Chris Arreola

I have visited heavyweight contender Chris Arreola's training camp in the piney woods outside the mountain community of Big Bear (elevation:  about 5,500 feet) three times in the past three weeks.  I'm happy to report that Chris is working very hard, looking strong, in preparation for his Nov. 29 HBO bout with Travis Walker.  There are unconfirmed reports that if Chris passes this test impressively, his next bout will be against one of the giant Klitschko brothers of the Ukraine, holders of two of the four or five splintered versions of the world heavyweight boxing title.

Yes, it's a bleedin' shame that the title is so fragmented.  But that isn't Chris's fault.  He will fight whoever they put in front of him--and, in my humble, slightly biased Southern Opinion--knock 'em all out.   Right now, he is still a comparative Unknown, even here in his home town.  But if he racks up just a couple or three more wins, he COULD become one of the most famous, most acclaimed sports stars in the world.
I am privileged to have been the only "outsider" in the Arreola training camp.  And, of course, I am there strictly as a low-profile observer and "friend of the family."  My good friend "Indian Willie" Schunke, Arreola's assistant trainer, cut man, and hand-wrapping specialist, has allowed me to tag along with him on visits to the secluded camp.  They want no cameras, no microphones, no media people--and probably, most of all, none of Chris's beer-drinking buddies.  Right now, it's all business.  There will be plenty of time for partying, once that business is completed.

For the uninitiated:  Chris is Mexican-American, born in East L.A. and raised primarily in Riverside.  He is six-four, 240, heavily muscled, heavily tattooed, mean-looking, but very much a "gentle giant"--until the bell rings.  He is extremely intelligent and quite articulate, and welcomes the opportunity to become a role model.  My friend Jackie Hayden has dubbed him the "Mexican Rocky Marciano"--and I will second that endorsement.

Of course, a professional boxer is always "only as good as his last fight."  And Travis Walker, every bit as big and confident as Arreola and with a record of 28 wins against one loss and one draw, could send us back to Square One in a hell of a hurry.  But I don't think so.  Chris has no intention of losing to him--or to anyone else, ever.

So tune in to HBO on the night of Saturday, Nov. 29, and decide for yourself whether Chris Arreola is, indeed, the Next Great Heavyweight.  If he ends up on his backside--you are free to question my credentials as a judge of fistic talent.
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