Featured Articles
Avila Perspective, Chap. 133: Chris Arreola and More News

Few if any heavyweights of Mexican descent are sought by major boxing promoters and that’s the world Chris “the Nightmare” Arreola entered back in 2003.
Arreola was a tall, skinny stick figure of a light heavyweight originally from East L.A. who surprised the amateur boxing landscape by winning the National Golden Gloves. I asked his trainer at the time how he did it?
“He knocked everybody out,” said Juan West who worked his corner back then.
Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KOs) will try to prove his relevance against fellow Mexican-American heavyweight and former world champion Andy Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) in a non-title fight on Saturday May 1, at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. It will be shown on FOX pay-per-view.
Though early on Arreola could have succeeded as a light heavyweight, he blew up weight-wise into a full-fledged heavyweight. Never the Charles Atlas figure, he was shopped around and the promoters gave him a look. None were impressed.
All the major boxing promoters passed on Arreola; even the second-tier promoters. Despite delivering 10 consecutive knockout wins against opponents chosen by the promoters themselves, they still were not impressed.
Arreola was featured on the undercard of a nationally televised boxing show in Palm Springs, California against a tricky fellow Mexican named Kenny Lemos. The main event was former light heavyweight champion Julio Gonzalez who was the first Mexican to win a world title in that weight division. It was Cinco de Mayo 2005 and despite being 100 miles from Los Angeles, many stars like James Toney were in attendance.
It was around this time that Arreola caught the attention of Wes Crockett and Al Haymon. That night the heavyweight now living in Riverside, California, would win by technical knockout in the fourth round over the tricky Lemos.
Southern California was not a hotbed for heavyweights during the early 2000s, but aside from Arreola there was another good heavyweight named Damian “Bolo” Wills knocking out the competition. Fans of both camps were clamoring for a showdown.
Wills was sponsored by actor Denzel Washington who was often in attendance for his fights. Whenever Wills fought, a slew of Hollywood celebrities would show up like the Wayan brothers, Cedric the Entertainer, and DL Hughley.
Goossen-Tutor Promotions began working with Arreola and the build-up of his career started in earnest. Wins over Andrew Greeley, Domonic Jenkins, Curtis Taylor, Lee Manuel Ossie, Sedreck Fields and Damian Norris convinced both the promoters and television that it was time for a heavyweight showdown between Arreola and Wills.
Las Vegas
On November 4, 2006, Floyd Mayweather met Carlos Baldomir in a unification fight for the welterweight championship. It was the main event at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. On this same fight card Riverside’s Arreola would finally meet L.A.s Wills in the boxing ring.
Arreola and Wills brought a large number of fans to the event and many of those fans were excited to finally see this showdown between Southern California heavyweights after all the talk.
Though not all the seats were filled, tension filled the air when the two heavyweights entered the boxing ring. Arreola hugged Wills which seemed to surprise and disarm the L.A.-based heavyweight and the fight began.
Both heavyweights were careful, but Arreola seemed more comfortable in the ring. For some reason Wills seemed overly cautious. Little by little Arreola took control of the fight and hurt Wills several times including a knockdown. The fight was stopped in the seventh round.
It was a huge victory for Arreola who celebrated after the fight across the pedestrian bridge at the Luxor Hotel. Many of his fans from the Riverside area partied with him at a night club and the highlight was watching Arreola make it rain dollars. People scrambled for the dollar bills and toasted the winner.
Ironically, maybe one year after the fight, Wills and Arreola met for sparring in a Riverside boxing gym. It was a surreal scene taken right out of the pages of the Rocky 3 playbook. Wills tore into Arreola like he stole his girl.
“I think he was still a little upset at me,” said Arreola.
World Title Challenges
When WBC heavyweight titlist Vitali Klitschko chose Arreola as his next opponent it was a shocking surprise but it made sense. The giant Ukrainian fighter had problems drumming up interest in his fights and fighting a Mexican-American in an area dominated by Mexican-Americans was just the right call.
In the summer of 2009, at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, Klitschko and Arreola met with a large pro-Arreola crowd praying for a victory.
Few heavyweights of Mexican descent are ever offered an opportunity to fight for the world title. A short list of L.A.-based heavyweights such as Eddie “the Animal” Lopez, Joey Orbillo and Manuel Ramos all fought in the heavyweight division. Only Ramos fought for a world title when he battled Smokin’ Joe Frazier for the New York version of the world heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden in 1968. Muhammad Ali had been stripped of the world championship for refusing to be inducted into the military but was undefeated. So, New York created its own version.
Arreola was entering rare territory; the kind history books don’t forget. On Sept. 26, Klitschko proved too big, too strong and too experienced for Arreola who never stopped trying. But for 10 rounds Klitschko snapped back the head of Arreola so many times it looked like it was going to come off. Despite the screams of support from fans, Klitschko forced a stoppage at the end of the 10th round with a constant battering.
It would take another four years to obtain another world title shot for Arreola, and he would lose in 2013 and 2014 in world title bids against Bermane Stiverne. Two years later in 2016 he would meet Deontay Wilder for the same title and lose by stoppage.
Most thought Arreola’s career was over following the loss to Wilder, but the Mexican heavyweight knocked off younger challengers. In his last fight against Adam Kownacki he shocked the boxing world with an eye-opening battle that saw both fighters break television numbers for most punches thrown in a heavyweight fight. It was a tremendous surprise to see Arreola firing blow after blow like a machine gun. He credited new trainer Joe Goossen (pictured on the right) for the resurgence.
Now, Arreola is poised to fight the first heavyweight of Mexican descent to actually win a world title in Andy “the Destroyer” Ruiz. The circle is complete.
“It’s my time and my turn to change history and prove I’m a great Mexican heavyweight,” Arreola said.
A decade ago, they last met each other at a hillside backyard in Riverside. At the time Ruiz was just a young buck looking to make a name. Arreola was a heavyweight contender looking for someone to help him prepare for a battle. That night they got a taste of each other’s talent. It didn’t last long but each fighter got his blows in. Neither was hurt but each learned a lot about each other.
On Saturday we shall see who learned the most.
“I knew the day would come. He is a dangerous man,” said Arreola of Ruiz. “At one point, he wanted to be like me. And now, I want to be like him.”
Fights to Watch (Pacific Coast Time)
Fri. ESPN+ 11 a.m. Moruti Mthalane (39-2) vs Sunny Edwards (15-0); Michael Conlan (14-0) vs Ionut Baluta (14-2).
Fri. Estrella TV 7 p.m. Miguel Marriaga (29-4) vs Jorge Garcia Jimenez (14-3-1)
Sat. DAZN 10 a.m. Dereck Chisora vs Joseph Parker; Katie Taylor vs Natasha Jonas
Sat. FOX 4 p.m. Erislandy Lara (27-3-3) vs Thomas LaManna (30-4-1).
Sat. FOX pay-per-view 6 p.m. Andy Ruiz (33-2) vs Chris Arreola (38-6-1); Sebastian Fundora (16-0-1) vs Jorge Cota (30-4); Omar Figueroa (28-1-1) vs Abel Ramos (26-4-2).
Check out more boxing news on video at the Boxing Channel
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.
The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.
Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.
Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.
Co-Feature
In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.
The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.
A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.
Other Bouts
In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.
Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.
Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.
Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.
Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.
Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.
Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.
Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.
There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0
No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.
There were no knockdowns in this rematch.
The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.
It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.
Nothing changed in their second meeting.
Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.
The blows came in bunches.
In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.
Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.
Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.
During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.
But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.
“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.
Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.
“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.
Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.
“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.
Female Flyweight Battle
Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.
Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.
Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.
The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.
Neither fighter could take over the fight.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.
Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.
Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.
Puerto Rico vs Mexico
Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.
Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.
Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.
Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.
“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.
If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.
For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.
Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.
No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.
Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.
The fight breakdown
Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.
Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.
That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.
More drama.
During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.
New York City got its money’s worth.
Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.
Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?
“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”
Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.
That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?
Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.
Can she draw enough of that fire out again?
“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”
Co-Main in Las Vegas
The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.
Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.
Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.
Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.
Golden Boy in Cancun
A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.
In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.
DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.
Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.
Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.
Fights to Watch
Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).
Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
A Fresh Face on the Boxing Scene, Bryce Mills Faces His Toughest Test on Friday
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Bernard Fernandez Reflects on His Special Bond with George Foreman
-
Featured Articles1 week ago
A Paean to George Foreman (1949-2025), Architect of an Amazing Second Act
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Notes and Nuggets from Thomas Hauser: Callum Walsh Returns to Madison Square Garden
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Friday Boxing Recaps: Observations on Conlan, Eubank, Bahdi, and David Jimenez
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Spared Prison by a Lenient Judge, Chordale Booker Pursues a World Boxing Title
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Boxing Odds and Ends: Mikaela Mayer on Jonas vs. Price and More
-
Featured Articles1 week ago
Sebastian Fundora TKOs Chordale Booker in Las Vegas