(APR 6) Jameel McCline (39-9, 23
KOS) will do battle against Chris Arreola (26-0, 23 kos) April 11, at
the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for the NABF heavyweight
title on HBO's World Championship Boxing.
Arreola, nicknamed "The Nightmare," has lived true to the hype knocking
out 23 of his 26 opponents--an unheard of knock out percentage of 88. In
fact, only one fighter has taken Arreola the distance and two others
were disqualified, nullifying a knock out victory.
The much-talked-about relentless fighting style of Arreola has sometimes
been overshadowed by talks of weight issues that are holding the
talented and hard-hitting fighter back. Arreola tipped the scales at 254
in his last outing, a far cry from 229, his lightest weight as a
professional when he TKO'ed Damian Wills June on 11, 2006.
"I do understand when people criticize my weight," admitted Arreola. "It
is something I have been working on."
By far the biggest step-up in competition for the WBC #2 ranked Arreola,
28, will be when he steps in the ring against WBC #11 ranked McCline.
"We have had no problems in camp," Arreola's trainer, Henry Ramirez
said. "Chris is physically and mentally prepared."
McCline, 38, is a four-time world title challenger and has faced off
against the who's who of the heavyweight division. McCline has fought
the likes of Nikolay Valuev, Sam Peter, Wladimir Klitschko and Chris
Byrd. In all four attempts to capture the heavyweight title McCline has
came up short.
"I think we are going to knock him out in the ninth or tenth round,"
McCline's trainer Stacy McKinley said. "We are going to take him into
deep water and drown him. McCline will knock (Arreola) out.
(McCline) is probably the most skillful heavyweight in the world."
When Arreola was asked to respond to McKinely's statement he simple said
"Hi, nice to meet you Stacy."
Only time will tell if Arreola is so cordial when he faces off with
McCline on April 11 in Las Vegas in that squared circle. Both fighters
have something to prove to the critics. A loss by Arreola would derail
his title shot in the immediate future, but with youth on his side could
possilby fight his way back to future world title opportunities.
However, one would think a loss by McCline will result in his ultimate
demise from the talk of the top heavies in the world, due in part to
aging.
"Sit back next Saturday and enjoy Chris because I know I will," promoter
Dan Goosen said.
