ARLINGTON, Texas — Former heavyweight title challenger Chris Arreola and Haiti native Jean-Pierre Augustin kicked off the Spence-Garcia PPV card in style. The veteran Arreola looked comfortable, talking trash to his opponent from the opening bell. The partisan Mexican-American crowd inside AT&T Stadium cheered every time the California native landed a shot. Arreola stalked forward throughout while Augustin stayed on the back foot and attempted to counter. One of those counter shots landed flush halfway through the second round and drew a trickle of blood from Arreola’s nose.

Arreola opened the third round with sense of purpose, landing a straight right hand that almost dropped his opponent. The inexperienced Augustin reeled backward, but he managed to stay up. Sensing an opportunity, “The Nightmare” poured it on. A minute later, he landed a combination that included a hard shot to the side of the head that appeared to disrupt Augustin’s equilibrium. The Haitian dropped but made it to his feet on unsteady legs. A follow-up combination from Arreola, including a flush left hook with Augustin pinned on the ropes, triggered referee Neal Young to stop the fight.

“Augustin is a hungry kid who tried to make a name off of me,” said Arreola. “I lose and I’m out, but I’m not going out. I touched him a couple of times and saw he was hurt. I stayed calm and the stoppage came.”

Arreola improves to 38-5-1 (33 KOs) with this performance. “I love fighting,” he said. “We’re both were trying to beat the crap out of each other and I love it. I’m blessed to be a fighter.” He’s always been a fan favorite and remains a name in the heavyweight division. Look for him to be back in the ring on a PBC card again very soon.

Michael Montero can be found on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram via @MonteroOnBoxing.  His weekly podcast ‘The Neutral Corner’ can be heard on iTunes, Spotify, and everywhere podcasts are found.