"This is going to be a dog fight. This is a fight where Chris is going to get hit and he's gonna be landing on Wilder. Deontay's done well. He did well against Stiverne by winning the title and we lost to Stiverne, but there are some guys, Duhaupas and Eric Molina, that did well against him provided that they are nowhere near the offensive fighter that Chris is. They are not even in the same category offensively. They had a lot of success and there are some things that I've seen that I feel Chris will be able to have some success with," stated Henry Ramires, world-class trainer of heavyweight contender Chris Arreola, who talked about their upcoming clash with undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. Check it out!
PC: Chris Arreola has the opportunity of a lifetime to fight for the world heavyweight championship because of the Alexander Povetkin fallout. What was the initial reaction when you got the call?
HR: You know, when I first got the call, man, we were on the way to the Dodger-Angels game. It was, I want to say Monday, May 16th. We got the call saying, "Hey, look, there is a possibility with this going on." It was nothing for sure, but basically we may want to start getting ready. And by the time I got the official call that we got the fight, it was towards the end of May. It was around Memorial Day weekend and I had started to put the camp together. Once I got the green light to go to camp, which I told Al we were going to do in San Diego, we got out. We've been out here 5 weeks already.
PC: Why San Diego?
HR: The thing with Chris is we could never train at home in Riverside to prepare for a fight, let alone a fight of this magnitude. You just gotta get him away from home. San Diego is about 120 miles away from where we live. It's far enough. We've trained in Big Bear, we've trained in Arizona, and it was just fitting to train in San Diego. No specific reason; maybe because I spent about 4 1/2 months of 2015 in Big Bear (laughing). I did a camp at the beginning of 2015 and at the end, and it was a lot of time being up there.
PC: Deontay Wilder calls Chris the best late replacement fighter because whether he's in shape or not, he comes to fight with his heart. Is this a matter of Chris going all out in a 3 to 5 round burst or are you trying to get him in the best shape possible before July 16th?
HR: We're trying to get him in the best possible shape understanding that this is going to be a dog fight. This is a fight where Chris is going to get hit and he's gonna be landing on Wilder. Deontay's done well. He did well against Stiverne by winning the title and we lost to Stiverne, but there are some guys, Duhaupas and Eric Molina, that did well against him provided that they are nowhere near the offensive fighter that Chris is. They are not even in the same category offensively. They had a lot of success and there are some things that I've seen that I feel Chris will be able to have some success with.
PC: You guys have to look at the Doulas-Tyson and Rahman-Lewis situations and almost have that underdog approach heading into this one.
HR: We know we are the underdog. A lot of people not only don't expect Chris to win, there are people that don't expect much, which is shocking to me. Has there been times in the past where Chris showed up unprepared, yes, but has he ever not shown balls and grit in the ring? He's never not shown that. That's why I'm surprised that so many people feel that he has absolutely zero chance to win.
PC: I know you guys aren't into moral victories...
HR: (Cutting in) There are no moral victories. There is no moral victory on July 16th. We coming to win. There is no, "we did well," fuck that. We coming to win; there is no moral victory.
PC: Deontay is a fighter where you have to factor in his height and reach, but he is relatively slim. I'm sure you feel Chris could possibly muscle him around.
HR: Yes, of course. There is just a certain style that I think gives him problems. Here is the thing about Deontay Wilder, has he shown vulnerability? Absolutely! But the man has overcome all of that. He's got a big punch that can get him out of a close fight if need be and he's won every fight he's been in, so you gotta give him respect for that, but from what I've seen, is he unbeatable? Absolutely not! Is it a difficult test? Absolutely, and he is a tough task to overcome, but by no means does he have the dominant reign that Klitschko had where he was barely getting touched. Wilder is getting touched when he fights and that's what makes him exciting. It's not a knock against him; it's what makes him exciting. I just feel that there are things that Chris, with his very offensive minded style, can have some great success with.
PC: When I watch Chris Arreola fight, I feel like there will always be a spot for him on TV, but this could perhaps be his last title shot and he seems cognizant of that. Is that the case?
HR: Absolutely! I told him it's now or never. You know Percy, we can become the first heavyweight of Mexican decent to hold the title and that's historical. There is a historical aspect to that. Or if he was to come up short, we are a Jameel McCline and Andrew Golota, who also fought for the title 3 times and came up short. Jameel McCline fought for it 4 times and came up short. You become this era of that guy, which isn't bad, but it's not the historical aspect that comes with a win. But I absolutely agree with you, it's now or never and these were the circumstances the fight was presented to us and we jumped at it. Are there naysayers? Absolutely! Do I give a fuck? No! If you put any of them in our shoes, they would have jumped at the fight also.
PC: The heavyweight division is back in the spotlight and it has a lot of attention on it. This is great timing for you guys to pull off an upset and shake things up.
HR: There is a lot of good fights to be made. Anthony Joshua just knocked out Dominic Breazeale, who interestingly enough, we were supposed to fight Dominic Breazeale on April 30th. We were supposed to be the co-main event to Ortiz and Andre Berto at the Stub Hub Center. I come down to San Diego to get camp situated and the very next day, Chris fractures his ankle. And look how it turned out; from that fight falling out to both guys getting title shots. However means it happened, it happened. But Anthony Joshua is an exciting fighter. I'm excited to watch Klitschko and Tyson Fury whenever that fight gets rescheduled, and Chris and Wilder on July 16th, and there are some good heavyweight fights on that card also. There is some good heavyweight action. It's funny though because people are like, "There are a lot of fights out there, but there are no dominant heavyweights." Well okay, that means the landscape is wide open; it's fun. Then you go back to the other side, "The heavyweight division was boring when Klitschko dominated." So do you want a dominant heavyweight that rules the division or an open field with several intriguing fights? You can't please everybody. When they were dominating, they are boring and this and that, and now there are fun fights to be made, but nobody is dominant, they all suck. But all in all, the division the last year has had a lot of fights on TV and I think it's going to continue. I think it's a trend that's going to continue. And it's boxing; all divisions go through their peaks and valleys, maybe with the exception of 147. The heavyweights are definitely on the rise again.
PC: I look forward to the fight, best of luck, and we will speak afterward. Is there anything you want to add before I let you go?
HR: We are in San Diego working hard and I think Chris is going to surprise a lot of people. A lot of people are counting him out based on some of his performances and maybe they have a reason to, but I never stop believing in him, he never stops believing in himself, and Al Haymon never stops believing in him and that's the reason why we're in this fight.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]