In their first fight Stiverne busted Arreola?s nose. In tonight?s fight, he busted Arreola?s dream of becoming heavyweight champion?
Saturday night at the USC Galen Center in Los Angeles, California, Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs), from Las Vegas by way of La Plaine, Haiti, KO?d Escondido, California?s Chris ?The Nightmare? Arreola (36-4, 31 KOs) in the sixth round of their scheduled 12-round fight to win the vacant WBC heavyweight title.
The bout was a rematch of their fight from a year ago, which Stiverne won by unanimous decision. In that fight B. Ware busted Arreola?s nose. In tonight?s fight, he busted Arreola?s dream of becoming heavyweight champion.
Fighting out of the red corner in white trunks trimmed with red and gold, Arreola never looked better. He was in shape. He was focused. He had come to fight. Stiverne, in the blue corner in black trunks with gold trim, came into the bout unbeaten in his last 12 fights. But he got off to a slow start. He retreated to the ropes, content to throw an occasional jab as Arreola outworked him. Arreola followed a three-punch combination by a short right. Stiverne countered with an uppercut and left hook that drove Arreola back. In the closing seconds of the round, Stiverne wobbled Arreola with a big left. It wasn?t enough to steal the first, but it was enough to make it an even round.
Arreola picked up where Stiverne left off in round two. Stiverne was again fighting off the ropes, landing single jabs and combinations. Arreola was fighting smart, moving in and out and forcing the fight. A nice uppercut by Stiverne got Arreola?s attention. Arreola returned the favor with a combination, which Stiverne echoed at the bell to end the second. It was close, but Arreola took it by a hair. The slugfest was on.
Stiverne came out moving and landing his jab in the third. Arreola was happy to trade jabs with his opponent, but even happier when a right drove Stiverne back to the ropes. The Haitian landed a hook and a couple jabs, but Arreola continued to be the busier fighter, even though he was getting caught. Stiverne landed a right to the body. Arreola was coming on strong, however, landing shots upstairs and down at the bell.
B. Ware stumbled to his corner, where his trainer told him, ?Don?t headhunt. Stay off the ropes. Go to the body.? Arreola landed 41 punches to Stiverne?s 18 in the third.
Arreola landed a hook to start the fourth. Stiverne came back with a hard right. The Nightmare drove Stiverne back to the ropes with two jabs and unloaded a series of combinations. Stiverne seemed content to pick his shots and throw single punches. Arreola continued to march forward, his confidence skyrocketing while his defense grew increasingly porous.
It looked like Arreola was in control of the fight to start round five. His strategy was to keep blasting away. Stiverne?s strategy was to wait for the moment Arreola?s attention, absorbed as it was by offense, left him open for a big shot. But in the meantime Arreola continued to outwork Stiverne, landing jabs and right hands without absorbing much in return. Arreola landed an uppercut and two rights. Stiverne countered with a 1-2. The warriors traded rights and Arreola still had the upper hand. Stiverne landed a right to the body at the bell, but it wasn?t enough to win the round.
Round six was Arreola?s Waterloo. The fighters traded jabs. Arreola missed with a right. Stiverne landed a three-punch combination followed by a looping right to the temple that Arreola didn?t see coming. His legs turned to spaghetti and he hit the deck. Arreola beat the count, but his legs were gone and his head was in the clouds. Stiverne landed seven unanswered punches and Arreola went down again. He got tangled in the ropes but made it to his feet a second time. Referee Jack Reiss could have stopped it then and there, but he gave Arreola one last chance to fight back. Not that it made any difference. Stiverne was like a shark in blood infested water. The defenseless Arreola was finished and Reiss had the good sense to wave it off.
The new WBC heavyweight champion?s mandatory is Deontay Wilder, who would like nothing better than to belt B. Ware into the stratosphere. But Wladimir Klitschko also expressed interest in the fighting the winner of Stiverne-Arreola. If Stiverne is as smart as he fights, he?ll opt for the Bronze Bomber and save the formidable Dr. Steelhammer for another day.
