Cruiserweight where he was more of a seek and destroy fighter, at Heavyweight he knows he has to fight smarter and that’s what he started to do in the third when he gave Arreola movement and picked away at the local native, landing one eye catching left hand. The fourth was similar with Arreola starting to bleed from his nose. One thing Arreola can never be criticised of is showing heart and in the fifth he let it all hang out when his pressure finally told as he rocked Adamek twice, Adamek showed he too isn’t lacking in heart too when he managed to see his way through both barrages of punches. In the sixth frame Adamek again stayed away from Arreola’s vaunted power only to be rocked late on. After some frenetic action both guys took things a little easier in the seventh which only set them up for a big finish. Adamek won the eighth & ninth with his skills. The topsy turvy nature of the fight swung back Arreola’s way when he managed to walk Adamek into a monster right hand, the tough New Jersey based Pole wouldn’t be denied and some how stayed on his feet and away from Arreola’s desperate late charge in the twelfth.

When the scores were in Tony Crebs scored it 114-114 but was outvoted by Barry Druxman & Joseph Pasquale 115-113 & 117-111 respectively for Adamek. The 117-111 looked a little of base. 15rounds.com scored it 115-113 Adamek from Ringside.

Afterwards thankfully there was no trouble as both sets of fans disbursed the auditorium.

At the Post fight press conference it was revealed Arreola had hurt his hand in the fifth and it got worse in the ninth or tenth. Though he graciously acknowledged that he had no problem with the decision.

Dan Goossen said he’d like a rematch but Kathy Duva said if so this time it would have to take place in New Jersey. Kathy Duva continued adding that HBO want Adamek back on the airwaves in the fall.

Fellow Heavyweight contender Tony Thompson who attended the fight and then visited the press conference asked if he could fight Adamek next to which he was told only in New Jersey.

In chief support Alfredo “Perro” Angulo upped his record to 18-1(15) when he stopped the very game Joel “The Love Child” Julio 35-4(31) at 1.39 of the eleventh round to retain his Interim WBO Light Middleweight title. Angulo did what he does best he kept coming while Julio backed up and potshoted from the outside landing his share of punches swelling Angulo’s face. By the middle rounds Angulo had started to take the steam out of Julio and charged after him. Finally when the fight looked heading for the cards Angulo landed a monster right hand that dropped Julio. To his credit the game Colombian got to his feet but Benjie Esteves had seen enough and waved of the fight, which in some people’s eye was a little early. A disgruntled Julio was pacing the ring less then 30 seconds and clearly thought it was premature.

At the time of the stoppage Angulo was up 96-94 on Adelaide Byrd’s card & 97-93 on both Pat Russell & Steve Morrow’s cards. All three judges had given Angulo the last three rounds prior to the stoppage.

Punch stats showed Angulo had thrown 880 and landed 167 a 19% accuracy while Julio had thrown 762 landing 175 a 23% hit rate.

Afterwards Gary Shaw said he’d like to match his man Angulo with Miguel Cotto if he beats Yuri Foreman or Antonio Margarito if Margarito beats Roberto Garcia.

In an 8 round Super Bantamweight fight Rico “Suavecito upped his ledger to 16-0(9) when he out pointed Reynaldo Lopez 29-9-2(21) from Colombia 80-70, 79-71 & 78-72. Lopez was down at the end of both the second and seventh rounds.

Californian Chris Avalos 16-0(13) continued his impressive form bludgeoning Colombian John Alberto Molina 27-13-3(18) into defeat when Molina retired in his corner after two rounds. With the win Avalos picks up the vacant WBO NABO bantamweight title.

John Molina Jr 19-1(15) impressively stopped Cuban Jose Antonio Izquierdo 17-6-1(14) at 2.55 of the second round in a scheduled eight round fight at Lightweight.

In Light Middleweight action Raul Rodriguez 2-4-1 and Marquise Bruce who was making his debut fought to a majority draw over four stanzas.

Natu Visinia moved to 4-0(3) when he won a four round technical decision over debutant Geovani Sarran at Heavyweight.

Also at Heavyweight Nate James 3-0(1) won a split decision over Alvaro Morales 4-7-5(0).

In attendance were new Middleweight king Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez, the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard & Lennox Lewis who worked the broadcast for HBO.

Looks like Cris Arreola and his trainer didn’t keep true on their promise that the hard hitting Californian would weigh in under 240, but he manage to scale in 12.5 lbs less than his last bout. The naturally smaller Adamek, who is likely to go after a title in a third division if he is victorious Saturday, was 3 lbs down from his fight with Jason Estrada.

15ROUNDS’ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ADAMEK WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY SO MAKE SURE TO STAY TUNED!!!

For more New Jersey boxing news, go to gardenstatefightscene.com