Cristobal Arreola (born March 5, 1981) is an American former professional boxer who challenged three times for the WBC heavyweight title. He was ranked by BoxRec as the world's No.8 heavyweight at the conclusion of 2007 and as No.7 heavyweight from 2008 to 2010.[1]
Chris Arreola | |
|---|---|
 Arreola in 2011 | |
| Born | Cristobal Arreola March 5, 1981 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | The Nightmare |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 49 |
| Wins | 39 |
| Wins by KO | 34 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 2 |
Early life
editArreola 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.".[2]
Amateur career
editArreola 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.[3]
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.[4]
Professional career
editEarly career
editIn 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'."[5]
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.[citation needed]
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).[citation needed]
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.[6]
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.
Arreola vs. Klitschko
editAfter his win, Arreola was the number one contender to challenge Vitali Klitschko for his WBC Heavyweight title belt.[7] Arreola was happy with his draw when it was announced they would fight in Arreola's home town.[8] 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.[9]
Rebuild after first unsuccessful WBC title challenge
editSoon 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.[10]
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.[11]
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.[12]
After his knockout over American Joey Abell on ESPN,[13] Arreola took out title contender Nagy Aguilera in the third round. This bout was televised on Showtime's Andre Ward vs. Arthur Abraham undercard.[14] Thirteen days after the fight with Aguilera, Cristobal knocked out tough veteran Kendrick Releford in the seventh round, as the main-event on ESPN.[15][16] 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. [17] 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."[18]
Arreola vs. Stiverne I and II
editArreola 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.[19]
On September 7, 2013, Arreola beat Seth Mitchell in a single round.[20]
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.[21]
Rebuild after second unsuccessful WBC title challenge
editOn 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.[22]
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.[23]
Arreola vs. Wilder
editArreola made his third challenge for the WBC heavyweight title when he travelled to Birmingham, Alabama on July 16, 2016, to face WBC champion Deontay Wilder. Wilder eventually won by 8th round retirement to retain his title.[24]
Arreola vs. Kownacki
editAfter two consecutive wins following his loss to Deontay Wilder, Arreola faced the unbeaten Adam Kownacki in a thrilling fight on August 3, 2019. The two men put on a record-breaking heavyweight display at the Barclays Center, New York, combining to throw over 2100 punches over 12 rounds. Kownacki won a unanimous decision to give Arreola his sixth career loss, with scores of 118–110, 117–111, 117–111.[25]
Arreola vs. Ruiz Jr.
editFollowing Arreola's loss to Adam Kownacki, he next returned to the ring over a year later on May 1, 2021 to face former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. on Fox PPV. Ruiz Jr was ranked #6 by The Ring, #4 by the WBC and #5 by the WBA and WBO.[26] Arreola started well and scored a second round knockdown, but ultimately lost a unanimous decision, with scores of 117–110, 118–109, 118–109.[27]
Arreola was very unhappy with the judges' scorecards, which he expressed in his post-fight interview: "Did he [Ruiz] win? Fine. But don't tell me you're only going to give me two or three rounds. Fuck that! I'm gonna be like Dr. Dre, all y'all can suck my motherfuckin' dick!"[28] In the post-fight press conference, he proceeded to repeat his displeasure with the judges: "These motherfuckers just straight up like fucking raped me, and don't even kiss me dude, that's some fucked up ass shit."[29]
Professional boxing record
edit| 49 fights | 39 wins | 7 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 34 | 3 |
| By decision | 3 | 4 |
| By disqualification | 2 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No contests | 2 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | Win | 39–7–1 (2) | Matthew McKinney | KO | 2 (8), 1:01 | Apr 8, 2023 | Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, U.S. | |
| 48 | Loss | 38–7–1 (2) | Andy Ruiz Jr. | UD | 12 | May 1, 2021 | Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, U.S. | |
| 47 | Loss | 38–6–1 (2) | Adam Kownacki | UD | 12 | Aug 3, 2019 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 46 | Win | 38–5–1 (2) | Jean-Pierre Augustin | TKO | 3 (10), 2:03 | Mar 16, 2019 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, U.S. | |
| 45 | Win | 37–5–1 (2) | Maurenzo Smith | RTD | 6 (8), 3:00 | Dec 1, 2018 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 44 | Loss | 36–5–1 (2) | Deontay Wilder | RTD | 8 (12), 3:00 | Jul 16, 2016 | Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | For WBC heavyweight title |
| 43 | NC | 36–4–1 (2) | Travis Kauffman | SD | 12 | Dec 12, 2015 | AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | Originally an SD win for Arreola, later ruled an NC after he failed a drug test |
| 42 | Draw | 36–4–1 (1) | Fred Kassi | MD | 10 | Jul 18, 2015 | Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S. | |
| 41 | Win | 36–4 (1) | Curtis Harper | UD | 8 | Mar 13, 2015 | Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California, U.S. | |
| 40 | Loss | 35–4 (1) | Bermane Stiverne | TKO | 6 (12), 2:02 | May 10, 2014 | Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | For vacant WBC heavyweight title |
| 39 | Win | 35–3 (1) | Seth Mitchell | KO | 1 (12), 2:26 | Sep 7, 2013 | Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S. | Won WBC International heavyweight title |
| 38 | Loss | 34–3 (1) | Bermane Stiverne | UD | 12 | Apr 27, 2013 | Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California, U.S. | For WBC Silver heavyweight title |
| 37 | Win | 34–2 (1) | Éric Molina | KO | 1 (12), 2:30 | Feb 18, 2012 | American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. | Won WBC–USNBC heavyweight title |
| 36 | Win | 33–2 (1) | Raphael Butler | TKO | 3 (10), 0:55 | Nov 5, 2011 | Domo de la Feria, León, Mexico | |
| 35 | NC | 32–2 (1) | Friday Ahunanya | UD | 10 | Jul 9, 2011 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | Originally a UD win for Arreola, later ruled an NC after he failed a drug test |
| 34 | Win | 32–2 | Kendrick Releford | TKO | 7 (10), 2:43 | May 27, 2011 | Events Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 33 | Win | 31–2 | Nagy Aguilera | TKO | 3 (10), 1:58 | May 14, 2011 | Home Depot Center, Carson, California, U.S. | |
| 32 | Win | 30–2 | Joey Abell | TKO | 1 (10), 2:18 | Jan 28, 2011 | Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S. | |
| 31 | Win | 29–2 | Manuel Quezada | UD | 12 | Aug 13, 2010 | Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California, U.S. | Won WBC FECOMBOX heavyweight title |
| 30 | Loss | 28–2 | Tomasz Adamek | MD | 12 | Apr 24, 2010 | Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California, U.S. | For IBF International and vacant WBO–NABO heavyweight titles |
| 29 | Win | 28–1 | Brian Minto | TKO | 4 (10), 2:40 | Dec 5, 2009 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 28 | Loss | 27–1 | Vitali Klitschko | RTD | 10 (12), 3:00 | Sep 26, 2009 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | For WBC heavyweight title |
| 27 | Win | 27–0 | Jameel McCline | KO | 4 (12), 2:01 | Apr 11, 2009 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | Retained WBC Continental Americas and NABF heavyweight titles |
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | Travis Walker | TKO | 3 (12), 0:13 | Nov 29, 2008 | Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California, U.S. | Retained WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title; Won NABF heavyweight title |
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | Israel Garcia | TKO | 3 (10), 1:11 | Sep 25, 2008 | Soboba Casino, San Jacinto, California, U.S. | Retained WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title |
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Chazz Witherspoon | DQ | 3 (12), 3:00 | Jun 21, 2008 | FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Retained WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title; Witherspoon disqualified after his cornermen entered the ring too early |
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Cliff Couser | TKO | 1 (10), 1:22 | Feb 9, 2008 | Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S. | |
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Thomas Hayes | KO | 3 (10), 1:45 | Sep 21, 2007 | DoubleTree, Ontario, California, U.S. | Won vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Derek Berry | KO | 1 (10), 0:57 | Jul 14, 2007 | Home Depot Center, Carson, California, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Malcolm Tann | TKO | 8 (8), 1:07 | May 4, 2007 | Pearl Concert Theater, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Zakeem Graham | TKO | 3 (10), 2:42 | Feb 9, 2007 | Suffolk County Community College, Brookhaven, New York, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Damian Wills | TKO | 7 (10), 2:17 | Nov 4, 2006 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Damian Norris | TKO | 4 (8), 2:59 | Aug 19, 2006 | Events Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Sedreck Fields | KO | 7 (8), 1:41 | May 25, 2006 | Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S. | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Manuel Ossie | KO | 1 (6), 1:33 | Apr 12, 2006 | Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, Lemoore, California, U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Curtis Taylor | KO | 1 (6), 2:28 | Mar 3, 2006 | Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Domonic Jenkins | TKO | 5 (8), 2:38 | Oct 21, 2005 | Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Andrew Greeley | UD | 6 | Sep 23, 2005 | USC Lyon Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Kenny Lemos | TKO | 4 (4), 1:49 | May 5, 2005 | Spa Resort Casino, Palm Springs, California, U.S. | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Samuel Rodríguez | TKO | 4 (6), 1:26 | Feb 17, 2005 | Avalon, Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | David Cleage | DQ | 3 (4) | Jan 21, 2005 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S. | Cleage disqualified for repeated fouls |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Benjamin García | TKO | 1 (6), 0:21 | Dec 9, 2004 | Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Ed Mosley | TKO | 1 (4), 0:59 | Dec 20, 2004 | Omega International, Corona, California, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | David Johnson | TKO | 1 (4) | Apr 26, 2004 | DoubleTree, Ontario, California, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Jason Condon | KO | 1 (4), 2:33 | Mar 22, 2004 | DoubleTree, Ontario, California, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Semisi Bloomfield | TKO | 1 (4), 2:40 | Feb 16, 2004 | DoubleTree, Ontario, California, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | David Johnson | KO | 2 (4), 1:21 | Nov 10, 2003 | DoubleTree, Ontario, California, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Jeremiah Constant | TKO | 1 (4), 0:27 | Oct 03, 2003 | Edgewater Hotel and Casino, Laughlin, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Roosevelt Parker | TKO | 2 (4), 1:25 | Sep 5, 2003 | Edgewater Hotel and Casino, Laughlin, Nevada, U.S. |
References
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- ^ Kelley, Fred. "Mike Tyson and 10 of the Craziest Boxers in the Sport". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
- ^ "Morales: Nightmare creeping up on shot at heavyweight title". 18 June 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Vitali Klitschko vs. Chris Arreola fight preview - Bryan Armen Graham - SI.com". Archived from the original on 2012-05-11. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ^ "Vitali Klitschko To Defend WBC Heavyweight Title Against Unbeaten Cristobal Arreola". BoxingInsider.com. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
- ^ "Klitschko stops Arreola, retains title". Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ^ "Cris Arreola takes out Brian Minto in thrilling affair". ESPN. 2009-12-06. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- ^ "Boxing Notebook: Cris Arreola, Tomasz Adamek out to make history". ESPN. 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. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
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- ^ "Sub Lead - Arreola makes a quick return to the ring". Max Boxing. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- ^ "Max Boxing - Featured Articles - Don't Cry for Him, Riverside: Arreola Stops Releford". Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
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- ^ "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. 2013-04-27. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- ^ "Cris Arreola stops Seth Mitchell in 1st round". ESPN. 2013-09-08. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- ^ "Bermane Stiverne drops Chris Arreola, wins heavyweight world title". ESPN. 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. 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- ^ Alabama, Associated Press in Birmingham (2016-07-17). "Deontay Wilder stops Chris Arreola to retain WBC heavyweight title". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
- ^ "Adam Kownacki outpoints Chris Arreola in record-breaking heavyweight slugfest". CBSSports.com. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ "Ruiz Jr vs Arreola - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Andy Ruiz Jr. rallies from knockdown to get unanimous decision over Chris Arreola | DAZN News US". DAZN. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ Christ, Scott (2021-05-02). "Results and highlights: Andy Ruiz Jr wins decision over Chris Arreola". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ YouTube.