Deontay Wilder to take out frustration on Chris Arreola

“There’s no other guy that we could have had that was going to give me the fight that I was looking for out of a fighter than Chris Arreola”.

“I’ve wanted to hit somebody since May”, said the undefeated knockout specialist, who boasts a record of 36 wins, with 35 by stoppage.

With British heavyweight sensation and IBF Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua now heating up the ranks, this fight is another stepping stone for Wilder to get to the bigger stage of his career.

“Fighting a guy like Wilder, I have to be ready for anything”. That’s the God honest truth.

“The main thing is that I’ve got to move my head [and] I have to keep Deontay on his heels, and that’s going to be a big task”, Arreola says. What’s my vacation gonna be like, and what’s this, what’s that? “Just selfish and dumb”.

There are going to be people who aren’t people and people who are happy but we have to remember that he needs to be developed.

That’s not to mention Arreola is getting this opportunity only because Alexander Povetkin tested positive for a banned substance, canceling what was supposed to be his shot at Wilder in May. Lately Arreola has been winning a majority of his last fights by knockout, but has yet to claim a heavyweight title. Always focused. When you’re in the hurt business, you have no choice but to stay focused on the business at hand. I don’t just knock you out, I really put you out.

The 6-3 Arreola hasn’t fought since December, when he won a split decision over Travis Kauffman. “I got teased a little bit, I don’t like to be teased”, Wilder said.

“I think he’s doing a good job”.

“I never look at films of opponents because I want to be surprised and I want to give myself a mental challenge in there”.

“I’m ready to get in the ring and do anything that I can on Saturday to get the victory”.

Speaking of moving, Arreola said that’s what he has to do with his head to avoid the same fate he experienced when he was taken apart by Klitschko over 10 one-sided rounds seven years ago. That’s the thing I have to exploit. However, he understands in order to make that history, he’ll have to fight the fight of his life. “If I was him, I would take it very seriously”. It’s his third opportunity to become the first fighter of Mexican descent to win a major heavyweight title after previously failing against Vitali Klitschko (10th-round TKO) in 2009 and Bermane Stiverne (sixth-round TKO) in 2014.

Chris Arreola: I am a sleeping giant.

“We can’t just put him in there against anybody top level but he’s not far from the top level right now, because when you look at the landscape of heavyweight fighters, there aren’t that many people around”. You could tell he cut weight … that’s why after the fight…