?This is a do-or-die fight for me, man. I?m not a paycheck fighter. I?m not a fighter that?s going to be a gatekeeper. I?m in the sport to be a champion??
It?s easy to overlook ESPN. The cable network may be synonymous with sports, but boxing, relatively speaking, gets short shrift. ESPN?s Friday Night Fights ought to be an institution, and with the controversial and voluble Teddy Atlas in the analyst?s chair it deserves nothing less. But budgets being what they are, and boxing being what it is, precious airtime is devoted to esoterica like bull riding and bocce ball.
ESPN is also squaring off against the industry giants, Showtime and HBO. Their deep pockets and unwavering support enables them to broadcast the fights that generate the lion?s share of publicity.
But ESPN can?t be faulted for not trying. For example, they recently broadcast Wladimir Klitschko?s defense of his many titles against no-hope Alex Leapai. Although the fight was a stinker, it was no more ESPN?s fault than it was Dr. Steelhammer?s. He was fighting the WBO mandatory. He could have pulled a Riddick Bowe, turned down the fight and dumped the belt in the trash. But to what end? Would anyone have rather seen Leapai fight Dereck Chisora for the vacant WBO title?
Wladimir isn?t fighting on ESPN Saturday night (8:00 PM/ET), but his older brother looms over the proceedings. Chris ?The Nightmare? Arreola (36-3, 31 KOs), from Escondido, California, the same man Vitali decimated in 2009, and Bermane ?B. Ware? Stiverne (23-1, 20 KOs), from Las Vegas by way of La Plaine, Haiti, who was next in line to get it on with Dr. Ironfist, are fighting for the WBC heavyweight title Klitschko vacated.
Klitschko abdicated the throne, not just to be a politician, but to fight for Ukraine?s survival. Understatement is fine. Muddling the facts is not.
?To me personally,? said Stiverne on a recent teleconference call, ?it wasn?t about whom I was going to fight. I knew I was going to fight for the title. Obviously I believe that I will be crowned the heavyweight champion. You don?t have a lot of heavyweights that even fight for the title. Some heavyweights have been there for 20, 25 years and never fought for the title, and I?m thankful and grateful to be able to do so. I?m really looking forward to making history and bringing the title back to America and also being the first Haitian to be heavyweight champion of the world.?
To fan the flames of some lukewarm kindling, Stiverne was asked if he felt ?a little bit jerked around by Vitali.?
He didn?t take the bait.
?I think it was a lack of respect,? Stiverne said, ?because I believe that he knew what he was going to do. So he pretty much took his time, and he was babysitting the title so to speak. But it didn?t really frustrate me. I knew somehow one day I would be fighting for the title, and I also knew that nobody could take that away from me.?
Winning a title is every fighter?s dream.
?It?s kind of scary when you think about all these great heavyweights that had the title,? said Stiverne, ?and I?m to the point where it?s like, wow, I?ll be able to put my hands on the title that Tyson had and Ali and Lennox Lewis. It?s just a dream that?s in front of me and just all I got to do is go and grab it.?
Stiverne is the favorite going in, having already defeated Arreola when they first met. But he was the underdog going in.
?I didn?t feel like I was the underdog, but I knew I was. Whether you talk about the fans or the media, Arreola was a big favorite, a huge favorite. And listen, I?ve been watching Arreola for so long I knew?and I know still today?that Arreola is tailor-made for me. I have the style, and I?m able to be smart in the ring and do certain things that he can?t do. I knew what I could do in the ring. I never doubted myself. I just have to prove to whoever thought that it was impossible for me to win the fight, go out there and beat him.?
There just one thing standing in Stiverne?s way and that one thing is Chris Arreola.
?Because of the kind of person that I am, the dude I am, the guy that I?ve grown up being, I hate losing,? admitted The Nightmare, ?especially when I?m the idiot that causes the loss, and the fact that I get to avenge my loss?to me that means the world. But you?ve got to add to it that I?m going to fight for the world title. Now how sweet could that be, man, avenge a loss and win the title at the same time and making history? Bermane did what he was supposed to do on the first fight. And this fight now I have to do what I have to do, which means bring the fight to him and put him on his heels.?
Arreola may win no beauty contests, but he?s a good fighter and an interesting cat.
?Times have changed, man. I feel like I?m a mature fighter, I have what it takes between my ears and in my heart and in my balls. Now it?s time for me to let it all hang out. I?m very desperate. You know, I?ve done a lot of dumb stuff in my life, and it?s time to stop. It?s time to stop the excuses. It?s time for me to man up and handle my responsibilities in more ways than one, in the boxing gym, in my fight, and life in general. It?s just time for me to man up and just do what I?m supposed to do as a man.
?This could be my very last shot, and I?m not going to take this shot for granted. I?m not going to screw this shot up. I?m going to make sure that I make it count. I?m going to make every punch count. I?m going to make this fight count, man. This is a do-or-die fight for me, man. I?m not a paycheck fighter. I?m not a fighter that?s going to be a gatekeeper. I?m in the sport to be a champion.?
To keep things in perspective, the multifaceted Arreola said, ?I enjoy boxing. I enjoy fighting. I enjoy the camaraderie that you get in a fight, and especially in a sparring session because after that you just shake hands like nothing happened and just go about your day like you guys are straight friends. Like me and Bermane, I don?t need to badmouth him. He doesn?t need to badmouth me for me, and on May 10th we?re going to come out there like beasts, like we hate each other. But I don?t hate him, and I?m sure he doesn?t hate me.?
