Carson, California - Chris Arreola snapped a near-two-year layoff and a four-plus-year winless streak by scoring a second-round knockout against Matthew McKinney.

The 42-year-old former three-time world title contender nicknamed “The Nightmare” was fighting for the first time since May 2021, when he suffered a unanimous decision loss in a competitive fight against Andy Ruiz Jr. 

Arreola was headlining a FOX Sports pay-per-view at the time and he even dropped Ruiz. 

His non-televised tune-up tilt Saturday played out to less fanfare. 

Arreola (38-7-1, 33 KOs) dropped McKinney (13-7-3, 9 KOs) with a perfectly placed body shot in the second round, and McKinney didn’t end up making it to referee Thomas Taylor's 10-count. 

The fight was called at the 1:01 mark. 

Arreola made his name as a heavyweight player in 2009 against Vitali Klitschko as a then-undefeated prospect and hasn't left the division picture since, as he's been in fights with the likes of Deontay Wilder, Bermane Stiverne, and Adam Kownacki. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.