Historic Heavyweight Bout at the Galen Center
There’s nothing better than a good heavyweight battle.
And boxing fans in the Southland got all they could handle watching the “Fight For Peace matchup between Haitian slugger Bermane “B-Ware” Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs) and Riverside brawler Chris Arreola (36-4, 31 KOs) Saturday night at the USC Galen Center.
This clash was promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions and Don King Productions and aired live on ESPN. And this one was for all the marbles, make that the “green” marbles as in the color of the famed WBC Heavyweight World Championship belt the two men were fighting for. The “STIVERNE vs. ARREOLA” war had grown contentious in the days leading up to the bout with a bitter war of words and venomous threats spewing forth between the pugilists. The prize was the vacant WBC title that Vitali Klitschko has held for years.
This was to be a night of history in the making.
It was being touted as the first professional boxing match to ever be held on the campus of USC and the odds proclaimed it a close fight for the main event. If Arreola, 33, won, he would be the first Mexican heavyweight champ and if Stiverne, 35, won, he would become the first Haitian heavyweight champion of the world. Scheduled for 12 rounds, I didn’t think it would go the distance. Not many people thought it would go all 12.
Always criticized for lack of training and discipline, a newly recharged Arreola weighed in at 239 while his foe came in at 239.5. This would be their highly-anticipated rematch following Stiverne’s victory last April.
So the stage was set. The fans in their seats ready for the rumble. Promoters Dan Goossen and Don King ready for war. And no less than the USC Trojan Marching Band ushered in the festivities in the ring.
As the famed ring announcer Michael Buffer introduced the warriors, all that was left was the bell to ring.
And as the action began, the audience watching live were poised at their edge of their seats. With two burly heavyweights, the dramatics can happen fast and furious. One quick exchange, one brutal punch can change the game. And during the fight, there was one broken hand that nobody could predict.
Arreola began the round coming forward, aggressive in his stance and jabbing away at the face of Stiverne. Bermane kept Chris at a distance with a quick pawing jab before the two traded punches near the ropes. Arreola was rocked at the end of the round of this first stanza.
During the next four rounds, the pair had the crowd cheering as the vicious brawl continued. Stiverne used his speed and power shots while Arreola kept his work rate up while aiming for the head of his nemesis. Known as “The Nightmare” in the ring, Chris kept his aim upstairs landing clubbing shots on the face of Bermane. “B.Ware” blocked many of the punches and chose his shots wisely, landing blows on the body of Arreola.
The crowd roared Chris Arreola (the hometown hero) while he tried to stay busy and pressure the Haitian hitter. Stiverne kept his left hand down and low while timing hard shots that the slower Arreola couldn’t defend. But the tough gladiator Arreola still found success in his all-out offensive war against Stiverne.
As the minutes ticked by, the scrap stayed a dangerous one. One that could turn on a dime. The heavyweights threw with bad intentions; everyone was poised for a knockout.
Stiverne stayed on the ropes, absorbing–and deflecting–Arreola’s onslaught. Patiently taking on the Mexican-American’s arsenal of punches, Bermane had a game plan of his own.
He stuck in the sixth round. The big right hand that Chris didn’t see coming.
With a thunderbolt right, Stiverne struck gold. Arreola’s legs wobbled as he went down. Referee Jack Reiss administered the 10 count while Stiverne lurked near as if stalking his prey. Another huge shot sent Chris towards the ropes and those in the Galen Center wondered if the fight would be stopped. But Arreola is a warrior with heart and he got back up. As the time on the clock commenced, “B.Ware” perfected his game plan with a barrage of punches that forced official Jack Reiss to step in and wave off the bout.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:02 in the sixth frame.
For six rounds, this was a close toe-to-toe battle between “B.Ware” and “The Nightmare.” Judges Max De Luca and Robert Tapper both had Arreola ahead 48-47 while Jerry Roth had Stiverne up 48-47 at the time of the early ending.
Upon this TKO win, Stiverne collapsed on the canvas with joy. In a good show of sportsmanship, Arreola quickly went over to say congrats.
And Don King can now say he has the NEW “Heavyweight Champeen of the World” in Bermane Stiverne as the World Boxing Council (WBC) President Mauricio Sulaiman and WBC Supervisor Craig Hubble presented the gleaming gold and green belt to “B.Ware.” “The Bronze Bomber” Deontay Wilder was ringside, was waiting in the wings for his crack at either opponent and now it looks like it will be Stiverne vs. Wilder in the future. Bermane gained many new fans last night after his fierce performance versus Arreola.
For Chris Arreola, with this TKO loss, he will have to bounce back again. He said he broke his left hand in the fourth round and we will have to see what his next move will be. At a crossroads in his career, he stated he took this camp very seriously while training in San Diego. But with this TKO loss, he will have to rebound once again. Arreola was certainly more focused, better dedicated and had the will to win last night. And even with the fractured fist, he was ahead on the scorecards at the time of the TKO.
During interviews with Arrreola, he often tells me “I’m my own worst enemy” in regards to his lack of discipline. The heavyweight even goes so far as to have his trainer Henry Ramirez hold the car keys so Chris won’t stray away from the gym.
On Saturday night, his worst enemy turned out to be the big right hand of Bermane Stiverne.