Undefeated No. 1 ranked World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight Cristobal Arreola, his promoter Dan Goossen and trainer Henry Ramirez hosted a press luncheon on Tuesday to discuss his future plan and quest on becoming the first Mexican fighter to become World Heavyweight Champion in the history of boxing.
Arreola, whose parents were born in Mexico, lives in Riverside by way of East Los Angeles. Tuesday, he expressed his feelings with the current champions in the heavyweight division and their past and future challengers. He stated that he continues to get stronger and better as they continue to fight lesser opponents in Europe.
Goossen described his plans for Arreola to take his next fight in September in Los Angeles and how he’s willing to bide his time to land a world title shot against any of the world champions at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Ramirez described Arreola’s new training regimen and the hiring of a strength and conditioning coach to help prepare his fighter for the future.
What Arreola, Goossen and Ramirez had to say at Tuesday’s luncheon:
CRISTOBAL ARREOLA:
“I just want a title shot and will keep working hard to get it. It doesn’t matter who it is. People call them world champions (Nicolai Valuev and the Klitschkos), but all their recent fighting has been in Europe. They should be called European champions. They need to come across the pond and fight here.
“They need to come to the U.S. and fight me. If they don’t want to give it to me, I’m going to kick that door in.
“The more time they give me, the better and angrier I get.
“The NFL and NBA. That’s where the American heavyweights are. That’s what pays the bills. But me, I’ve always wanted to be a fighter.
“The Europeans may jab, but I make my opponents fight my fight. My style is aggressive, balls to the wall. That’s the Mexican mentality. That’s one of my main strengths in boxing. I create my punches.
“There’s one main reason why we’re here, because I want everyone to know what’s happening now, just the facts. I feel like I’ve been pushed to the side because of the threat I am to the champions. I don’t think David Haye has done anything to deserve a shot at that title.
“I come to fight. I believe I’ve earned the right to be among the best heavyweight fighters in the world. I’ve fought heavyweights. David Haye hasn’t fought anyone.
“Who doesn’t want to watch a heavyweight event in Los Angeles? Who doesn’t want to watch a Mexican make history?
“I’ve haven’t been this sore in years. But, at the end of the day, I go home and say I’m sore, but it feels good (speaking about his training under his new strength coach).
“There are a lot of old guys and former champs sitting around there that we need to take care of. Their time is up. They need to go. I will go out of my shell. I will fight to my last breath.
“There’s no need for a test drive or warm-up fight. You’re going to see a new and improved Cristobal Arreola.”
DAN GOOSSEN:
“Cristobal is the most important heavyweight in the world because he has all the intentions of bringing that heavyweight title back to America.
“We believe he would knock out any heavyweight champion right now because of his fighting style. He’s ready now, but he’s just going to get better and better if they keep fighting in Europe.
“Once he becomes heavyweight world champion, and he will become world champion, we are not going to look for anything but the best challenges out there. The champions in Europe need to start doing the same thing. The biggest challenge and the only challenge right now in America is Cristobal Arreola.
“We want any of the three champs. It doesn’t matter which one. If we can’t get them, we’ll fight former champs until someone steps up to the challenge.
“We want to showcase Cristobal’s ferocity to America and let his fan base keep on growing.
“If there is a man that can sell 40,000 or more seats in L.A., it’s Cristobal Arreola. We’d love to fight at Dodger Stadium and it will happen.
“I believe that the most important heavyweight fighter is sitting here in front of you today. We’ve seen Wladimir Klitschko, his brother Vitali and Nikolai Valuev and none of them have captured the hearts and attention of America.
“We’ve been aggressive in trying to make fights with Valuev and both Klitschkos. But, right now, they’re just making a business decision. They want the money in Europe and they’re not taking the challenges that the fans want to see. But there’s money here. I believe Cristobal against any of the world champions could sell out Dodger Stadium.
“Wlad and Vitali have fans in Europe, and I’m happy for them. But it is a worldwide sport, and worldwide means coming over to the U.S.
“This is about proving who the best heavyweight in the world is. You want that opportunity as a young, hungry fighter like Arreola and the champions can sense it’s a dangerous proposition to fight him. This isn’t about complaining or calling people out, this is just about telling the facts. We’ve made a commitment with Arreola to take risky fights at the different levels of his career where his abilities and KO power alone have made us look like geniuses. We’ve done that throughout his career.
“Time is on our side. All Cristobal can do is get better with time.
“All I care about is our fighter being in great shape. I don’t care what he weighs. Cristobal is in great shape right now and that’s all that matters.
“This September, you’re going to see Cristobal fighting in California and you’re going to see him fighting a former world champion.
“The people who don’t believe in Cristobal are going to see he is the heavyweight that will bring the division back to its prominence. He won’t allow himself to lose.
“Who would any world champion want to fight? This guy who is a skinny drink of water (Haye) or a big, bad ass heavyweight (Arreola)?”
HENRY RAMIREZ – (Arreola’s trainer)
“I do feel that Cristobal is ready. Cristobal is ready to fight. He’s ready to make history.
“He’s taking this a lot more seriously than ever before. His conditioning, his mental approach, everything. We’ve hired a strength and conditioning coach for the first time. We’ve done everything we need to get us over the hump and be a world champion.”