The Showdown 07.03.09 -- Better Heavyweight Prospect - Arreola or Haye?
Posted by Patrick Cassidy on 07.03.2009
Chris Arreola or David Haye?
Welcome back to "The Showdown", the column dedicated to solving the mysteries of Boxing. Well, maybe not that profound but I'll take a topic every week and have two challengers battle it out for supremacy. This week, we have the question of who will be the bigger heavyweight star. In one corner, we have the popular Chris Arreola, the Mexican American that has many buzzing about his potential to lift the Heavyweight division out of its current doldrums. He's taking on David Haye: the brash and confident, former Cruiserweight king.
So let's not waste any time, On to the Showdown!
David Haye
Pros: When Mr. Haye announced that he would be moving up to Heavyweight, the boxing community was excited and for good reason. Haye, is a dynamic, fast fighter who carries a powerful punch that projected to stay strong as he moved up in weight. Not to mention, he was coming off an absolutely spectacular win against Enzo Maccarinelli, in which he soundly out boxed the WBO Champion before dispatching him with a perfect right hand that had Enzo out on his feet.
His subsequent performance against Monte Barrett proved to be much of the same. Haye is a rare athlete who is quick, agile, and powerful. That combination has not been seen lately in the Heavyweight Division. Haye's abilities harken back to many of the Heavyweights of the 80's and 90's who were superb athletes that just happened to be packed into a large frame. That combo is going to make Haye a very difficult target for some of the slower Heavyweights who dominate the upper levels of the division.
Cons: This one is quite simple. For as quick and powerful as Haye appears, he also gives you plenty of opportunities to negate those benefits with his porous defense and shaky chin. Haye's only loss was by TKO and has been put on the canvas by Jean Marc Mormeck before. He also got drilled with several shots in the Barrett fight that appeared to startle the former champion. Not to mention the fact that he appeared to be knocked down in the fifth by Barrett, which was not recognized by the official. The scary part is that Barrett is not that heavy of a puncher. Haye will eventually face stronger opponents as he campaigns in the division and could very well be looking up at the lights if the right punch comes along.
Chris Arreola
Pros: Let's just be honest. Is there anyone tougher and hungrier than Chris Arreola in the Heavyweight division? No, I didn't think so. Chris Arreola may not be the polished performer one would expect from a world class boxer but that's not his game. Arreola is just a tough, son of a bitch who just so happens to possess enough skill to make him a very promising prospect. I'm not going to try to break down Arreola stylistically because it wouldn't be necessary. All I need to say is that Chris is relatively fast for his size, has real power in his gloves, and will be in your face all night. If you are not able to get him off of you, it's time to throw in the towel. It's either him or you that's going down, and more often than not it's going to be you.
Cons: Let's be honest, is there anyone tougher than Chris Arreola? Ok, you might be confused as to why I've asked the same question twice. Well lets just say there is a time when someone may be too tough for their own good and this could be the case for Arreola. Arreola is going to be right in front of you and if you're skilled enough, he's ripe for the picking. Sure, he looked impressive against the bigger, longer Jameel Mccline but McCline is no Wladimir Klitschko. He could pose a major problem for Arreola if they eventually meet in the ring. How can Chris work, if that long jab refuses to let him on the inside? Can Chris fall back on technique? Let's get real; Chris is only going to go as far as you let him go. If you can keep him off of you for a good portion of the fight or hurt him, he's not going to be able to then fall back and outclass you. Chris is an exciting fighter, but exciting fighters do not always make champions. It's just a sad fact, but a fact nonetheless.
Now that we've sized up the two combatants, it's time to find out just who has the better chance to reign over the Heavyweight division in the next few years. We first must address the two ton gorilla in the room and that is of course the reigning champion, Wladimir Klitschko. In the case of Arreola, I don't see his come forward style playing out against that long, powerful jab which Klitschko possesses. I could be wrong but I'd much rather take a fighter of Haye's caliber who has proven adept at slipping punches and countering off of it. That seems to be the key to taking down the Ukrainian giant. Yes, I could be wrong but I just don't see Arreola being able to stand much of a chance against the champion.
I also want Arreola to be the real deal, so badly. He's exciting, likeable, and most importantly in crowning a Heavyweight superstar, an American. He could be the star that revives the division and I want him too so badly. However, history has taught me that the fighters I generally want to succeed, just don't. You generally know when you're looking at a superstar and when you are not. I don't get that vibe from Arreola. That's not to say I do from Haye but he is certainly more polished than his counterpart. Sorry, I have to go with The Hayemaker
Now that we've sized up the two combatants, it's time to find out just who has the better chance to reign over the Heavyweight division in the next few years. We first must address the two ton gorilla in the room and that is of course the reigning champion, Wladimir Klitschko. In the case of Arreola, I don't see his come forward style playing out against that long, powerful jab which Klitschko possesses. I could be wrong but I'd much rather take a fighter of Haye's caliber who has proven adept at slipping punches and countering off of it. That seems to be the key to taking down the Ukrainian giant. Yes, I could be wrong but I just don't see Arreola being able to stand much of a chance against the champion.
