Vitali Klitschko to Defend WBC Heavyweight Title
by Tommy Long
Current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko of Ukraine will defend his title against Mexican-American Chris Arreola on Sept. 26 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Klitschko's management said Tuesday.
Arreola is vying to become the first Mexican-American to hold a major heavyweight title.
Klitschko said in the statement that he was looking forward to fighting again in Los Angeles, where he has already fought against Lennox Lewis and Corrie Sanders.
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The bout will be the 38-year-old Klitschko's third fight since returning from a four year layoff to beat Samuel Peter late last year. Klitschko (37-2, 36 KOs) hoped to fight England's David Haye in Germany on Sept. 12, but Haye backed out last month to fight Nikolai Valuev instead.
Once Haye dropped out the fight with Arreola came together quickly. Arreola had been preparing for a a fight against Oleg Maskaev next month, but eagerly seized the chance to take on Klitschko instead.
Klitschko, whose brother Wladimir holds the IBF and WBO heavyweight titles, fought Lewis at Staples Center in June 2003, losing on cuts in the sixth round despite leading the fight on the judges' scorecards. Klitschko then won the WBC title in Los Angeles in 2004, stopping Sanders.
