Twenty-three of twenty-six opponents have failed to go the distance with the 29-year old Riverside, California big man of Mexican descent, who is managed by Al Haymon and trains under the watchful eye of Henry Ramirez at the city’s Lincoln Gym on 14th Street.

Arreola began boxing as an amateur back in 1987 and four years later was training at the Resurrection Gym in East Los Angeles where he used to watch a young Oscar De La Hoya work his way toward Olympic Gold and superstar status as a professional.

Among his amateur highlights was a victory over Dallas Vargas (brother of 2004 U.S. Olympic heavyweight Devin Vargas, and himself with over 300 amateur fights) in the Finals of the National Golden Gloves in 2001 to win the 178-pound title.

Uncertain of the direction he wanted to go in life, Arreola took a two-year hiatus from boxing in 2001. “To be honest I was young and immature and didn’t know what to do with myself,” Arreola admitted. “I wanted to try out for the 2003 Golden Gloves but arrived shortly after the check-in deadline and they wouldn’t let me tryout.” Arreola, following his two years of soul-searching, made a decision to return to the ring, but not as an amateur. He made a commitment to Ramirez that he was going back to boxing and he hasn't stopped training hard since, including sparring sessions with the likes of stablemate and two-time world champion James “Lights Out” Toney and current IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Arreola kayoed Roosevelt Parker in his first pro bout in Laughlin, Nevada, and stopped his next seven opponents before winning a bout by disqualification to interrupt his impressive string of knockouts to begin his pro career.

The 6-4, 245 lb. Arreola, who has acquired an impressive following and become a fan favorite in Southern California, reeled off another eleven straight knockouts prior to his bout against Chazz Witherspoon.

February 9, 2007 in New York he stopped Zaheem Graham (10-1-1, 7 KOs) in three rounds in a bout broadcast on ESPN; May 4, 2007 at The Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV and televised on Showtime, Arreola stopped Malcolm Tann (23-2, 12 KOs) in eight rounds; July 14, 2007 in Los Angeles, California at the sold-out Home Depot Center and televised by HBO, Cristobal stopped Derek Berry in the first round; September 21, 2007, “The Nightmare” destroyed Thomas Hayes (26-1, 18 KOs) in three rounds in a bout broadcast on the Univision television network, which took place in front of a sold-out hometown crowd in Riverside County; February 9, 2008, Arreola defeated Cliff Couser with a TKO in the first round at the Pechanga Resort and Casino.

On June 21, 2008 “The Nightmare” squared off against the unbeaten heavyweight Witherspoon at The FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee winning the WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight crown by disqualification after viciously dropping Witherspoon twice in the third round of the HBO televised event, Witherspoon’s corner entered the ring before the referee’s count was over, depriving Arreola of another knockout victory.

Arreola made the second defense of his WBC title on the September 25, 2008 Versus network televised co-feature. Cristobal dominated once-beaten Israel “King Kong” Garcia with an onslaught of accurate punches en route to a third-round stoppage at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, a short distance from his Riverside home. In his most recent outing, on November 29, 2008, Arreola battled NABF Heavyweight Champion Travis Walker in front of 6,000 fans at the new Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, with each putting his respective title on the line in what was also an IBF Heavyweight Eliminator.

Rebounding from a knockdown in the second round – the first taste of the canvas in his career – Arreola, like a true warrior and champion, came back to floor Walker twice in that same round before ending the bout with a picture-perfect left hand flooring Walker for the third and last time early in the third round.

Cristobal is a single father of six-year old daughter, Danae, from whom he draws inspiration when he looks at her sitting ringside at his fights.

Cristobal got his boxing roots from his father, who was an amateur fighter in Los Angeles, and introduced him to the sport while he was still in diapers. None of his siblings ever got into the sport. EDUCATION: Cristobal spent his formative years getting educated in the Los Angeles Public School System. He attended the Middleton Elementary School and Gage Junior High School in Los Angeles.

He attended Roosevelt High School in East LA until his sophomore year when he moved to Riverside with his mother following his parents’ divorce.

In Riverside, he finished his sophomore year at La Sierra High School. He spent the first two months of his junior year at Canyon Springs High School, but was unhappy there and transferred to Ramona High School where he eventually graduated.

Following a year at Riverside Community College, Chris left school in order to work and help his family financially.

WHY BOXING: “I’ve been in the gym basically my whole life with my dad. I was hitting the heavy bag and the speed with him when I was one and two-years old. He’d hold the bag and I would hit it. I’ve always been involved in boxing. But then he quit and then I didn’t go for a while. “But then his old trainer, Hector Rodriguez, who was part of the coaching staff of the 1984 Olympic Team, called my dad and told him he was opening up a gym and asked if he would like to come and help him. So, my father started helping him in the gym in 1987 and I went up there with him and started boxing and training and have been ever since.”

Arreola has a fan base that believes he is the most entertaining, exciting, and most prolific power-punching heavyweight in the world today. “I definitely have that “killer instinct,” especially when I have someone hurt.” “The Nightmare” is close to nine months removed for a mandatory bout against IBF/WBO Heavyweight World Champion Wladimir Klitschko.