Arreola vs. Adamek in April!

February 22, 2010

“Ring of Fire”: Who will burn the brightest?

“I fell into a burning ‘Ring of Fire,’ I went down, down, down and the flames went higher,” goes the Johnny Cash song. The classic tune blared out from the speakers at last Friday’s Chris Arreola-Tomasz Adamek press conference to announce their April 24 showdown at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.

The relatively new arena, which opened in the fall of 2008 on 37 acres of land, will be the site of this heavyweight clash, promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions and Main Events in association with Ziggy Promotions. Arreola fought in November 2008 when the venue first opened and 10,000 fight fans came out to cheer on their favorite heavyweight. The press conference was held in the arena’s lobby and many from the L.A. boxing community made the trek out to Riverside County to hear what the fighters had to say.

Before the introductions were made I had some time to catch up with Team Nightmare. I chatted with Arreola’s longtime cornerman, “Indian” Willie Schunke. The cutman said that Chris (who always receives criticism for his weight) is already doing well at the start of training camp.

“Usually you come to training camp to get in shape,” explains Schunke. “But Chris is already at a lighter weight so now when he comes to training camp it is to train, not to just get in shape.”

As we continued to catch up, we were joined by Darryl Hudson, who began working with Arreola in preparation for the Klitscho fight last September. The amiable strength and conditioning coach confirms “Indian’s” assessment. Even though camp just began a week ago, Arreola has been working hard for the past four weeks doing plyometrics and light weights with the kinesiology master Hudson. And the results are showing. “Yeah, Chris has a V-shape now. Wait ’til you see him!” the guys told me. “A V-shape?” I questioned in regards to the “Nightmare’s” physique. Chris is famously known for his love of beer, burritos–and Oreo cookies!

“Yes, a V-shape” repeats Hudson, who then kids around and adds, “Okay, well maybe a U-shape! But you WILL see the results of all the hard work.” Henry Ramirez, Chris’ trainer, later told me sparring will begin next month.

As promoter Dan Goossen took to the mike, he enthusiastically told the crowd assembled, “We will have two great fighters inside the ring together. They have a lot of respect for each other, both are qualified heavyweights and this will be a a great, great fight.”

Goossen also is excited about a solid undercard, “Our opening bout will be Alfredo Angulo-Joel Julio in a 12-round 154-pound interim championship. We also have John Molina Jr., Shawn Estrada and Javier Molina.” In regards to 2008 young Olympians Estrada and Molina, the veteran promoter stated, “After nagging injuries, we are thrilled to have them back in the ring!”

Then it was on to the announcement of the April 24 main event. Goossen, who just happened to be dressed in Johnny Cash-like all-black attire, announced Arreola and Adamek as they took to the stage, alongside their trainers, Co-Promoter Kathy Duva from Main Events, and HBO and Citizen Business Bank Arena representatives.

As Chris rounded the corner from backstage, I could hear whispers through amongst the gathered media and onlookers. “The Big Guy” didn’t appear so big. “He looks thinner!” and “Hey, he’s slimmed down!” were the comments echoing around me. Arreola (28-1, 25 KOs) came in at 263 in his last bout against Brian Minto in December; in September he tipped the scales at 251 when he faced Klitschko. He’s aiming for 240-245 for the Adamek fight.

“240 easy–that’s my target weight. That’s where I belong,” said the heavyweight. “There’s no excuse why I can’t come in at that weight.”

The Mexican-American boxer definitely looked slimmer and trimmer last Friday. In his short-sleeved burgundy shirt and matching maroon L.A. cap, Chris did indeed look lighter than before. And his choice of jewelry got a little lighter too. When he appears at local fights, the slugger often wears a heavy, blingy “CA” pendant, some serious hardware. At the recent press conference, Arreola was sporting a somewhat subdued gold cross necklace and the only other accessories were on his arms–two sleeves of tattoos that cover most of his forearms and biceps.

The banter was casual and light between the two fighters. No threats, put-downs or trash talking between the pair. Neither chose to look menacing when meeting face to face, instead saving the sparks for the ring.

When someone asked if there is any rivalry between the two, Arreola’s cutman jokingly whispered to me, “The biggest rivalry will be Mexican burritos and Polish hot dogs!”

Speaking of food, the thought of ice cream came to mind as I watched and listened to the the two pugilists on the podium. Arreola is colorful, funny and says whatever is on his mind. Adamek seemed calm, mellow and pleasant as he answered various questions. With no disrespect to the two boxers, I can describe them as “rocky road” and “vanilla” in their demeanor. Chris (Mr. Rocky Road) can be described as the chocolate flavor, a little nutty with ripples of marshmallow. And the Polish fighter can be deemed vanilla (no, not plain and bland!) but for his very calm, even-keel classic personality.

All right, enough with the food analogies! So how does Chris feel about the fight taking place in his own backyard?

“This is a great environment, it’s close to home so I can’t be late,” laughed Arreola, 28. “I respect Tomasz Adamek as a fighter and a man but I will have my hand raised at the end of the fight.”

Obviously, the nearby Riverside resident is comfortable in his own backyard, but don’t count out the Polish warrior.

“We want someone who wants to fight,” Goossen said during the event, in regards to why Tomasz was chosen as the foe.

“I always give my fans 100%, and Chris is the same.” stated the Polish-speaking Adamek (40-1, 27 KOs), through an interpreter. This will be the third heavyweight he’s fighting after moving up from cruiser. In addressing any fight strategy, he said “he has special ideas for Chris.”

“No predictions,” Adamek, 33, added in regards to their April clash. “Just don’t miss a second!”

This matchup should be an exciting night for the fans. The “Ring of Fire” will be for a heavyweight championship, and although it’s scheduled for 12 rounds, the official tagline for this fight proclaims, “It’s not going the distance.”

Will fans see fireworks in the ring? Although it’s being touted as the “Ring of Fire,” outside of the ropes, the two punchers really remained calm, polite and friendly in each other’s presence. The humorous Arreola, who’s a walking sound bite, once again provided the day’s best quips.

“I love to fight, I love to hit–I love getting hit. That’s my passion,” Chris stated. “We beat the crap out of each other and then shake hands!”

Adamek, the IBF Heavyweight International Champ–and a huge draw on the East Coast–looks to gain new fans from this SoCal collision.

Co-Promoter Kathy Duva elaborated on this, “The Polish community is huge. Tomasz, to these people, is a rock star. There will be more red and white than you think. And we welcome his fan base and new fans!” Adamek is from Jersey City by way of Zywiec, in southern Poland, and has a huge fan base on the “Left Coast.”

Come April 24, you probably will see many red and white flags of his native country waving from the stands, alongside the green, white and red flags of Mexico.

“I fell into a burning ‘Ring of Fire,’ I went down, down, down and the flames went higher…And it burns, burns, burns…the ‘Ring of Fire,'” croons the legendary cowboy.

So who’s going down on April 24? Which fighter will be “singin’ the blues” at the end of their fight?

Hold your horses. Not everyone is picking the heavier and heavy-handed Arreola to cruise to a victory! While Chris will be the natural fan favorite at this Ontario venue, fellow fighter Bernard Hopkins said during last Friday night’s ESPN broadcast that he is going with Adamek for the win.