According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former world Heavyweight title challenger, Chris Arreola will take on fellow Mexican-American Heavyweight Manuel Quezada on August 13 in a bout that will take place at the Citizens Business Bank Center in Ontario, California.
The bout will be braodcasted on ESPN 2.
“This fight is an opportunity for Cris to jump back into the thick of things with a win,” Dan Goossen, who promoted both Arreola & Quezada said. “And this is something Quezada has been asking for for quite awhile. He’s been asking to fight Cris. He feels like he’s taken a backseat to Cris and he thinks he’s just as interesting and aggressive and exciting as Cris is in the ring. I know that Cris has never had any problem fighting Manny, but it never worked out that way the last few years. Now, obviously, here it is. They’re both coming off very disappointing losses and they need to win this one.”
“Cris has to perform and also this is Manny’s big shot,” Said Henry Ramirez, who trains Arreola. “You’ve got two guys whose backs are against the wall, my guy and Manny. Whoever loses is basically done. But I’m hoping Cris knows his back is against the wall. Manny is a tough guy. I like Manny a lot and I respect him a lot. I know him well. He’s a good friend of mine. But Cris has been in the gym and sparring for about a week.
“I think Cris knows the only way to get back to those paydays he had and to get back into the limelight is for him to take the fight seriously and to pull his head out of his ass. Is it pulled out yet? Little by little it’s coming out. For this fight he hasn’t missed any workouts — yet. But I know Cris. Let’s see if he can take this seriously.”
“Our conversations with HBO, as it relates to the heavyweight division, is if you’re not out there giving 100 percent and showing that aggressive style and the ability to draw fans and ratings, that it’s a hard road back to HBO, and Cris knows that,” Goossen said. “I believe the winner of this fight comes right into a fight with Adamek, either a rematch for Cris or a shot for Manny. Cris would love to have that rematch and Manny would love to pull the upset on Aug. 13 and jump into Cris’ shoes.
“I think Aug. 13 is a springboard to having one of the fighters come out and say, ‘I’m ready to take on everybody and to do it in tip-top shape.’ ”
Arreola is 28-2 with twenty-five knockouts. Quezada is 29-5 with eighteen knockouts.
