His Back, Cristobal Arreola at Pechanga Casino

Not long ago, Cristobal Arreola had won his first 27 pro fights; was ranked as the #1 heavyweight contender in the world; and was arguably the most popular and exciting heavyweight boxer worldwide since Mike Tyson. However, all thoughts of Arreola taking over Tyson’s reign dissipated after a hard-fought world title loss to Vitali Klitschko, when the Riverside, California knockout artist ballooned up to 263 pounds for his next fight and has been criticized for his lack of conditioning and desire ever since.

Now 29-2 (25 KOs) and desperate to regain respect and acceptance as a legitimate contender for a world heavyweight title, “The Nightmare” will take on hard-hitting southpaw Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell (27-4, 26 KOs) in the scheduled 10-round main event of the Goossen Tutor Promotions presentation of an ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights” telecast from the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California on January 28, 2011 LIVE at 10 PM Eastern/7 PM local.

The 29-year-old Mexican-American will carry a heavy burden into the ring against a man with an even higher knockout percentage (96.3% – 86.2%) than his own. The question is “Can Chris Arreola dedicate himself to his sport by coming into his fight with Joey Abell in significantly better condition and win it impressively enough to get his fans and reputation back?” For his part, Abell – also 29 and the same height as Arreola at 6-4 — believes that it is a “Yes and No proposition.”

“In my mind it’s a do or die fight for him and I expect that he will try and do more to get in shape for me,” said Abell, who will be taking a big step up in competition. “I cannot listen to all the negativity about Chris or else I might come in less prepared than I need to be. After all, he once fought for the world heavyweight title, so he’s the best opponent I will have faced in my career so far.

“I’m not sure Chris will use that negativity as motivation to get into shape since he hasn’t yet in his most recent fights,” the Coon Rapids, Minnesota native continued. “However, this is a do or die fight for me also. I need to beat a fighter of Chris’ caliber if I hope to get a shot at a world title. That said, I’m gonna win and I’m gonna win early; definitely inside of 10 rounds regardless of what type of condition he’s in.”

Abell’s credentials include a November 2007 decision win over then-unbeaten (14-0-1) Teke Oruh – the only boxer to go the distance in any of Abell’s victories — in a Goossen Tutor co-feature from the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia. In 2008 he suffered three straight losses, but has resurrected his career with seven straight knockout wins since. His most recent outing consisted of a fourth-round TKO of Arron Lyons back in July in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“This fight could be called “Do or Die” with what’s on the line for both heavyweights,” promoter Dan Goossen said. Both boxers, despite their tremendous knockout ratios, are at a crossroads. Joey Abell needs a victory over a world-rated contender to advance his career and prove that he is a serious threat in the heavyweight division. Meanwhile, Chris Arreola not only needs to win, but needs to enter the ring in world-class shape in order to prove to his skeptics and fans that he is truly committed to his dedication in and out of the gym.”

“On January 28th we’ll see if Arreola is up to the demands of being an elite world-class athlete or will he allow a young, hungry, power punching heavyweight take his place?”

We shall weight and see.

Tickets prices start at $35 and will go on sale December 10 at www.pechanga.com, directly at the Pechanga Box Office daily from 10am to 10pm, or by calling 1-877-2WIN. Doors open at 5:00 PM. First Bout is at 6:00 PM.