AS KOWNACKI AIMS TO OVERPOWER ARREOLA
In a heavyweight action this weekend at the Barclays Center in New York, veteran Chris Arreola is in a crossroad fight against undefeated Polish contender Adam Kownacki promoted by Premier Boxing Champions and televised on FOX.
Arreola (38-5-1, 33KOs), 38, said he would not allow Kownacki to use him as a stepping stone but if he loses, he said he would hang up his gloves.
?If I lose this fight, I will retire, plain and simple,? Arreola, a three-time world title challenger, said. ?I love the sport of boxing and I want people to still remember me as a world heavyweight champion. I believe I still have the skills to do so.?
Arreola added, ?When I fought Jameel McCline, he was one of those big heavyweights that everybody was talking about, but never made it,? said Arreola. ?I don?t want to be that guy. I don?t want to be his Jameel. So that?s why I?m working hard out here with Joe Goossen. To make sure to put a little setback to his plans for the world title. He will get there, but my plan is to not let him use my name as a stepping stone.?
Meanwhile Kownacki (19-0-0, 15KOs), 30, promised to walk through Arreola.
?I have been with two guys that Deontay Wilder fought with Artur Szpilka and Gerald Washington,? said Kownacki. ?It took Wilder ten rounds to knock out Artur Szpilka in a very competitive fight when I just walked right through him. And the same thing with Gerald Washington. I knocked him out in two rounds. My next fight against Chris Arreola, another fight Wilder and I have in common, and I plan to do the same thing, walk right through him. I think if I could beat him in a better fashion than Deontay beat him before, then that?s a good statement!?
