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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
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 303: Spotlights on Lightweights and More
Those lightweights.
Whether junior lights, super lights or lightweights, it’s the 130-140 divisions where most of boxing’s young stars are found now or in the past.
Think Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather.
Floyd Schofield (17-0, 12 KOs) a Texas product, hungers to be a star and takes on Mexico’s Rene Tellez Giron (20-3, 13 KOs) in a 12-round lightweight bout on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.
DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotion card that includes a female undisputed flyweight championship match pitting Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz and Gabriela Fundora.
Like a young lion looking to flex, Schofield (pictured on the left) is eager to meet all the other young lions and prove they’re not equal.
“I’ve been in the room with Shakur, Tank. I want to give everyone a good fight. I feel like my preparation is getting better, I work hard, I’ve dedicated my whole life to this sport,” said Schofield naming fellow lightweights Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
Now he meets Mexico’s Tellez who has never been stopped.
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” said Tellez.
Even in Las Vegas.
Verona, New York
Meanwhile, in upstate New York, a WBC junior lightweight title rematch finds Robson Conceicao (19-2-1, 9 KOs) looking to prove superior to former titlist O’Shaquie Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank fight card.
Last July, Conceicao and Foster clashed and after 12 rounds the title changed hands from Foster to the Brazilian by split decision.
“I feel that a champion is a fighter who goes out there and doesn’t run around, who looks for the fight, who tries to win, and doesn’t just throw one or two punches and then moves away,” said Conceicao.
Foster disagrees.
“I hope he knows the name of the game is to hit and not get hit. That’s the name of the game,” said Foster.
Also on the same card is lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla (21-0, 16 KOs) who fights Mexico’s Jesus Perez Campos (25-5, 18 KOs).
Perez recently defeated former world champion Jojo Diaz last February in California.
“We’re made for challenges. I like challenges,” said Perez.
Muratalla likes challenges too.
“I think these fights are the types of fights I need to show my skills and to prove I deserve those title fights,” said Fontana’s Muratalla.
Female Undisputed Flyweight Championship
WBA, WBC and WBO flyweight titlist Gabriela “La Chucky” Alaniz (15-1, 6 KOs meets IBF titlist Gabriela Fundora (14-0, 6 KOs) on Saturday Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. DAZN will stream the clash for the undisputed flyweight championship.
Argentina’s Alaniz clashed twice against former WBA, WBC champ Marlen Esparza with their first encounter ending in a dubious win for the Texas fighter. In fact, three of Esparza’s last title fights were scored controversially.
But against Alaniz, though they fought on equal terms, Esparza was given a 99-91 score by one of the judges though the world saw a much closer contest. So, they fought again, but the rematch took place in California. Two judges deemed Alaniz the winner and one Esparza for a split-decision win.
“I’m really happy to be here representing Argentina. We are ready to fight. Nothing about this fight has to do with Marlen. So, I hope she (Fundora) is ready. I am ready to prepare myself for the great fight of my life,” said Alaniz.
In the case of Fundora, the extremely tall American fighter at 5’9” in height defeated decent competition including Maria Santizo. She was awarded a match with IBF flyweight titlist Arely Mucino who opted for the tall youngster over the dangerous Kenia Enriquez of Mexico.
Bad choice for Mucino.
Fundora pummeled the champion incessantly for five rounds at the Inglewood Forum a year ago. Twice she battered her down and the fight was mercifully stopped. Fundora’s arm was raised as the new champion.
Since that win Fundora has defeated Christina Cruz and Chile’s Daniela Asenjo in defense of the IBF title. In an interesting side bit: Asenjo was ranked as a flyweight contender though she had not fought in that weight class for seven years.
Still, Fundora used her reach and power to easily handle the rugged fighter from Chile.
Immediately after the fight she clamored for a chance to become undisputed.
“It doesn’t get better than this, especially being in Las Vegas. This is the greatest opportunity that we can have,” said Fundora.
It should be exciting.
Fights to Watch
Sat. ESPN+ 2:50 p.m. Robson Conceicao (19-2-1) vs O’Shaquie Foster (22-3).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Floyd Schofield (17-0) vs Rene Tellez Giron (20-3); Gabriela Alaniz (15-1) vs Gabriela Fundora (14-0).
Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy
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Bakhram Murtalaziev was the Fighter of the Month in October
As we close the book on October, let’s look back at the month’s stellar performances. Kenshiro Teraji added another exclamation point to his brilliant career with an 11th-round stoppage of Cristofer Rosales. England’s Jack Catterall, considered no more than a decent domestic-level talent for most of his career, showed that he had been underrated with a comprehensive 12-round decision over declining Regis Prograis. But the top performance, by a landslide, was delivered by Bakhram Murtalaziev who annihilated Tim Tszyu on Oct. 19 in Orlando, Florida.
Murtalaziev was undefeated (22-0, 16 KOs) and the reigning IBF junior middleweight champion, but he was the underdog and the “B” side. As champions go, and there are roughly five dozen across the 17 weight divisions, the California-based Russian ranked among the least well-known. He had won his title in Berlin with an 11th-round stoppage of an unexceptional 38-year-old German-Ecuadorian campaigner, Jack Culcay, and he would be making his first defense.
Managed by Egis Klimas who also handles Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko, among others, Bakhram Murtalaziev came from a good barn in the vernacular of a horseplayer, but on paper that alone was insufficient to get him over the hump against Tim Tszyu who a few short months earlier was widely considered the best 154-pound boxer in the world.
That was before he met up with Sebastian Fundora who blemished his record, but that setback could have been written off as a fluke.
As we recall, Tszyu was scheduled to fight Keith Thurman in the initial PBC offering on Amazon Prime Video, but Thurman suffered a biceps injury in training and Fundora was bumped up from the undercard to fill the breach. With only 12 days’ notice, Tim Tszyu went from fighting a five-foot-seven fighter who fights out of an orthodox stance to fighting a southpaw who stood almost a full foot taller. The “Towering Inferno” has his limitations, but poses a special problem to anyone, let alone an opponent with little time to formulate a good game plan.
Tszyu was hampered in the Fundora fight by a gash on his hairline that hampered his vision. The injury happened in the second round when he ducked under Fundora and walked into an elbow. The gash bled copiously throughout the fight and yet the best that Fundora could do was win a split (albeit fair) decision.
To say that Tszyu failed to rebound from the Fundora misadventure would be putting it mildly. Murtalaziev steamrolled him, knocking him to the canvas four times in all before Tszyu’s corner tossed in the towel at the 1:55 mark of the third stanza. It was painful to watch. Referee Chris Young was faulted for allowing the match to continue as long as it did. Compounding Tszyu’s misery, his celebrated father, a first ballot Hall of Famer, was ringside. Kostya Tszyu hadn’t seen his oldest son fight in the flesh since Tim’s pro debut in 2016.
Although the dichotomy is imperfect, Tim Tszyu, who turns 30 on Saturday, is more of a puncher than a boxer. That may work against him so far as clawing his way back to a position of prominence. The noted boxing coach Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, a keen student of the history of boxing in the modern era, expressed this sentiment in a Q and A story for Boxing Scene. “Destructive fighters usually don’t come back to full capacity after bad KO losses,” he said, citing John Mugabi, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, and Naseem Hamed to illustrate his point. Moreover, added Edwards, “No one will ever be afraid of him again.”
But there were two stories that emerged from the Murtalaziev-Tszyu fight. Tim Tszyu crashed, but Bakhram Murtalaziev emerged from obscurity, announcing his presence (pardon the cliché) as a force to be reckoned with. As for his next assignment, the best guess is that it will come against Sebastian Fundora or Errol Spence Jr. who are expected to meet early next year. And based on Murtalaziev’s stunning performance in Orlando, it will be impossible to bet against him.
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Foreman-Moorer: 30 Years Later
Foreman-Moorer: 30 Years Later
By TSS SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT JAMIE REBNER — In sports, middle-aged athletes are not supposed to beat opponents who are half their age and in their athletic primes. Only the greatest ones can use guile, technique, and experience to compensate for the dulling of speed, reflexes, and athleticism that have unavoidably eroded with time.
That is why George Foreman’s feat of reclaiming the heavyweight title at 45 is so impressive. It was thirty years ago this coming Tuesday, Nov 5, 1994, that Foreman scored a monumental upset in knocking out Michael Moorer to win back the title he had lost twenty years prior against Muhammad Ali in The Rumble in the Jungle. In doing so, Big George became the oldest heavyweight champion, breaking the record previously held by Jersey Joe Walcott, who had won the title at 38.
When Foreman beat Moorer, he was in the twilight of his second career, a comeback that began in 1987. George had retired in 1977 after losing to Jimmy Young and experiencing a spiritual awakening in his locker room. That led him to become a minister and devote himself to his family and congregation. During his retirement, he opened a youth center in Houston, which required much financial support, prompting him to return to the ring.
After winning 24 straight fights from 1987-1990, Foreman lost his first title shot by decision to Evander Holyfield in 1991. He rebounded from that loss with three more wins before getting a crack at the WBO title against Tommy Morrison in 1993. But his performance against Morrison was disappointing and he lost another decision. After that, Foreman was out of the ring for 17 months before he was gifted another title shot against Moorer.
Foreman got that gift because Moorer, due to his sullen demeanor and curtness with the media, was not a draw with the fans. He was also an unproven champion, having beaten Holyfield for two belts only seven months prior. So. Moorer needed a name opponent who could bring in the crowds for his first title defense. And the other top heavyweights like Oliver McCall (WBC champ), Lennox Lewis, and Riddick Bowe didn’t have close to Foreman’s drawing power. So. deserving or not, Foreman was chosen as the challenger to make a fight that would be worth the public’s attention and pockets.
Even Foreman was surprised by getting selected to fight Moorer. “I never in my wildest imagination thought I’d get a title shot again,” he told Associated Press sports columnist Tim Dahlberg. Still, George was determined to make his third time a charm.
But as motivated as George was, there was an irrefutable gap in speed between himself and the much younger champion. From the opening bell, Moorer used his superior quickness and reflexes to make Foreman look stiff and slow. And although George landed punches early on, he fired them one at a time while Moorer countered with multiple shots. But despite Moorer’s advantage in connects, his trainer Teddy Atlas advised him from the get-go not to stand in front of Foreman and make himself a stationary target for a right-hand bomb.
But Moorer failed to heed that advice as he continued to outwork Foreman in the middle rounds. Although he was winning, Moorer’s overconfidence kept him at close quarters, and he continued to circle unwisely to his left and into Foreman’s dangerous right hand. And despite absorbing many quality shots, Foreman never appeared hurt or discouraged thanks to his granite chin and unyielding resolve. He was determined to win and he was willing to walk through as many flush shots as he needed to do so.
With Moorer content to stay in range, Foreman gladly returned his firepower and he landed some telling right crosses, uppercuts, and plenty of thudding body blows during the battle. And while Moorer continued to pile up points and rounds, as long as George was marching forward and throwing shots, he had a puncher’s chance.
And with a minute to go in round ten, that punch came. After missing a three-punch combination, Foreman scored with a one-two, with the right hand landing on the forehead. He immediately repeated that combination but this time aimed the right hand lower on Moorer’s jaw. That slight adjustment caused his bulldozer right to collide perfectly with Moorer’s chin, sending the champion crashing to the canvas and sprawled onto his back. The champion couldn’t beat the count, and just like that, the fight was over, Moorer’s short-lived title run ending before it ever truly began.
With a single, shattering blow, Foreman etched his name into boxing history. Wearing the same trunks from Zaire 20 years before, he was now heavyweight champion of the world once again. It was a shocking result that defied conventional wisdom since seldom do 45-year-old boxers score knockouts over champions in their athletic primes. But Foreman reminded us that he was anything but your typical quadragenarian. He was special, and he had two distinct heavyweight championship reigns to prove it.
—
About the author:
Jamie Rebner lives in Toronto, Canada. He has been a freelance boxing writer since 2016 and his writing has appeared in The Fight City, Boxing News Online, The Ring, and Ringside Seat magazine. His Substack blog is Fight Fundamental, and he is currently writing a book about George Foreman’s comeback. He is also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow him on Twitter @J_NReb.
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