By Jason Pribila in Atlantic City
I booked my room in Atlantic City the day after Williams – Pavlik was announced. Lesson learned, if one is going to book a room for a boxing match, make sure that you are able to cancel your reservation if the fight does not happen. An uneasy few weeks passed before Williams found a new opponent, and Atlantic City was able to retain the fight. As it turns out, I may be about to witness a better fight card.
Sergio Martinez will provide a much less stationary target than Kelly Pavlik, and although his title is not at stake, it is clear that he is not in town to pick up a check. Any opportunity to impress the suits at HBO is motivation enough, but facing a guy that is a 4 to 1 betting favorite puts Martinez in a no lose situation.
The co-feature also promises to produce fireworks. Chris Arreola returns less than three months after suffering his only career loss against Vitali Klitschko. He will face Brian “The Beast” Minto. While Minto does not possess the physical tools of Klitschko, he also comes in with everything to gain, and presents enough of a test to see if Arreola returned too soon.
Arreola’s battle with the scales has been well documented, and at this point it should no longer be a story. He never tried to pretend to be anything other than he is, which is a fighter. His body does to provide the perfect canvas to display his many tattoos, but he has and always will enter the ring with one purpose, and this is to win within the distance. I’ve always questioned how a generation of fighters that grew up watching Mike Tyson, ended up fighting more like Chris Byrd. Arreola is the exception of this crop of heavyweights, and for that reason alone he deserves accolades.
I admit that I feel that Arreola’s best weight would around the 239 lbs that he weighed in when he faced Chazz Witherspoon. However, after last night I decided that I won’t be commenting on any fighter’s weight unless they fail to meet the contracted weight. As I was enjoying a few adult beverages with a friend following the weigh in, a young lady approached. For a moment, I thought I may have met my first “Prib Notes” fan. Instead I was asked if I was the “Shwab”! First of all, I’m at least a decade younger, and I know I’m much prettier. Although I’d like to blame the dimly lit room, the reality is that the 2010 New Year’s Resolution needs to stick.
The aforementioned Chazz Witherspoon is also on tonight’s fight card. He will be facing Tony Thompson in a pivotal heavyweight battle. Thompson was on a career roll and won rounds against Wladamir Klitschko until being put to sleep in the eleventh round in July of 2008. He has fought once in 2009, and a win against Witherspoon puts him in position for another title run in 2010.
Witherspoon got beat up by Arreola in his biggest fight to date. If he could pull off a victory against Thompson, he will be in store for a meaningful fight.
The interesting thing about this fight is that both men seem to be as nice as they come in the sport. They were almost embarrassed when asked to stare each other down. They will have to put their good will aside when the bell rings, because neither guy could afford a step back.
The fight I’m most looking forward to is Carlos Quintana against Jesse Feliciano. If this bout would be determined on boxing skills alone, a Quintana shut-out would be a no-brainer. However, Feliciano has more than enough heart and determination to make up for the skills he lacks. He may not win the fight, but he will make sure that Quintana will earn his paycheck.
I’m exiting the Press Room now. It is time for a bite to eat, while watching Florida – Alabama at my favorite sports bar in Atlantic City, “Game On”.
Game On, indeed.
