OnThEGRiND BoXiNG

Sunday August 2nd, 2009
by Jack Johnson Presscot

I read on Fightnews that since David Haye has opted out of his fight with Vitali and signed to fight Nicolai Valuev for the value-less WBA Alphabet Strap, Team Klitschko turned to another option. NABF/WBC Continental Americas Champ and #1 WBC Contender Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola, for his mandatory Title defense. This makes the Heavyweight Division interesting again.

David Haye apparently did not want to get tied down to the unrealistic and fascist like contract demands that the Klitchkos were attempting to tie him to. This writer got blackballed off of a boxing website, because he went on the air OTG and, in the words of Walter Cronkite “told it like it was” about the laughable, fascist dictator like demands that happen when you sign to fight either brother. (Apparently, the raw manlove for the Klitschkos at that website is much stronger than 2nd Amendment rights) IF you win, you have an immediate rematch to fight with the ex champion, and if you beat him again, you have to instantly fight big or little brother. This is in a desperate bid by the Klitschko bros. to “keep it in the family…”however, at this desperate time in the Heavyweight Division, NABF Champ Arreola did, whatever he had to, to get his shot at glory. If he wants to win, these are the things he needs to do.

1. Cardiovascular Conditioning. Arreola needs to be in shape to fight 12 hard, grueling and demanding rounds. If he enters the ring overweight, with the attitude of “I’ll knock him out early” he is headed for disaster. He has to be as fresh in the 12th as he is in the first. At no point in this fight can he be standing with his mouth open, sucking wind. Arreola will never have the bodybuilder’s physique of David Haye. This is unimportant, however. He needs the cardio conditioning and “wind” of a Lance Armstrong instead.

2. Defense and Head Movement. For some strange reasons, known only to them, both Ruslan Chagaev and Hasim Rahman chose to stand inside the range of (Wlad) Klitschko and not move their heads and carry their hands low. Both fights ended badly for them. This is similar to walking out on Ventura Freeway and standing in front of semi trucks going 95mph. Head movement is critical here. Vitali needs to find out early that he doesnt have a motionless target. A paper target is much easier to hit than something on the run, with a firearm and it is exactly the same inside the ropes. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is an expert at picking off shots with his gloves and blocking them with his forearms and elbows. This drove Oscar de la Hoya mad in 2007. And Arreola needs to stand either (way) inside Vitali’s range, (for some phone booth action), or remain just outside of it(To frustrate him). Standing in his range means he can fire the jab and begin to shoot combinations.

3. Neutralize the jab. This is done with timing and movement, and range. He also needs to steal a page from James Toney’s fight plan and counter the jab EVERY time Vitali lands it. He needs to make Vitali nervous about throwing it. The Klitschko’s entire game plan is to establish the jab, and then start bouncing combos off the opposition’s head. If this is neutralized early, Vitali’s game plan is thrown off early.

4. Phonebooth Action. Hasim Rahman and Ruslan Chagaev (Against Wlad) seemed to have a lot of problems with this. They both needed to watch the first Rahman-Lewis fight, and Hagler-Hearns. Learn from history, so to speak. Hagler and Rahman in those fights, took the action inside almost immediately. This risk taking played well against taller opponents with longer reach. Chris Arreola needs to make it a war, starting from the first. Throw away the chess board and take a page out of the UFC.

5. Neutralize the Clinch. Any time a Klitschko gets in trouble, the fight resembles Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at a Hotel Room on Valentine’s day night. This is neutralized by simple body work inside every time this desperate Klitschko move happens. Elbows, forearms, low blows and rabbit punches are all cool once the clinching initiated by Vitali becomes excessive.

If Arreola follows these simple steps, we should, in all reality be treated to the sight of Vitali getting stopped and crying to the referee as hard as he did when Lennox the Lion nearly blinded his overrated ass. The best part however, will be the nauseated look on the face of Wladdy-Boy as he sees that he has to face the Nightmare next.