Chris Arreola
 | This article may be written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view. (April 2009) |
Chris Arreola | |
|---|---|
| File:ChrisArreola.jpg | |
| Born | Chris Arreola March 5, 1981 |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | "Nightmare" |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 27 |
| Wins | 27 |
| Wins by KO | 24 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Chris Arreola (born March 5, 1981 in Los Angeles as Cristobal Arreola) is a US Mexican-American heavyweight boxer widely regarded as one of the fattest American heavyweight prospects. His lack of conditioning cause some boxing experts to question his ability to compete at the top level.
Amateur career
Arreola grew up in East LA; his father was a boxer and he started boxing at the age of eight. At 16, he had "about 200 amateur bouts"(Max boxing) before losing interest and quitting. At 20 he got back into boxing and after only three months of training managed to win the National Golden Gloves in 2001 as a light-heavyweight against Dallas Vargas who had about 300 amateur fights at that time.
After another hiatus from boxing, this time for two years, he tried to come back for the 2003 Golden Gloves but arrived shortly after the check-in deadline prompting him to turn pro.
Pro
In 2003 the Goossen Tutor promoted tattooed 6-foot-4 fighter turned pro at heavyweight with little fanfare. His self-given nickname is "Nightmare." Many boxing fans call him "Nippleboy" and "Disgusting Fatbody". Despite his amateur success, Arreola carried a lackadaisical attitude into the pro ranks. Looking back he says: “I really didn’t know if boxing was going to be my career. I wasn’t sure about turning pro and once I did, I just took it one fight at a time. But then I starting knocking guys out and I gradually started thinking, ‘Hey, maybe I can make some money doing this’.”
At first the offensive-minded Arreola only beat weak opposition but got good sparring in California against Wladimir Klitschko, Hasim Rahman and James Toney. His level of opposition has never included a fighter that was in the top 10 at the time of the fight. His last fight was against a previously retired asthmatic who weighed over 270 pounds and showed little interest in winning the fight. Both fighters appeared to be more interested in eating buckets of KFC instead of boxing. Cris now resides in Riverside, California where he has unfettered access to plenty of fast food.
In 2005 he stepped it up against Domonic Jenkins who despite his record of only 6-3 held a win over Malcolm Tann (and later KOd amateur stars Victor Bisbal and Carlos Barnett). After trailing for six rounds he turned the fight around and won by KO.
He supposedly then he got his weight under better control, he gradually dropped from a whopping 255 lbs down to 230 lbs. In his last three fights, however, he has been tipping the scales at over 250 pounds once again.
In 2006 he stopped durable clubfighter Sedreck Fields, Cuban southpaw Damian Norris (who later defeated the unbeaten Roderick Willis) and in a match of unbeaten Californian prospects Damian Wills (coming in at 21-0-1).
In 2007 he KOd former amateur star Zakeem Graham (10-1, only loss was to Ruslan Chagaev). He was scheduled to fight undefeated Olympian Devin Vargas , brother of his amateur foe Dallas Vargas, but knocked out late sub Malcolm Tann when Vargas got injured in training, in May 2007 on ShoBox. He KOd Thomas Hayes (record 26-1) in September 2007.
On June 21, 2008, Arreola faced fellow undefeated prospect Chazz Witherspoon (23-0) and defeated him via disqualification. In the third round, Arreola landed a barrage of punches that was capped off by a chopping right that sent Witherspoon to the canvas. Witherspoon stumbled to his feet as the bell rang, but a member of Witherspoon's corner entered the ring before the end of the mandatory eight-count, causing the disqualification.[1]
On November 29, 2008, Arreola faced Travis Walker and was not worried about his weight. During the 1st round Arreola was overwhelmed by Walker's power and was outboxed. Arreola came back late in the 2nd round after being knocked down to his knees; Arreola knocked Walker down twice afterwards, eventually knocking Walker out early in the 3rd round improving Arreola's record to 26-0.
Arreola is currently ranked in the top 10 by three of the four major governing bodies.[2]
His coach Henry Ramirez is only 31 years old. “I had other trainers but they didn’t fit my style. I’m a banger,” said Arreola remembering that day. “Henry was always giving guys confidence and I liked that.”
Arreola defeated the previously retired heavyweight veteran Jameel McCline (39-9 23 KO's) on April 11 2009, with a knockout at 2:01 of the 4th round. McCline was very overweight for the fight. Arreola put McCline down with a combination consisting of an uppercut and right cross, and McCline made little effort to rise before the count of 10. The fight was shown on the undercard of the Paul Williams vs Ronald "Winky" Wright bout on HBO Championship Boxing.
Marketing and Representation
On March 1, 2009, Dethrone Royalty Inc announced they had signed Arreola to an endorsement deal whereby Arreola would wear Dethrone Royalty tshirts as his exclusive walkin and postfight shirt for his upcoming fights, beginning with the fight versus Jameel McCline. A signature "Nightmare" Dethrone Royalty shirt will be available late July 2009 at dethrone.com.
On April 8, 2009, Who's Your Daddy, Inc. announced they had signed Arreola to an endorsement deal whereby Arreola would wear the company logo on his trunks during the fight versus Jameel McCline and would also feature his likeness on the company website.
Arreola is represented by agents Leigh Steinberg and Jeremiah Donati of Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment in Newport Beach, California. Both Steinberg and Donati oversee all of Arreola's marketing and endorsement opportunities.
.
References
External links
- Chris Arreola Fight-by-Fight Career Record
- Boxing record for Chris Arreola from BoxRec (registration required)