Vitali Klitschko retained his WBC heavyweight title in ten rounds against Chris Arreola on Saturday night. Arreolas corner and the referee refused to allow Chris to answer the bell for the eleventh round. It was the first loss of Arreolas 28 fight career while Vitali Klitschkos record improves to 40 fights, 38 wins with 37 knockouts.

It was a fantastic boxing display from the elder Klitschko brother. He used his jab to excellent effect, a weapon that his opponent could find no real answer to. A brave and determined Chris Arreola tried in vain to get close to Vitali on the inside. Klitschko used his superior reach to excellent effect, landing big shots while leaning and showing some great lateral movement to evade danger. Arreola who enjoyed the majority of the crowd support inside the Staples Centre, showed great heart and will to win. He never wanted to give up despite taking a large amount of punishment. Afterwards the champion acknowledged his opponents durability, "he had a great chin and after my right hook, many opponents go to the floor but he still stayed up. Big respect." A visibly devastated Arreola was gracous in defeat. He said "I couldnt get to him, he was fighting the fight he was supposed to fight. He ran when he was supposed to and I just couldnt get to him"... "Whatever I did he found a way to counteract that. He found a way to win and I found a way to lose."

At only 28 years of age, Chris Arreols still has a very bright, promising future in the division. What is less clear is the future of Vitali Klitschko. At 38 he still has a few years left, although he stated he has no intention of beating George Foremans record (Foreman was crowned world champion at 45). So who is there for the Ukrainian to face? He has shown that he is a class above the divisions top contenders such as Samuel Peter and Chris Arreola. Eddie "Too Fast" Chambers is a boxer that shows a lot of promise but he is likely to face Wladimir Klitschko. Surely Vitali Klitschko will then preoccupy himself with trying to capture the elusive WBA title, the only belt missing from the Klitschko family collection. This would mean a showdown with either Nikolay Valuev or David Haye. Either fight would generate huge interest in europe. However winning over the American boxing fans doesnt seem likely.

Vitali Klitschko is seen by many as the divisions top fighter and successor to Lennox Lewis. Undoubtably he does not get the credit he deserves. In the current climate of fighters, winning over his doubters seems a very difficult task.