Ortiz vs Lopez Undercard: Chris Arreola Could Face Mike Mollo

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.