DOES MINTO KNOW ROLE IN ARREOLA PRODUCTION?
Pittsburgh, PA– On Saturday, December 5 in an HBO show from Atlantic City, heavyweight contender Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola (27-1, 24 KOs) will make his first comeback fight after September’s one-sided drubbing at the hands of WBC titlist Vitali Klitschko. I spoke with his opponent, western Pennsylvania’s Brian “The Beast” Minto (34-2, 21 KOs) about the fight, Arreola, and how he’s dealing with the conventional wisdom that he’s a good choice for the bout, not because people expect him to have a chance but because he should give the fans a show before losing.
CAN MINTO MAKE THE NIGHTMARE’S COMEBACK A NIGHTMARE?
On his expected role to excite but not upset, Minto said it “fuels me to work harder. I’ve been in numerous situations as the underdog. It’s nothing new to me. I’ll rise to the occasion and to the challenge. I can’t control how other people think, and I never underestimate any challenge.” He recognizes this is a “big opportunity” at 34, with probably only “a couple years left.” A win opens doors to more big money fights, and though he now has kids and is beginning to consider life after boxing, he doesn’t expect to retire win, lose or draw.
HOW CAN MINTO UPSET ARREOLA?
I pointed out to Minto, who’s again trained by local underrated trainer Tom Yankello after a stint with Freddie Roach, that Arreola seems a bigger and younger version of him – a bruising infighter who throws power punches in combinations until his foe wilts. So how then does he win? “I have to be mistake free, when one punch can end your night, especially with a guy who can punch like him. I have to be smart and box.” Will Minto try to take Arreola into the late rounds and test his conditioning? Not so easy, claims Minto, who expects the Mexican American to “come balls to the wall the first four rounds.” In other words, if the underdog in next Saturday’s opener just waits for the later rounds to get to work, he may never see them.
IS IT A GOOD OR BAD TIME TO FIGHT ARREOLA?
Coming off of the Klitschko whipping, Arreola vowed to dedicate himself more to training and conditioning – as if that should be discovered after losing a title opportunity. Can you teach yourself to want it more? Minto conceded that you should “leave no stone unturned when you’re fighting for the heavyweight championship… and you should know what weight” is your peak. He’s aware of the rumors of his drinking and eating habits, speculating that “he is younger; maybe he still has partying in him. Maybe he’s not living a disciplined life right now.” He pointed out, though, that “the Klitschkos are an uphill battle for anybody” with their height and reach advantage, and he insisted that “I’m preparing for the best Chris Arreola come December 5.”
LET’S STUDY UPSETS 101
Too many times we call fights upsets that really aren’t: Bernard Hopkins over Kelly Pavlik, for example, may have been a surprise, but it wasn’t an upset because Hopkins is just too damn good to upset people. An upset occurs when a fighter loses to someone who normally has no business beating him; hence, Jim Braddock outpointing Max Baer and Buster Douglas shocking Mike Tyson. It often involves the favorite being unprepared, out of condition or caught by surprise. Cold that be the case here? A 28 year old, top-conditioned Arreola should defeat the smaller, overachieving Minto. But if Arreola’s tipping the scales at about 255 right now, a word to the wise: Put down the Tecate right now and get back to the road work, because upsets aren’t formed in the ring, they just culminate there.
Brian Gorman