By Warren Cloud
(Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
Saturday night’s heavyweight match up between Vitali Klitschko and Cristobal Arreola drew some eerie parallels to last week’s fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez. When all was said and done, both victories were contingent upon technical superiority and sizable height advantage. But despite Klitschko’s complete domination and tenth round knockout win over Arreola, Cristobal’s geographical advantage and his will seemed to allow more hope for a nearly impossible upset when compared last week’s fight.
The match played out more like a bullfight than a boxing match, with Arreola playing the part of the bull, charging pointlessly against Klitschko the matador, who struck swiftly, then confidently stepped away from the beast that is Arreola. Like a bull in the ring, the animal charged forward, hoping that strength and aggression would prevail, only to come to the dreadful realization that he has been slowed down, bloodied, and weakened.
Cristobal Arreola’s downfall is largely due to his bad work ethic and lack of maturation. As far as training was concerned, Arreola stepped it up for the championship fight, but mixed business with pleasure, which there is no room for in one of the most athletically demanding sports. In an HBO pre-fight profile, Arreola foolishly tried to justify his vices, comparing himself to Michael Phelps.
“If Michael Phelps is smoking weed, then why can’t I have a beer?”
Upon the 10th round stoppage of the fight, Arreola was tearful and inconsolable. Arreola begged and pleaded to the audience and his fans to forgive him. Hopefully Arreola’s shame was not purely based on Saturday night’s performance, but on his unwillingness to give 110% when preparing for a fight. If this fight offers Arreola an epiphany that his talent and likability will not win him high caliber fights, then there still is hope for the young, Mexican-American fighter.
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