Image details: Chris Arreola v Damian Wills served by picapp.com

My dad recently asked me “Why didn’t you write about the HBO heavyweight fight a few weeks ago? The one where the young kid Chris Arreola just tore that poor Philly boxer Chazz Witherspoon up. That kid was something else.”

Back in late June I was much more interested in the Showtime fights that aired at the same night: the Arthur Abraham – Edison Miranda rematch its co-feature the Raul Marquez – Giovanni Lorenzo upset. A few days later when I got around to watching the HBO fights — Arreola’s third round KO and Andre Berto’s domination of Miki Rodriguez — there was nothing left to say.

Since then everyone and their mother (my father was on the cutting edge) has fallen in love with young, round, and large Chris Arreola. During the July 2 Friday Night Fights ESPN2 ranked him as America’s 2nd best heavyweight behind Tony Thompson, after the Wladimir Klitschko fight the HBO team was rushing to place him in a major fight, and today Arreola pops up in Ring Magazine’s Top Ten Heavyweights.

Is he deserving or is he merely a young American heavyweight at a time when no others seem to exist? I’ve rewatched the Chazz Witherspoon fight a few times now and keep coming away more impressed with the 27-year-old from Riverside, Calif.

At first glance Arreola looks short, round, out of shape, and plodding. But once the bell rings you realize that all your assumptions are wrong. Boxrec.com lists his height at 6′4″, he moves around the ring with deceptive ease, his hands throw quick pounding combinations, he closes down on his opponent with pit bull-like aggression, and he finishes with palpable viciousness.

Image details: Carlos Baldomir v Floyd Mayweather Weigh-In served by picapp.com

Whether or not he’s more than a just an exciting brawler remains to be seen but he is certainly a much more interesting heavyweight viewing option than 35+ year-old American never-weres, boring technical Eastern European ex-amateur champs, and a circus freak.

So, yes, it’s great to see Arreola break into the heavyweight division’s top echelon. His refreshing style and crowd pleasing tendencies are a breath of fresh air. Are his technical skills good enough to compete against the elite? Has he been rushed to fill a void before his talent is properly realized?

The answer to both questions is probably yes. The current crop of heavyweights just aren’t that good. Whether Arreola could become the elusive great American heavyweight and the often-pined-for “savior of his beleaguered division” remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, he’s a lot better than what we’ve got and he already has a casual boxing fan like my dad talking.

What do you guys think? Is Arreola deserving of his rank? Could he become a linear World Champ?

Post from: EveryJoe

Chris Arreola – The Next Great American Heavyweight?

Image details: The Contender Challenge – UK v USA served by picapp.com

The boxing reality show The Contender has found a new home, a new weight class, and its most impressive roster of fighters yet. After one season on NBC, and two on ESPN, the showcase for up-and-coming fighters will now be shown on the Versus Network. Let’s hope it does better than their famously low-rated NHL coverage. The new season will begin in December.

In the past few months Versus has intermittently put its toes in the boxing waters; its most notable event being May’s Ricky Hatton vs. Juan Lazcano bout. The Contender solidifies the fledgling network’s dedication to the sweet science.

This year’s Contender crop will feature cruiserweights (200 lb.) rather than previous years’ middleweight contestants.

The result of frequent Contender title shots (Sergio Mora, Peter Manfredo Jr., Steve Forbes) means an even better set of fighters this time around. Among them are boxrec.com’s #8, #9 and #10 ranked cruisers (!) Vadim Tokarev, B.J. Flores, and (!) O’Neill Bell (last seen sleepwalking in Katowice against Tomasz Adamek) respectively.

We will be profiling all 12 Season Four Contenders in the near future. Until then, we here at www.jabandgrapple.com are very excited that The Contender has returned and even more excited at the terrific lineup of fighters.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Contender Now on the Versus Network, Will Debut in December

On June 20, 1980 Montreal 1976 Olympic gold medalist Sugar Ray Leonard faced the greatest lightweight of all time Roberto Duran thus kicking off the golden age of middleweights, an era chronicled by George Kimball in his forthcoming book Four Kings. Duran outlasted Leonard in the Brawl in Montreal winning a narrow 15-round decision. Leonard, who had turned pro immediately after Games, was now 27-1 and had just lost the WBC welterweight belt.

On June 20, 2008 Athens 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward faced the serviceable Dominican fighter Jerson Ravelo winning with an 8th round TKO. Ward, who had turned pro immediately after the Games, is now 16-0, has no title, and is unranked in Ring Magazine’s list of the top 10 super middleweights.

Andre Ward was the only United States boxing gold medalist in 2004 and with that comes expectations and comparisons. His career is currently moving on a glacial pace. Is it indicative of a lack of ambition, a different more babying era of sport, a lack of talent, or poor promotion? Maybe all of the above. Ward looked average, sloppy, and undisciplined in defeating Ravelo. He needs to increase the quality of competition, the frequency of his bouts, and his learning curve if he is to live up to his possibilities.

Maybe comparing the light heavyweight medal winning Ward to the light welterweight winning Leonard is unfair. OK. In 1976 Leon Spinks won the light heavyweight gold medal. Less than two years after his Montreal win Spinks faced Muhammed Ali for the heavyweight championship of the world. Spinks shockingly defeated the “greatest of all time” and became the undisputed champ in only his eighth pro fight.

Ward’s eighth fight was a six round 2006 unanimous decision win against Kendall Gould. From 2004-06 Gould was 2-8.

Below is a youtube video of Ward’s KO of Jerson Ravelo:

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Olympian Andre Ward Finally Takes a Small Step Up