CHRIS ARREOLA

updated September 27, 2009

The top young heavyweight star in the Goossen Tutor boxing stable, unbeaten Cristobal "The Nightmare" Arreola (26-0, 23 KOs) has been recording knockout wins at a Tyson-like pace since debuting as a professional in September, 2003.

Twenty-three of twenty-six opponents have failed to go the distance with the 27-year old Riverside, California big man of Mexican descent, who is managed by Al Haymon and trains under the watchful eye of Henry Ramirez at the city's Lincoln Gym on 14th Street.

Arreola began boxing as an amateur back in 1987 and four years later was training at the Resurrection Gym in East Los Angeles where he used to watch a young Oscar De La Hoya work his way toward Olympic Gold and superstar status as a professional.

Among his amateur highlights was a victory over Dallas Vargas (brother of 2004 U.S. Olympic heavyweight Devin Vargas, and himself with over 300 amateur fights) in the Finals of the National Golden Gloves in 2001 to win the 178-pound title.

Uncertain of the direction he wanted to go in life, Arreola took a two-year hiatus from boxing in 2001. "To be honest I was young and immature and didn't know what to do with myself," Arreola admitted. "I wanted to try out for the 2003 Golden Gloves but arrived shortly after the check-in deadline and they wouldn't let me tryout."

Arreola, following his two years of soul-searching, made a decision to return to the ring, but not as an amateur. He made a commitment to Ramirez that he was going back to boxing and he hasn't stopped training hard since, including sparring sessions with the likes of stablemate and two-time world champion James "Lights Out" Toney and current IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Arreola kayoed Roosevelt Parker in his first pro bout in Laughlin, Nevada, and stopped his next seven opponents before winning a bout by disqualification to interrupt his impressive string of knockouts to begin his pro career.

The 6-4, 245 lb. Arreola, who has acquired an impressive following and become a fan favorite in Southern California, reeled off another eleven straight knockouts prior to his bout against Chazz Witherspoon.

February 9, 2007 in New York he stopped Zaheem Graham (10-1-1, 7 KOs) in three rounds in a bout broadcast on ESPN; May 4, 2007 at The Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV and televised on Showtime, Arreola stopped Malcolm Tann (23-2, 12 KOs) in eight rounds; July 14, 2007 in Los Angeles, California at the sold-out Home Depot Center and televised by HBO, Cristobal stopped Derek Berry in the first round; September 21, 2007, "The Nightmare" destroyed Thomas Hayes (26-1, 18 KOs) in three rounds in a bout broadcast on the Univision television network, which took place in front of a sold-out hometown crowd in Riverside County; February 9, 2008, Arreola defeated Cliff Couser with a TKO in the first round at the Pechanga Resort and Casino.

On June 21, 2008 "The Nightmare" squared off against the unbeaten heavyweight Witherspoon at The FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee winning the WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight crown by disqualification after viciously dropping Witherspoon twice in the third round of the HBO televised event, Witherspoon's corner entered the ring before the referee's count was over, depriving Arreola of another knockout victory.

Arreola made the second defense of his WBC title on the September 25, 2008 Versus network televised co-feature. Cristobal dominated once-beaten Israel "King Kong" Garcia with an onslaught of accurate punches en route to a third-round stoppage at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, a short distance from his Riverside home.

In his most recent outing, on November 29, 2008, Arreola battled NABF Heavyweight Champion Travis Walker in front of 6,000 fans at the new Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, with each putting his respective title on the line in what was also an IBF Heavyweight Eliminator. Rebounding from a knockdown in the second round—the first taste of the canvas in his career—Arreola, like a true warrior and champion, came back to floor Walker twice in that same round before ending the bout with a picture-perfect left hand flooring Walker for the third and last time early in the third round.