Arreola Stops Garcia, Williams KOs Kolle

SAN JACINTO, CA.-Welterweight Paul Williams barely broke a sweat as a middleweight and Mexican-American heavyweight hopeful Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola wasn’t burdened by excess weight in stopping New York’s Israel “King Kong” Garcia on Thursday at Soboba Casino.

Maybe it was the heat, as every bout on the card ended in a knockout.

Williams, the WBO welterweight titleholder, couldn’t find any brave souls to fight at 147 pounds so he moved up to 160 pounds and found middleweight Andy Kolle. It was over before anyone could grab a cold drink.

A double right hook to the body and a left to the chin knocked the middleweight through the ropes and unable to get back on his legs. Referee Jerry Cantu waved the fight over at 1:37 of the first round.

“He was good enough to land his punches but I wanted to see if he could take my punches,” said Georgia’s Williams (35-1, 26 KOs) who weighed 157 the day of the fight.

Dan Goossen, president of Goossen-Tutor Promotions, said he was worried a bit before the fight because it took super middleweight Andre Ward much longer to stop Kolle.

Williams barely broke a sweat and not only was quicker, but seemed to move Kolle every time he landed a left hand. The lanky fighter from South Carolina will be fighting again on Nov. 29, possibly in Southern California.

“Anyone who wants to fight me I’ll fight,” said Williams.

Despite weighing the most in his career, heavyweight hopeful Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola tore through New York City’s Israel “King Kong” Garcia (19-2, 11 KOs) quickly.

“I was lifting weights too much and too many burritos,” said Arreola (25-0, 22 KOs) jokingly about his 258 pounds.

The excess weight and loose body frame didn’t affect Arreola’s barrage of uppercuts and his body blows bore right through New York City’s Israel “King Kong” Garcia before more than 800 people at Soboba Casino.

From the first round it was obvious that Arreola had the quicker hands though fighting someone who physically looked like twin from the tattoos to the shaved head. The first round was one-sided as Arreola seemed to be punching at will with little in return.

Arreola showed a little more respect for Garcia in the second round as he fired some sharp jabs. But by the middle of the round he began snapping off multiple uppercuts with accuracy that Garcia could not avoid.

“At first I could see that I wasn’t hurting him,” said Arreola. “He could take a punch.”

Garcia, 38, shrugged his shoulders at the end of the second round as if to show that Arreola was not doing damage.

In the third round a left to the body and right to the body followed by an uppercut wobbled Garcia and Arreola went in for the kill. With Garcia against the ropes and unable to use his legs to maneuver, the Riverside heavyweight fired several punches that forced Lou Moret to halt the fight at 1:11 of the round.

“I could see it in his eyes that he was hurt,” said Arreola, 27.

Lou DiBella, who promotes Garcia, said he hoped his heavyweight could extend the fight at least five rounds to take advantage of Arreola’s extra poundage.

“Chris was a little too strong,” said DiBella.

In a junior welterweight bout Bayan Jargal (8-0-1, 5 KOs) of Mongolia used his strength and a double left hooks to drop Mexico’s Francisco Gil (12-8) in the second round. Another flurry of punches forced referee Lou Moret to stop the fight at 1:16 of the second round.

Pico Rivera’s Rico Ramos (7-0, 5 KOs) needed only 1:31 to prove to referee Jerry Cantu that Mexico’s Manuel Sarabia (16-27-9) was no match. Firing lefts and right in a blur Ramos immediately hurt Sarabia and the referee needed no more proof of the discrepancy in talent.

Derrick Wilson (3-0) blitzed by Emiliano Mendoza (1-1) with some straight right hands for two knockdowns and a stoppage at 1:13 of the first round of the featherweight bout.