With a record of 27 wins, no losses, (24 knockouts), it is no wonder Chris Arreola is known as "The Nightmare." Born in 1981 to Augustin Arreola and Lucy Rivera in East Los Angeles, California, Chris grew up one of six children in his family. By the age of 6, Chris was introduced to boxing and began his training under the tutelage of his father, Augustin, a former amateur boxer. At age 10, Chris started training at Resurrection Gym in Los Angeles. By the time he was 16 Chris had fought in 200 amateur bouts. The pinnacle of his amateur career came in 2001 where he defeated Dallas Vargas at the National Golden Glove finals to take the 178-pound title.
Despite his success at the amateur level, Chris decided to take a break from boxing. During the next two years, he considered whether boxing was something he was truly passionate about. In retrospect, Chris admits that he was, "young and immature and didn¹t know what to do with himself." In September 2000, he decided that he was ready to return to the ring to fight professionally.
Chris enlisted Henry Ramirez, a close friend, to be his trainer. He and Ramirez worked tirelessly at Lincoln Gym in Riverside, California, seeking to train with the best and become a more complete fighter. He undertook sparring sessions with Wladimir Klitschko, the current IBF Heavyweight Champion, and James "Lights Out" Toney, a two-time world champion.
In 2003, Chris won his professional debut in Laughlin, Nevada by knocking out Roosevelt Parker. Over the course of his next seven fights, he established an impressive streak of knockouts and one by disqualification. But Chris' streak didn't end there and neither did the nightmare for his opponents. In fact, his next 11 bouts all ended as a victory for Chris by knockout. Chris, "The Nightmare" as he was now known, had quickly become recognized as a hard hitter and one of the top rising American heavyweights.
Chris's first title shot came in June 2008 against Chazz Witherspoon for the WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title. Witherspoon was disqualified when his corner men entered the ring before the referee's count was over, giving Chris his first pro title. In September, he defended his WBC title by knocking out Israel Garcia in the third round. Only two months later, "The Nightmare" fought NABF Heavyweight Champion Travis Walker in an IBF Heavyweight Eliminator bout, with both men putting their titles on the line. Walker knocked down Chris early in the second round, giving Chris his first taste of the canvas in his pro career. However, in the third round, "The Nightmare" rallied back to beat Walker by TKO.
In April 2009, Chris knocked out Jameel McCline in the fourth round during a match televised on HBO from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Following the knockout of McCline, Chris became the #1 ranked WBC contender and boasted an impressive record of 27 wins and no losses (27-0) with 24 knockouts.
In August 2009, Chris' promotion company, Goossen Tutor Promotions, announced that Chris had agreed to fight current WBC Heavyweight Champion Vitali Klitschko for the WBC Heavyweight Title on September 26, 2009, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California Chris' hometown. Klitschko vs. Arreola will air live on HBO and will be broadcasted in over 100 countries worldwide. With a perfect record intact, Chris stands on the cusp of history as potentially the first Mexican-American Heavyweight Champion of the World.
Despite Chris' success in the ring and busy schedule, Chris always finds time to give back to his community and encourage young men and women to follow their dreams. On September 2nd, Chris spoke to a large group of young juveniles at Central Juvenile Hall in downtown Los Angeles. In his address, he challenged them to make drastic changes in their lives and offered them hope for the future. At the conclusion of his address, he referenced his rough upbringing in East Los Angeles and the challenges and struggles he faced when he was their age: "People are going to constantly tell you that you won't make it in this world," he said, "trust me, if I can make it you can make it."
