With all due respect to the man, he has been positioned above his station for a very long time. This isn't a case of an elite fighter like Haye or Adamek moving up - they're considered possible threats at HW because they've done very well in the divisions directly below. This is someone who hasn't defeated a top 30 opponent being hyped far beyond his means by his TV network because they'll clutch at any straw for an American heavyweight. The hype perplexed me for a very long time and while wishing Arreola no ill-will, I'm glad its over now. Perhaps his slide into heavyweight irrelevance, his newfound gatekeeper status will motivate him to cut a little bit of fat. I'd like to think so, but going by his past.... I said that if Adamek had any business whatsoever in the heavyweight division, he'd comfortably outpoint Arreola and he did just that. I'd like to see Adamek look to fight someone like Valuev next if it's not going to be a Klitschko or Haye. Say what you want about him, but he enters the ring in the best shape his frame allows. We've seen Adamek take on a fat Golota, a boob sporting Estrada and the food lovin' (don't we all...? Alas, we are not all professional athletes inpossession of a spot near the top of our chosen sport) Arreola. The Klitschkos, David Haye & Adamek are the brightest stars in the heavyweight division at the moment, and I don't think it's by coincidence that they all come in in good shape. Personally, I think Haye KOs Adamek but loses comprehensively to Wladimir Klitschko. Vitali is the wild card, because it's hard to gauge how much he has left. I think he's rapidly declined since his first fight back, looking worse and worse with each bout. Perhaps he should've gone in and out with the Peter win - A fantastic comeback for a body which cannot sustain the grind of a full career. It wouldn't surprise me if Vitali easily beat up and KOed Haye (or for that matter) yet by the same token Haye taking advantage of a tired, faltering fighter, breaking down and stopping the old fighter or Adamek outworking and outpointing him wouldn't stun me entirely. It's interesting. And positive that the four best heavyweights in the world today are men who consider getting themselves into good physical condition a key part of the hard job of boxing. Regardless of what you think of them individually, surely we can agree that that by itself is a positive thing in this otherwise barren division.
In the end I think we have a bunch of decent small to mid sized heavyweights who do not give a **** because they know they cannot beat the Klitschkos. It sort of demoralizes you when you see a guy that much bigger than you, who can box better than you can. It'd be like Chad Dawson fighting a jr.middleweight. Still though, I emphasize that none of the current small heavyweight crop is akin to a Dempsey, Louis or Tyson. I think if one of those names were in the division today, the Klitschkos would be mere contenders. Valuev would be the 2010 Primo Carnera. I think guys like Haye, Povetkin and Adamek know whats up. They will do great as long as they avoid the Klitschkos, which means about as great as can be expected from dodging the best. Vitali is aging fast and Wladimir may turn his hat in if Haye doesn't come around in the next 2 years. Of course guys like Arreola or Peter do themselves no justice at all being out of shape for a big fight. And maybe for once the fans are making them pay by refusing to buy tickets or PPVs. It's a good move.
Dempsey is going back a bit, but I would favour either Klitschko there. I would pick Louis over either one. And Tyson ? He might take both. Wlad for a near certainty, but I'd have my doubts against prime, healthy Vitali. Both Klitschkos suffer from resume problems, but Vitali is a top 10 h2h and Wlad is probably a top 20. I wonder how the HW scene will look in five years time.
Until Arreola cuts back on those double cheeseburgers with extra bacon, he's never going to achieve what he could. Everyone, except some of the hardcore Arreola support, knew and mentioned many times that he'd need to be in better shape if he wasn't going to be trundling after Adamek like a bear chasing a balloon. He wasn't, Adamek was too slick for him, and he lost.
