Cris Arreola vs Vitali Klitschko

LOS ANGELES -- Heavyweight contender Cristobal Arreola has heard all the jokes and questions about his weight and conditioning, and he's the first to admit that he's never going to win a Mr. Universe contest.
But Arreola is also a good sport about it. He'll talk about his love of Oreo cookies and joke about how one of the ways he took off some of the excess pounds during his training camp was by cutting out beer drinking.
"I don't have a muscled body. I'm not a bodybuilder, and I'll never have a chiseled body," Arreola said. "That's not me. Some guys are built like Adonis. I look like I just came off the field from picking oranges."
Although he's gotten some laughs with his self-deprecating humor, Arreola also appears to have put in the hard work necessary to get himself into good condition for a daunting task. He's a significant underdog for his heavyweight title challenge against Vitali Klitschko at the Staples Center on Saturday night (HBO, 10 ET, along with a taped replay of last Saturday's Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Juan Manuel Marquez fight).

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Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor PromotionsCristobal Arreola tipped the scales at 272 pounds -- with a weight vest on.

Arreola, bidding to become the first heavyweight titleholder of Mexican descent, even mocked himself Thursday when he stepped onto the scale at the weigh-in. The 6-foot-7 Klitschko (37-2, 36 KOs) was a chiseled 252 pounds, but the 6-4 Arreola (27-0, 24 KOs) weighed 272 pounds. The crowd gathered outside the Staples Center for the weigh in gasped when ring announcer Michael Buffer announced Arreola's weight.
But wait; Arreola was only goofing.
Suddenly the Riverside, Calif., resident smiled wide and ripped off his shirt to reveal a weight vest, one he had worn during training to help build strength. Sans the weight vest, Buffer called out Arreola's actual weight: 251 and ready to rumble.
Not bad for a guy who started his training camp for the fight about 10 weeks ago weighing in the mid-290s. But Arreola went to work. While trainer Henry Ramirez focused on boxing, Arreola brought in strength and conditioning coach Darryl Hudson.
"Training for this fight has been different with the help of Darryl Hudson," said Arreola, who rarely did roadwork before hooking up with Hudson. "We had to step up a level and just found ourselves in a spot where we had to train harder. I'm just fortunate to have this title shot, and I've been working my ass off and will continue to do whatever I have to do to win that title.
"The main thing for me has been the two-a-days. And I cut out beer. I've just been eating right, a lot of vegetables and greens, chicken and fish and meats. And just the right amount for me. I have a ton of energy and feel great. As far as the weight goes in the past, it's all on me. It's not on anybody else."
Arreola, 28, may not have had the body of a top heavyweight in many of his fights, but that didn't stop him from knocking out most of his opponents and making exciting fights with his take-two-shots-to-land-one brawling style.
But while Klitschko, 38, is vastly experienced against top opponents, Arreola's résumé is light on big names. His most notable foe was former four-time title challenger Jameel McCline, a faded contender who was essentially in retirement before accepting an April fight with Arreola, putting up almost no resistance and getting knocked out in the fourth round.
Between his physical appearance and lack of big-time experience, Arreola is a decided underdog against Klitschko, who will be fighting for the third time and making his second defense since ending a nearly four-year injury-induced retirement 11 months ago.

“ We're 6-to-1 underdogs, but that's all right. There's nothing like going out there and proving people wrong.
” -- Dan Goossen, Cristobal Arreola's promoter, on his fighter's chances

"We're 6-to-1 underdogs, but that's all right," said Dan Goossen, Arreola's promoter. "There's nothing like going out there and proving people wrong."
Said Ramirez: "A lot of people say we're cashing Cris out, meaning we're going for the money by fighting Klitschko. I can tell you we're not cashing out. We're going to break the bank and win. Cris is going to rise to the occasion and bring home the world title to the U.S."
Still, Klitschko is doing his best to downplay his favorite status.
"Cris Arreola is a tough fighter," Klitschko said. "He's the official contender, and to be No. 1 is not easy. You have to show your skills. I've studied him very well and I know he had a good amateur background and, as a professional, he's undefeated. He moves very well. He has very good, explosive combinations. He has a big punch. He has everything you need to be a world champion, except one thing: He doesn't have the experience as me."
Although Klitschko won't discuss it, his team recently began planning ahead for a December fight, possibly against American Kevin Johnson.
Klitschko denies it: "I don't know of any fight in December. I too just read about that on the Internet."
Klitschko insisted he is focused on Saturday's bout.
"Some people ask if I'm overlooking Arreola and thinking about the future," he said. "I take it step by step. I don't think about the future because there is no future without a victory Saturday night. I have never fought anyone with such a good record as Arreola. I know he's a good fighter and I prepared for the hardest fight of my career. Can Arreola beat me? I don't think so. Can he hit me hard? Maybe. He may punch hard, but I'll duck. He won't knock me out."
Still, the talk of Klitschko's planning a December fight has annoyed Arreola.

"I'm taking this fight personal now," he said. "What bugs me is that Klitschko is taking me lightly. I just found out that Klitschko has a set date to fight in December. He hasn't beaten me and he's already planning to fight someone else. I find it to be disrespectful. I am no walk in the park. Yeah, he will fight in December, but it isn't going to be for a world title. That I guarantee.
"I have a chance to win. This is not a fight for money. I am here to make history. To me that's worth a lot more. It really pissed me off about him fighting in December, but it's a good thing, because it motivated me to really kick his ass."