Chris Arreola.

Heavyweight Chris Arreola looked slow and out of shape during the later rounds of his 12-round victory over Manuel Quezada on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights despite vowing before the bout that he has re-dedicated himself to his boxing career.  Just as I was preparing to chastise Arreola for failing once again to live up to his considerable promise, news broke that he seriously injured both hands during the fight but still managed to secure the unanimous decision.

Now I’m caught in two minds; on one hand it’s hard not to admire the man for continuing to fire his left despite suffering a fracture in the second round. However, Arreola still doesn’t seem to be putting everything he has into his training, which is asking for trouble regardless of how soft the heavyweight division is currently. While the temptation is to credit Quezada for going the distance and coming on strong in the championship rounds, the journeyman’s game effort was likely due to Arreola’s inability to release his hands and finish the fight off as he normally would.

The final results for the new WBC Mexican National Heavyweight Champion must be maddening: up to three months on the shelf and no promise of a better fight once he returns. Arreola is going to have to make quicker work of better competition in order to convince onlookers he is worthy of another title shot. His raw power and strong chin make him a capable opponent for almost any fighter, but unless he shows a renewed hunger he’s well on his way to taking up gatekeeper status.

Time is quickly running out for Arreola to be viewed as a contender rather than just another talented heavyweight who never made it all the way. Here’s hoping he maximizes his talent in at least one more big fight before the sport passes him by.