Promoter Dan Goossen has been in a quandary for some time. Blessed with extremely talented boxers and whom many believe to be champions that will elevate the sport to much greater heights, WBO Welterweight Champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams and history-making heavyweight contender and WBC Continental Americas Champion Cristobal “The Nightmare” Arreola have their world-class challengers. At Last!
Current IBF Junior Middleweight World Champion Verno Phillips and NABF Heavyweight Champion and WBO #5 contender Travis “Freight Train” Walker have not only agreed to fight Williams and Arreola, respectively, on the blockbuster November 29, 2008 “HBO: Boxing After Dark” telecast, but they have called them out!
A packed house is anticipated for the first-ever professional boxing event to be held at the sparkling new state of the art 11,000-seat Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California when Goossen Tutor Promotions presents “AT LAST,’ a scheduled seven-bout slugfest headlined by the Williams-Phillips and Arreola-Walker co-featured bouts.
After Antonio Margarito recently walked away from a $4 million dollar offer to avenge his loss to Williams, the story just grows and grows: Paul Williams is “The Most Feared Man in Boxing today, period!” What was not as clearly known was the “fear factor” reputation Cristobal Arreola had been quietly establishing while ferociously dispatching one opponent after another.
 
 
While Williams (35-1, 26 KOs), from Aiken, South Carolina, announced he was going to defend his WBO Welterweight World Championship belt immediately after his recent debut as a middleweight last month blasting out strong-chinned and rugged Andy Kolle, Goossen Tutor matchmaker Tom Brown came up with a lot of “noÂ’s” while searching for that top 10 challenger in the Welterweight division. Step in World Champion, Mr. Phillips.Â
Phillips (42-10-1, 21 KOs), the Belize-born, Denver, Colorado resident, a resilient throw-back fighter who believes in fighting the best, was willing to put his mandatory IBF rematch with the man he dethroned for the title, Cory Spinks, to the side in order to take on the task few have been willing to do. “I fear no man and my track record shows that,” stated the IBF Jr. Middleweight World Champion Phillips. “I’m at my best when people overlook me and I’ve proven it by being a 3-time World Champion,” as he prepares to fight Williams in a scheduled interim 12-round WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship bout.
The available world contenders that said No to fighting Williams joined the not-so-exclusive Antonio Margarito Club by turning down money, opportunity, fame and bragging rights to be the best, Goossen declared. So the one fighter at the championship level that was willing to challenge Paul was Phillips, but at his natural 154-pound weight class. Although we all wanted Paul to defend his 147-pound championship, this fight fits in to what Paul has been saying for some time now: that Paul will take on all challengers between 147 and 168 pounds. Having someone like Paul willing to do what really no man has done before him — fight in different weight classes simultaneously — is great for our sport and especially the fans.
Williams can easily get back down to 147, as he weighed 145 ¾ back in June avenging the only blemish on his record by knocking out Carlos Quintana in the first round to regain his title. On November 29, Williams is walking in as a 2-time Welterweight World Champion and wants to walk out as the WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion.Â
“It’s as Mr. (George) Peterson has been saying, you can’t make these fighters have courage. I’m just happy Verno was willing to step up, but IÂ’ve got to go out there and punish him for doing it,” exclaimed Williams. “I wanted to defend my title, but getting another one will also be nice and I just got to go out there and continue my road to fighting anyone at any weight.”
“If there was ever going to be a true boxing reality show, our office during the past two months would have been the top-rated show. Fans would have had the opportunity to see the “real” in “reality” when the multitude of fighters that were called to fight Williams on this HBO show never asked ‘how much, revealed Goossen. The responses included, “Are you crazy?” “You’re not serious are you?” and Forget it. Appropriately so, the promotion will be called ‘At LastÂ’ because — at last — we were fortunate, along with the fans, to have a tough Champion in Verno Phillips wanting to show the world his talent and determination and why he’s a 3-time World Champion.Â
“And, we are honored to be able to promote the inaugural professional boxing event in this magnificent new Citizens Business Bank Arena, a venue that will provide an exciting array of sports and entertainment events to the Inland Empire, along with the entertainment we will bring to the fans in attendance for this premier boxing event,s stated Goossen.
 
 
As for Arreola (25-0, 22 KOs), who hails from Riverside, California, he is bidding to become the first Heavyweight World Champion of Mexican descent. Coming off a dominant third-round TKO performance against Israel “King Kong” Garcia, Arreola was planning on fighting the likes of former world heavyweight titleholders Hasim Rahman and Sultan Ibragimov and former title challenger David Tua. Again, very few wanted to get into the ring with this “wrecking machine.” But one World rated heavyweight welcomed the opportunity with his fists ready!!
Walker (28-1-1, 22 KOs) the pride of Tallahassee, Florida, didnÂ’t even wait for an invitation from his promoter. Rather, along with his manager, Steve Munisteri, Walker issued a challenge of his own to Arreola, insisting that he would emerge as the rising heavyweight star if they met in the ring.Â
“They say I’ve got a body like Tarzan, but I’m known more for my heavy hands,” stated Walker. “You can tell “The Nightmare” I’m looking for the knockout once the bell rings and I’m going to get it!”
Willing to fight anyone in the World — even a big and strong talented heavyweight — Arreola granted Walker his wish.
Arreola revealed, “I’m on a mission in making history. Walker is big and strong, but so am I. We both have an in your face style,s so when the bell rings, don’t go out for a beer. I’m warning you now this fight isn’t going the distance. I promise to give all my fans the greatest performance theyÂ’ve seen from me yet. And to fight in my neighborhood, it’s going to be exciting. I could virtually walk to the new Ontario arena from my home.”
An exciting undercard will also be included on the November 29 show, featuring undefeated California prospects Rico Ramos (7-0, 5 KOs, Los Angeles), Mike Dallas, Jr. (5-0, 1 KO, Bakersfield) and Michael Franco (13-0, 8 KOs, Riverside); an eight-round lightweight bout between Josesito Lopez (22-3, 13 KOs, Riverside) and Bayan Jargal (8-0-1, 5 KOs, Arlington, VA via Mongolia).
East Los Angeles native and 2008 U.S. Olympian Shawn Estrada will make his pro debut in a scheduled four-round middleweight special attraction bout.
Tickets are priced at: $200, $100, $50 and $25 and may be purchased at Citizens Business Bank Arena box office, Monday-Friday 10:00am-6:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am-4:00 pm or at www.ticketmaster.com.
Click to enlarge. All Photos by Raymond Rodriguez
 
 