Chris Arreola and Eric Molina meet in a heavyweight showdown tomorrow in Corpus Christi. (Photo by Sumio Yamada/Goossen Tutor Promotions)
Chris Arreola has smacked down any worry that he's out of shape heading into his fight against Eric Molina tomorrow, as the 30-year-old heavyweight contender came in at a pretty fit-looking 245 pounds. Molina weighed in at 228 pounds.
Arreola (34-2, 29 KO) is riding a six-fight win streak that dates back to August 2010, and in that time has dropped his normal fighting weight from anywhere between 255 and 265 down to 240-245. In five fights last year, he got his weight under control and stayed busy, but he hasn't fought since a November 6 smashing of Raphael Butler in Mexico.
(Photo by Sumio Yamada/Goossen Tutor Promotions)
Though the 245 is actually his heaviest weight since he fought Joey Abell last January, he looks in overall better condition than he did for a few of those fights last year -- a bit more toned, a bit more like he's filled out to a good fighting weight.
(Photo by Sumio Yamada/Goossen Tutor Promotions)
Molina (18-1, 14 KO) is a decent opponent for this fight. The 29-year-old Texan has not beaten anyone you'd consider good, but this is a chance for him to break through. He can punch a little bit, but is obviously the major underdog, and is expected by no one to win tomorrow night.
Arreola vs Molina will air on the Showtime Extreme portion of tomorrow's Showtime broadcast, starting at 8 p.m. EST. Bad Left Hook will have live round-by-round coverage of the entire show.
Undercard Fights
(Photo by Sumio Yamada/Goossen Tutor Promotions)
Malik Scott (above) faces Kendrick Releford in another heavyweight battle on the undercard tomorrow night. Scott (32-0, 11 KO) weighed in at 225¾. Releford (22-15-2, 10 KO) had not weighed in as of the time of the release.
Alfonso Lopez (22-2, 17 KO) returns home to Texas and gets one hell of an easy fight on paper after his stink-out-the-joint performance on the Friday Night Fights season premiere in January. He'll face Justin Williams (3-5-1, 2 KO) in an absurd mismatch. Lopez weighed 165¼, with Williams at 161. I guess this is Lopez's reward for putting on an early contender for Worst Fight of the Year.
Other fights:
Gregorio Gutierrez (136 lbs.) vs. Hector Garza (135 lbs., not the luchador)
Julian Barboza (146 lbs.) vs. Arturo Lopez (145 lbs.)
Thomas Williams Jr (174 lbs.) vs. Kentrell Claiborne (177 lbs.)
0 recs | 8 comments
Is Arreola fight going to be televised?
HUNGRY HUNTER - February 17, 2012
lol
HUNGRY HUNTER - February 17, 2012
I see that but is it going to be on tv? What channel?! Haha
TheDreadedMarco - February 17, 2012 via mobile
i thought on showtime? i dont have showtime was going to see if could watch at my friends house
HUNGRY HUNTER - February 17, 2012
I hope it’s on the radio. I just got to crank ’er up and let ’er warm while Ma and me feed the chickens.
DrRck - February 17, 2012
I’m looking forward to this. I don’t care if Arreola never gets another shot at a title; just watching him sustain this rejuvenation is impressive.
Hey, Pavlik … take a look at thhis.
DrRck - February 17, 2012
I mean, Arreola’s weight is going up with each fight, but he admittedly looks in way better shape than in the last few years. It is good to see.
Eoin_not_ian - February 17, 2012
245 is OK I guess
but part of me thinks that is just because he has set the bar so low. I mean, let’s be honest about it, he could still lose 10-20 lbs if he ate less and worked harder.
He still looks overweight to me. I would feel a lot better about his weight if I could make out a single muscle. Yeah, I know he’s never gonna be an adonis, but does a fit person have C cups?
I’m not really into giving a fighter credit for improving when he’s taken years to go from obese to still significantly overweight. He’s had it easy enough as it is. Frankly, his management team have done a HOF job with him so far, and he’ll probably get another crack at a long in the tooth cruiser, if he doesn’t get another title shot that he hasn’t earned.
I’m just saying that a lot of fighters in this sport have sacrificed a lot, and it kinda drives me nuts to see people giving this guy a free pass on everything.
People get right crazy and ANGRY when a fighter misses weight, but Arreola has never been in top shape from what I have seen. And he doesn’t have to go through the difficult cutting stage that most do.
It looks to me like more of the same, to be honest. I’ll reconsider when he loses 10 lbs. Probably never gonna happen though.
I’m sure that he and his team have changed some bad habits (like reporting to camp at nearly 300 lbs), but the end result is about the same.
Lee Payton - February 17, 2012
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