Chris Arreola is a former world heavyweight title contender who is past his prime, but believes he’s got enough gas left in his tank to make at another run for a championship belt. If that’s his plan, then he can’t afford to lose to Adam Kownacki this coming Saturday. Will Arreola continue his upswing? Or will Kownacki sustain his undefeated record in the pros?
Kownacki is a largely unknown fighter. He is entering this fight with the intent of expanding his appeal, especially in the states. Outside of that, though, Kownacki has some of the qualities of a dangerous boxer. After all, he’s undefeated so far in his career. In his last fight, Kownacki scored a technical knockout win over Gerald Washington in the same venue of his next fight. In fact, Kownacki is very much familiar with the home of the Brooklyn Nets, as he’s fought all of his past three fights and at Barclays Center. Moreover, he’s fought there a total of nine times. Kownacki doesn’t have the sculpted physique of a heavyweight like Anthony Joshua, but Andy Ruiz had already shown that looks can be deceiving at the heavyweight division. Kownacki is a power puncher who can hurt his opponent with just a single punch. He should also be the busier fighter against Arreola, considering that he’s eight years the junior of his upcoming opponent.
Arreola will be staking his pride — and his career — against Kownacki. In a recent interview, Arreola revealed his plans of retiring from the sport of boxing if he goes on to lose this bout against Kownacki. That’s not resignation on the part of Arreola, though, but rather a show of fierce motivation for the 38-year-old fighter out of Escondido, California. Since losing to Deontay Wilder in a heavyweight title bout back in 2016, Arreola has seemingly regained his footing. He is on a two-fight win streak, defeating Maurenzo Smith in Los Angeles before knocking out Jean Pierre Augustin in Arlington back in March. Arreola has a great advantage over Kownacki in terms of experience, as he’s clearly fought a more talented collection of fighters than Kownacki. Arreola knows Kownacki is a heavy puncher, but he can also deal huge blows on the Polish. Arreola has a 75 percent knockout rate with only five of his 38 wins not coming by way of a knockout.
