Chris Arreola
Cristobal Arreola (born March 5, 1981) is an American professional boxer who has challenged three times for the WBC heavyweight title.
| Chris Arreola | |
|---|---|
 Arreola in 2011 | |
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Cristobal Arreola |
| Nickname(s) | The Nightmare |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | March 5, 1981 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 47 |
| Wins | 38 |
| Wins by KO | 33 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 2 |
Early life
Arreola was born in Los Angeles, California to Mexican parents. As a child he met boxer Julio César Chávez a couple of times. Arreola said of it "I had a chance to go to his house in Culiacán because my father was from near there and my aunt lived in Culiacan. I used to go and watch him train."[1]
Amateur career
Arreola grew up in East Los Angeles. His father was a boxer and started him boxing at the age of eight with trainer Hector Rodríguez. At 16, he had "about 200 amateur bouts" before losing interest and quitting. In 2001 at 20 he got back into boxing and after only three months of training managed to win the National Golden Gloves at the Light Heavyweight division. To win, Chris beat Dallas Vargas, who had about 300 amateur fights at the time.[2]
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.[3]
Professional career
In 2003, Goossen-Tutor promoted him and turned him pro at heavyweight with little fanfare. 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'."
In 2005, he fought 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.
In 2006, he stopped Sedreck Fields, Cuban Damian Norris (who later defeated the unbeaten Roderick Willis) and in a match of unbeaten Californian prospects Damian Wills (coming in at 22–0–0–0).
In 2007, he KOd former amateur star Zakeem Graham (11–0). 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 KO'd Thomas Hayes (record 27–0–0–0) in September 2007, in round 1.
On June 21, 2008, Arreola faced fellow undefeated prospect Chazz Witherspoon (23-0) and defeated him via disqualifaction.
On November 29, 2008, Arreola faced Travis Walker and knocked him out early in the 3rd round, improving Arreola's record to 26-0.
By June 2008, Arreola was ranked in the top 10 by all four major governing bodies.[4]
Arreola defeated the previously retired heavyweight veteran Jameel McCline (40-8 23 KO's) on April 11, 2009, with a knockout at 2:01 of the 4th round.
WBC heavyweight title challenge vs. Vitali Klitschko
After his win, Arreola was the number one contender to challenge Vitali Klitschko for his WBC Heavyweight title belt.[5] Arreola was happy with his draw when it was announced they would fight in Arreola's home town.[6] The match took place on September 26, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was broadcast on HBO. Arreola's corner and the referee stopped the fight before the start of the 11th round, giving Klitschko a 10th-round RTD (TKO) victory. The final scorecards read 99-91, 99-91, and 100–89, all for Klitschko.[7]
After Klitschko fight
Soon after his first career loss, Arreola fought Brian Minto as an undercard for the Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martínez fight. Chris landed well with his straight right hand and eventually floored Minto in the 4th round; Minto got up at 8 and continued to get hit with right hands before being dropped again. The referee stopped the fight when Minto rose at 9 and appeared to be in no condition to proceed with the fight.[8]
Arreola lost his next fight, to former two-division world champion Tomasz Adamek, by majority decision on 24 April 2010. Arreola was again looking out of shape for a professional boxer at the time of the fight.[9]
Arreola in his next fight defeated Manuel Quezada in Ontario, California by a 12-round unanimous decision. Quezada was down three times in the fight: twice in the 9th round and once in the 12th. The scores (117–108) and two judges had it (118–107). Before the fight Arreola had an interview on ESPN saying that his last two defeats were because he did not train well (as well as skipping days) and stepped into the training camp weighing nearly 300 pounds. He said that he now knew how to prepare for a fight, and realizes he needs to take the training camp seriously. He came in at 256 pounds (he fought the best at 230–240, and lost his previous two weighing over 250 pounds) and fought sluggishly against a tough opponent. At the end of the fight, Arreola said he gave himself a C− for overall performance.[10]
After his knockout over American Joey Abell on ESPN,[11] Arreola took out title contender Nagy Aguilera in the third round. This bout was televised on Showtime's Andre Ward vs. Arthur Abraham undercard.[12] Thirteen days after the fight with Aguilera, Cristobal knocked out tough veteran Kendrick Releford in the seventh round, as the main-event on ESPN.[13][14] He has since then won by a 10-round unanimous decision against Friday Ahunanya on July 9, and a third-round TKO over Raphael Butler on November 5, 2011, in Guanajuato Domo De La Feria, Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Arreola's next fight was on the Paul Williams vs. Nobuhiro Ishida undercard at the American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 18, 2012. The opponent was heavyweight contender Éric Molina. Arreola won the fight by first-round KO. [15] After the knockout, Arreola created some stir in the post fight interview when he referred to Molina’s promoter Don King as a “f—ing a–hole and a racist,” prompting Showtime’s Jim Gray to immediately terminate the interview. “Honestly Don King called me a wetback, and other Mexicans,” Arreola told Fightnews.com. “That’s a strong word. It’s like me dropping N bombs. You don’t say things like that.” [16]
Arreola vs. Stiverne I and II
Arreola had a chance at a rematch with Vitali Klitschko in April 2013 when he faced Bermane Stiverne. Although a favorite to win the fight, Arreola was knocked down in the third round and wound up losing a unanimous decision.[17] On September 7, 2013, Arreola beat Seth Mitchell in a single round.[18] After Klitschko vacated the title in December 2013, Arreola was signed to fight Bermane Stiverne for the vacant title. On May 10, 2014, Stiverne won the title after a sixth-round knockout.[19]
On March 13, 2015, Arreola made his return to the ring to face heavyweight Curtis Harper. The fight took place during the first Premier Boxing Champions on Spike TV broadcast at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA. Arreola was awarded a victory by unanimous decision following 8 rounds of boxing.[20]
On July 18, 2015, Arreola fought to a ten-round draw with Fred Kassi. The scores were 96–94 for Arreola, 95–95 on the remaining two cards.
Arreola's tight 12-round split decision victory over Travis Kauffman on Dec. 12 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio was changed to a no-decision on Jan. 5, after Arreola tested positive for marijuana.[21]
Arreola vs. Wilder
Arreola made his third challenge for the WBC heavyweight title when he travelled to Birmingham, Alabama on July 16, 2016, to face champion Deontay Wilder. Wilder eventually won by 8th round retirement to retain his title.
Professional boxing record
| 47 fights | 38 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 33 | 3 |
| By decision | 3 | 3 |
| By disqualification | 2 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No contests | 2 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | Loss | 38–6–1 (2) |  |
UD | 12 | Aug 3, 2019 |  |
|
| 46 | Win | 38–5–1 (2) | |
TKO | 3 (10), 2:03 | Mar 16, 2019 | |
|
| 45 | Win | 37–5–1 (2) | |
RTD | 6 (8), 3:00 | Dec 1, 2018 | |
|
| 44 | Loss | 36–5–1 (2) | |
RTD | 8 (12), 3:00 | Jul 16, 2016 | |
For WBC heavyweight title |
| 43 | NC | 36–4–1 (2) | |
SD | 12 | Dec 12, 2015 | |
Originally an SD win for Arreola, later ruled an NC after he failed a drug test |
| 42 | Draw | 36–4–1 (1) |  |
MD | 10 | Jul 18, 2015 | |
|
| 41 | Win | 36–4 (1) | |
UD | 8 | Mar 13, 2015 | |
|
| 40 | Loss | 35–4 (1) | .svg.png){kind=small} |
TKO | 6 (12), 2:02 | May 10, 2014 | |
For vacant WBC heavyweight title |
| 39 | Win | 35–3 (1) | |
KO | 1 (12), 2:26 | Sep 7, 2013 | |
Won WBC International heavyweight title |
| 38 | Loss | 34–3 (1) | |
UD | 12 | Apr 27, 2013 | |
For WBC Silver heavyweight title |
| 37 | Win | 34–2 (1) | |
KO | 1 (12), 2:30 | Feb 18, 2012 | |
Won WBC–USNBC heavyweight title |
| 36 | Win | 33–2 (1) | |
TKO | 3 (10), 0:55 | Nov 5, 2011 |  |
|
| 35 | NC | 32–2 (1) |  |
UD | 10 | Jul 9, 2011 | |
Originally a UD win for Arreola, later ruled an NC after he failed a drug test |
| 34 | Win | 32–2 | |
TKO | 7 (10), 2:43 | May 27, 2011 | |
|
| 33 | Win | 31–2 |  |
TKO | 3 (10), 1:58 | May 14, 2011 | |
|
| 32 | Win | 30–2 | |
TKO | 1 (10), 2:18 | Jan 28, 2011 | |
|
| 31 | Win | 29–2 | |
UD | 12 | Aug 13, 2010 | |
Won WBC FECOMBOX heavyweight title |
| 30 | Loss | 28–2 | |
MD | 12 | Apr 24, 2010 | |
For IBF International and vacant WBO–NABO heavyweight titles |
| 29 | Win | 28–1 | |
TKO | 4 (10), 2:40 | Dec 5, 2009 | |
|
| 28 | Loss | 27–1 |  |
RTD | 10 (12), 3:00 | Sep 26, 2009 | |
For WBC heavyweight title |
| 27 | Win | 27–0 | |
KO | 4 (12), 2:01 | Apr 11, 2009 | |
Retained WBC Continental Americas and NABF heavyweight titles |
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | |
TKO | 3 (12), 0:13 | Nov 29, 2008 | |
Retained WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title; Won NABF heavyweight title |
| 25 | Win | 25–0 |  |
TKO | 3 (10), 1:11 | Sep 25, 2008 | |
Retained WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title |
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | |
DQ | 3 (12), 3:00 | Jun 21, 2008 | |
Retained WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title; Witherspoon disqualified after his cornermen entered the ring too early |
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | |
TKO | 1 (10), 1:22 | Feb 9, 2008 | |
|
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | |
KO | 3 (10), 1:45 | Sep 21, 2007 | |
Retained WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | |
KO | 1 (10), 0:57 | Jul 14, 2007 | |
|
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | |
TKO | 8 (8), 1:07 | May 4, 2007 | |
|
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | |
TKO | 3 (10), 2:42 | Feb 9, 2007 | |
|
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | |
TKO | 7 (10), 2:17 | Nov 4, 2006 | |
|
| 17 | Win | 17–0 |  |
TKO | 4 (8), 2:59 | Aug 19, 2006 | |
|
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | |
KO | 7 (8), 1:41 | May 25, 2006 | |
|
| 15 | Win | 15–0 |  |
KO | 1 (6), 1:33 | Apr 12, 2006 | |
|
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | |
KO | 1 (6), 2:28 | Mar 3, 2006 | |
|
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | |
TKO | 5 (8), 2:38 | Oct 21, 2005 | |
|
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | |
UD | 6 | Sep 23, 2005 | |
|
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | |
TKO | 4 (4), 1:49 | May 5, 2005 | |
|
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | |
TKO | 4 (6), 1:26 | Feb 17, 2005 | |
|
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | |
DQ | 3 (4) | Jan 21, 2005 | |
Cleage disqualified for repeated fouls |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | |
TKO | 1 (6), 0:21 | Dec 9, 2004 | |
|
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | |
TKO | 1 (4), 0:59 | Aug 20, 2004 | |
|
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | |
TKO | 1 (4) | Apr 26, 2004 | |
|
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | |
KO | 1 (4), 2:33 | Mar 22, 2004 | |
|
| 4 | Win | 4–0 |  |
TKO | 1 (4), 2:40 | Feb 16, 2003 | |
|
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | |
KO | 2 (4), 1:21 | Aug 10, 2003 | |
|
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | |
TKO | 1 (4), 0:27 | Oct 13, 2003 | |
|
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | |
TKO | 2 (4), 1:25 | Sep 5, 2003 | |
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-05-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "News - Chris Arreola: A Nightmare's Dream Reborn". Max Boxing. 2010-04-24. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Wladimir Klitschko is Pretty Nervous - Vitali faces Chris Arreola". Doghouseboxing.com. 2009-09-24. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Morales: Nightmare creeping up on shot at heavyweight title". 18 June 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-05-11. Retrieved 2011-05-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Vitali Klitschko To Defend WBC Heavyweight Title Against Unbeaten Cristobal Arreola". BoxingInsider.com. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2011-05-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Cris Arreola takes out Brian Minto in thrilling affair". Sports.espn.go.com. 2009-12-06. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Boxing Notebook: Cris Arreola, Tomasz Adamek out to make history - ESPN". Espn.go.com. 2010-04-23. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Quezada-Arreola clash August 13 | Boxing News". Fightnews. 2010-07-12. Archived from the original on 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Chris Arreola Crushes Joey Abell in The First Round - Boxing News". Boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2011-05-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Sub Lead - Arreola makes a quick return to the ring". Max Boxing. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-05-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Chris Arreola". BoxRec. 1981-03-05. Archived from the original on 2015-06-17. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Arreola explains Don King racism allegations | Boxing News". Fightnews. 2012-02-27. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Bermane Stiverne outpoints Chris Arreola in heavyweight upset". Espn.go.com. 2013-04-27. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Cris Arreola stops Seth Mitchell in 1st round". Espn.go.com. 2013-09-08. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Bermane Stiverne drops Chris Arreola, wins heavyweight world title". Espn.go.com. 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- "Arreola vs Harper Results & Highlights - Mar 13, 2015". Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- "Chris Arreola's win over Travis Kauffman voided for marijuana in drug test". Espn.go.com. 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
External links
- Boxing record for Chris Arreola from BoxRec
- Chris Arreola profile at Premier Boxing Champions
- Chris Arreola interview
| Sporting positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur boxing titles | ||||
| Previous: Arthur Palac |
U.S. Golden Gloves light heavyweight champion 2001 |
Next: Allan Green | ||
| Regional boxing titles | ||||
| Vacant Title last held by Tony Thompson |
WBC Continental Americas heavyweight champion September 21, 2007 – September 26, 2009 Lost bid for world title |
Vacant Title next held by Chauncy Welliver | ||
| Preceded by Travis Walker |
NABF heavyweight champion November 29, 2008 – September 2009 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Johnathon Banks | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Humberto Soto |
WBC FECOMBOX heavyweight champion August 13, 2010 – June 2011 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by David Rodriguez | ||
| Preceded by Éric Molina |
WBC–USNBC heavyweight champion February 18, 2012 – September 2012 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Magomed Abdusalamov | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Seth Mitchell |
WBC International heavyweight champion September 7, 2013 – March 2014 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Tony Thompson | ||