Arreola wins with another knockout
For the 13th time in 22 fights, Riverside heavyweight Chris Arreola won by knockout before the third round of his fight was over.
Arreola unleashed a powerful left uppercut in the third round Friday night that sent his opponent, Thomas Hayes, falling under the ropes at the Ontario DoubleTree Hotel. The fight was immediately stopped, sending the sellout, pro-Arreola crowd of 1,900 into celebration.
“It’s another little step to the big time,” Arreola (22-0 with 20 knockouts) said of his first main-event fight that also netted him his first belt, the World Boxing Council Continental Americas heavyweight title.
“I was happy to fight in front of my home crowd. It was a ruckus, a mess, a riot in there. Someday, I can fight at Staples [Center], and sell out that event too.”
Arreola, 26, is being hyped by promoter Dan Goossen as a legitimate contender to become the first fighter of Mexican ancestry to win a world heavyweight championship.
“He’s got that exciting knockout power that people love, and that was a classic example,” Goossen said.
The 235-pound Arreola put his 14-pound advantage over Hayes (26-2) to use, pushing around the Chicago fighter early while remaining unfazed to the occasional scoring punches Hayes sneaked in.
“I have respect for [Arreola],” Hayes said afterward. “I hit him with some good shots, but he didn’t panic. His ability to stay under control is great. And he has pinpoint accuracy too.”
Arreola said he gained first-round confidence when he belted Hayes with a stiff jab that brought a troubling grin to Hayes’ face. A second-round barrage made Hayes cover up, and Arreola surged in the third.
One left uppercut hurt Hayes, and Arreola quickly followed with another that rendered Hayes immobile and downward. Arreola tapped his opponent with a right as Hayes dropped 1:45 into the round.
“I saw him dipping [his head] when I was throwing my jab and uppercut; that last one, I was really able to sit on,” Arreola said.
Said Hayes: “I should’ve moved my head more. Once I didn’t move my head, it was over.”
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