Chris Arreola

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.

After his win, Arreola was the number one contender to challenge Vitali Klitschko for his WBC Heavyweight title belt.

Arreola was happy with his draw when it was announced they would fight in Arreola's home town.

Cristobal Arreola (born March 5, 1981) is an American professional boxer who has challenged three times for the WBC heavyweight title.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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."

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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 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.

The match took place on September 26, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

It was broadcast on HBO.

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.

Arreola in his next fight defeated Manuel Quezada in Ontario, California by a 12-round unanimous decision.

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.

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.

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.