| Sign Up | Google+

Ortiz vs Lopez Undercard: Chris Arreola Could Face Mike Mollo

Stay connected for news and updates

Chris Arreola fights again on June 23, and Mike Mollo is the current rumored opponent. (Photo by Craig Bennett/Showtime)

Popular heavyweight contender Chris Arreola is set to return on June 23, part of Showtime's Victor Ortiz vs Josesito Lopez broadcast, and Steve Kim reports that the current rumor for an opponent is Mike Mollo.

Mollo (20-3-1, 12 KO) would be a familiar type of opponent for Arreola, an also-ran mediocrity who doesn't present any real risk. Arreola (35-2, 30 KO) has been running through these guys since he started his "comeback" campaign last year, beating the likes of Joey Abell, Nagy Aguilera, Kendrick Releford, Friday Ahunanya, Raphael Butler, and Eric Molina.

Mollo was supposed to face Franklin Lawrence on May 19, but Lawrence failed his pre-fight physical and the fight was canceled. That means Mollo, who hasn't fought since August 2010, is in shape, or as close to it as could be expected right now. He's 1-2-1 in his last four fights, dating back to a 2008 loss to Andrew Golota, which wasn't close. Mollo's a scrapper, and likeable, but he's far from a legit opponent for Arreola.

I like Arreola, so I do hesitate to put it like this, but if this winds up being his opponent, his new nickname might as well be "No Risk" Chris Arreola. He's sitting around waiting for a shot at Wladimir Klitschko, which by all accounts will come this fall. But in the meantime, his fights are predictable nothings with no risk involved whatsoever, no challenge to him. I get it, and I understand it, and I can't really blame him. But it doesn't make the fights interesting, either.

Also on the undercard that night will be a junior welterweight bout between Humberto Soto and Lucas Matthysse.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Recent Posts

The Next Read

There are 13 Comments. Load Now. Loading

Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.

C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read

R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next

Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read

Comment Settings

Live comment alert: Hide it!

Comments for this post are closed.

tracking_pixel_5349_tracker tracking_pixel_5351_tracker