Vitali Klitschko defends his WBC Heavyweight Championship with a TKO stoppage at the end of round 10.

Cris Arreola gave his all and is a legitimate force in the heavyweight division.

Score cards:
Morita: 99-91 Klitschko
Hontongkam: 99-91 Klitschko
Cavalieri: 100-89 Klitschko

Round by Round: 98-92 Klitschko

Punchstats:

Klitschko 301 of 802 for 38% connect rate.
Arreola 86 of 331 for 26% connect rate.
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Jon Schorle just walked to the Arreola corner and waived off the fight.

Round 10: Both men are jabbing - a contest Cris can not win. Blood flows from his nose again. Vitali unleashes a right hand that clocks his foe. Cris is chasing Vitali around the ring and stops and looks at him as if to say, “let’s fight”. Vitali throws and lands another 1-2. Vitali touches him and moves. Touches him and moves. The crowd boos. Another 1-2 for the champ. Vitali rips Cris with a right cross and Cris shakes his head. Big round for the champ. Vitali 10-9.

Round 9: Cris works his way in behind the jab but can’t land the big right hand he needs to hurt the champion. Cris is breathing through his mouth as blood flows from his nose. Vitali just cracked Cris with a right hand - his best of the night. Vitali stung Cris with another stirring right hand. The champ is back in control of the fight. Cris is fighting his heart out but can’t find his target. Vitali hooks to the head. Cris bounces on his toes and smiles at Vitali as the round comes to a close. Vitali 10-9.

Round 8: Vitali pulls down on Cris’ guard and fires a right. Cris is tracking Vitali but struggling to get close. Cris lands a lunging left jab and the crowd goes crazy. Vitali leans away and moves left and then circles right. Cris lands his best left of the night and buckled Vitali’s knees. Cris is bleeding from the nose but is not deterred. Vitali lands a hook. Cris charges ahead. Arreola 10-9.

Round 7: Cris starts the round more aggressively behind a triple left jab. Cris fires and backs Vitali to the ropes. Vitali fires a 1-2 of his own. Vitali is back on his bike. Vitali lands a crisp right, and another. Cris lands a punch to the back and is warned by Schorle. Cris shakes his left hand as if it is hurt. Cris is breathing noticeably from his mouth. He charges at the bell but the round concludes without damage. Vitali 10-9.

Round 6: The champ rips a right to the face of Cris. Cris takes his first backward step of the night. Vitali throws a half hook, half jab. The champ looks extremely confident in the ring. Cris keeps following but is unable to get inside. Cris lunges in and lands a left-right. He chases Vitali to the ropes where Vitali lands a counter right. Cris lands a left upstairs. The champ fires a 1-2. Vitali 10-9.

Round 5: The crowd erupts at the replay of Cris landing the left. Vitali fires the 1-2 and moves. Vitali moves to his right and pumps the jab. Vitali is on his bicycle and the crowd doesn’t like it. Cris pushes forward and rips hooks while Vitali is trapped in the corner. Vitali sticks and moves, and moves and moves. The champ lands a clean right hand Cris acknowledges. Vitali 10-9.

Round 4: Back to center ring Vitali fires one, two, three jabs. Cris reaches and lands a right. Cris lands a left jab and chases the fleet footed champion. Vitali fires the 1-2. Cris lands another jab and a glancing right hand. Cris has closed the distance in this round and lands a left hand. Vitali pumps and lands the jab. Cris wings a hook and misses. Vitali fires the jab. Short left hook for the champion lands. Best round for Cris. Arreola 10-9.

Round 3: Jab, jab, jab - Vitali fires them from the hip. Cris can’t let his hands go in his defensive position. Cris is trying to work his way in but is getting hit by a stiff jab and right. Cris just landed his best right of the fight and the crowd erupts. Cris smiles and eats a right hand. Vitali looks for an opening as Cris has become more defensive in this round. Vitali has both hands down and sticks the jab in the face of Arreola. Vitali 10-9.

Round 2: The men meet at center ring. Cris lands a jab. Vitali lands a right cross. Vitali fires the jab and circles right, not standing in front of his challenger. Vitali fires two, three jabs and moves before Cris can fire back. Jab, right hand by the champ. Vitali lands a short left hook inside. Cris surges forward looking to engage but Vitali won’t stand still to comply. Cris’ face is red from the punishment. Vitali is sticking and moving to perfection. Vitali 10-9.

Round 1: Immediately Vitali throws the jab. Cris bobs as he tries in vain to get to the body of Vitali. Cris is pushing forward, Vitali throwing the jab. Vitali is pushing down on Cris’ head as Cris pushes ahead. The crowd boos. A dbl jab by the champ lands, followed by a right hand. Cris is following the champ with hands held high. A wry smile comes across the challengers face. Vitali is throwing a jab from his hip with mixed results. Cris tries to jab his way in but mostly misses. Vitali 10-9.
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Cris is wearing black trunks with silver lining. Klitschko is also wearing black trunks.

Michael Buffer is announcing the principals. The judges are Anek Hongtongkam from Thailand, Guido Cavalieri from Italy and Ken Morita from Japan. The referee is Jon Schorle.

The WBC Heavyweight Championship bout between Vitali Klitschko and Cristobal Arreola is only moments away…

Vitali Klitschko has made his way to the ring. The champion has a tremendous amount of support in his adopted home of Los Angeles.

Cris Arreola has just entered the ring to a defeaning roar. The nearly sold out Staples Center fight crowd is abuzz with anticipation.

Michael Buffer is announcing luminaries in the Staples Center crowd including Rick Fox, Mike Tyson, Andre Ward, Gabriel Ruelas, Rafael Ruelas, Chris Cornell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mario Lopez, Sean Penn, Guy Ritchie, Mickey Rourke, Rob Schneider, James Toney, Andre Dirrell, Bobby Chacon, Pete Rose, LL Cool J, Magic Johnson, Wladimir Klitschko, Kobe Bryant, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sly Stallone…and many, many more.
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Undercard Results:

Johnathon Banks (22-1) won a majority decision over fellow heavyweight Javier Mora (22-5-1).

Lightweight John Molina (18-0) KO Efren Hinojosa (31-7-1) with a solitary right hook to the body. Referee Tony Krebs counted out Hinojosa at 34: seconds of the round one.

Salvador Sanchez (14-3-2) KO Trinidad Mendoza (28-25-2) at 1:23 of round 3. Sanchez rocked 80s style trunks in a tribute to his late uncle, the legendary Salvador Sanchez.

Rico Ramos (13-0) UD Kermin Guardia (37-10) over 6 featherweight rounds.

Heavyweight Cedric Boswell (31-1) UD over Cisse Salif (23-16). All three score cards read 80-72.
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Is Chris Arreola just the latest “great American hope” in a long line of dashed dreams or does this 8-1 underdog have a legitimate shot to dethrone WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko and put an end to Europe’s dominance in the division?

Before making a case for Arreola, let’s pause to reflect on the brilliance and bravado of Dr. Ironfist. After a knee injury forced Klitschko into a premature retirement in 2005, he stunned the boxing world with a thorough shellacking of Samuel Peter in 2008. When Peter retired between rounds Klitschko reclaimed the championship after a near four year absence from the ring. Klitschko vacated the belt when he retired but was granted the title “Champion Emeritus” by the WBC and with it the promise to become the mandatory challenger should he return to the sport. When the fight was signed many in boxing objected. Those who didn’t object believed Klitschko needed a tune-up before facing the champion from Nigeria. Klitschko was sharp from the bell and handled Peter with an uncanny ease.

Yet the remarkable comeback to capture the title may not be Klitschko’s greatest feat in the ring. In the best heavyweight fight of this decade, Klitschko was hammering away at heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis when his face betrayed him and the doctor called a halt to the bout. On June 21, 2003 Klitschko’s jab, right hand combination had Lewis reeling before a raucous Staples Center crowd. Lewis landed bombs of his own, opening a disfiguring gash over Klitschko’s left eye. Half blind and a bloody mess, Klitschko’s refusal to quit won the crowd but not the crown and Lewis retained his titles. There may be a statue of Oscar De La Hoya adorning the entrance of Staples Center but it is Vitali Klitschko who has waged two of the most memorable wars in the venue’s history.

Now to the man nicknamed “The Nightmare” and Chris Arreola’s chances to defeat one of the two best heavyweights in the world. Arreola has the heart of a fighter. When he gets tagged a rage inside is triggered and he fights back with a furry. After Travis Walker dropped Arreola with a right hand in round two of their 2008 fight, Arreola chose to exchange rather than grab and hold. First to go flying was Walker’s mouthpiece, and then Walker and then Walker a second time before the round came to an end. Arreola finished Walker 13 seconds into round three with a fight ending left hook. Jameel McCline made the mistake of stunning Arreola with a left hook in the third round of their April 2009 bout. Arreola chopped down McCline who was counted out in the very next round.

Arreola is an underrated boxer. Most boxing fans know Arreola is a pressure fighter with heavy hands but few know he is a skilled pugilist who grew up in the gym. Arreola is the son of a fighter who began boxing at an early age and capped a lengthy amateur career with a National Golden Gloves title in 2001. He made his professional debut in 2003 and has reeled off 27 straight victories. Experienced, Arreola knows his way around the ring and is able to make adjustments during a fight. Arreola also throws every punch and is at his best when he puts them together in combination. When pushed by Malcolm Tann during their 2007 bout, Arreola set traps for Tann and stopped him in the eighth with right hand followed by a left hook.

TSS U – what do you think? Will Chris Arreola beat the odds and become the first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent or is Vitali Klitschko too big a mountain to climb? Can Arreola get inside Klitschko’s reach or will the champion 1-2 Arreola into submission? Join us here on Saturday, September 26th beginning at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT for live, round by round coverage from Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.