By Cliff Rold
The contemporary Boxing world had felt off in the waning weeks of 2008. There weren’t any (real) Welterweight fights and the dependable Jr. Bantamweight division was all but in the off-season.
This Saturday’s Showtime main event (9 PM EST/PST) rights the ship, providing a rousing new year’s return for the sport’s hottest little weight class.
It’s been a long time coming.
As BoxingScene’s Jake Donovan noted on Tuesday (https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18219 ), the seeds for this weekend’s almost undisputed World 115 lb. title fight between champion Vic Darchinyan (31-1-1, 25 KO) and former lineal World Jr. Flyweight king Jorge Arce (51-4-1, 39 KO) were planted years ago when both still campaigned three pounds lower at Flyweight.
The close of 2007 would have led most to believe this battle of all-action power punchers might never happen at all. In a lopsided decision loss that year to Cristian Mijares, Arce looked flat, slow, aging. Conversely, Darchinyan appeared somewhat exposed by a faster, straight shooting Nonito Donaire who exposed flaws in Darchinyan’s defenses and sent him home with a highlight reel, one punch knockout.
Proving once again the propensity to overrate losses, the willingness to lend them unnecessary ragnarok-like consequence, both Arce and Darchinyan have bounced back with vigor. From Mijares to the Darchinyan challenge, Arce has posted five straight and heard the final bell only once. Darchinyan has similarly torn through his competition, going 3-0-1 with three stops and a draw that probably should have been a win.
Let’s go to report card.
Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Darchinyan A-; Arce B
Pre-Fight: Power – Darchinyan A; Arce B
Pre-Fight: Defense – Darchinyan B; Arce C+
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Darchinyan B+; Arce B
Based on recent showing, the winning streak of Darchinyan has to be taken more seriously than Arce’s. Darchinyan has faced, in his last three bouts, legitimate top ten Jr. Bantamweights in Z Gorres (the disputable draw), Dmitri Kirilov and Mijares. The latter two were his path to capturing first then IBF and then WBC and WBA belts; Mijares was garnering regard as a pound for pound player. Against both Kirilov and Mijares, Darchinyan showed off tremendous speed to compliment his already known power and the results were devastating. The extra cushion of three pounds above Flyweight has been good for the 33-year old Armenian.
The extra three pounds has been less suited to Arce. Long derided for fighting at unnatural weights and rehydrating to significant advantages at both 108 and 112 lbs., Arce has lost a step at Jr. Bantamweight thus far. His all out offense is still there, but his hands aren’t getting there as quick as they used to. Consecutive victories over Tomas Rojas, Medgoen Singsurat, Devid Lookmahanak, Rafael Concepcion and Isidro Garcia were a good thing, but none were really in the class of Darchinyan’s foes. Concepcion and Lookmahanak both gave as good as they got and Arce took buckets of punishment from both.
Arce has also seen the affect of his blows ebb, besides the first round blowout of an old Singsurat, with accumulation of blows being the norm on the road to early exits. It won’t mean he can’t get Darchinyan out of there if he catches him right.
One of the things which makes this fight worth looking forward to is the regularity with which each man gets tagged. Of the two, Arce’s face first approach, as opposed to the rushes balanced from the back foot of Darchinyan, will likely put him in the greater danger. The sweeping left from the southpaw Darchinyan will be a particularly available blow if Arce bulls forward without thinking (or jabbing). Darchinyan hits harder with single shots, a true and literal one punch danger at all times.
In terms of intangibles, Arce is also in danger because he can be cut. It would be less than shocking if an early clash of heads opens the spigot though all can hope the blood is in a safe enough place to let the rounds collect first. One thing no one can take from Arce is that he has a fighter’s heart. Win or lose, he’s a get your money’s worth type who always seems like he’s having fun. Darchinyan snarls, carries a chip on his shoulder and speaks with bravado but his 2008 campaign showed off the substance behind the bluster.
Many a fighter has been mentally undone by the sort of shocking, even embarrassing, knockout Darchinyan suffered against Donaire. Darchinyan has shown little effect, still calling out the biggest names and fighting like he was looking to knock his foes into the laps and ringside. Dropped early in the Gorres fight, he didn’t panic or go into a shell. He went back to work and bagged rounds. By the time he got to Kirilov and Mijares, he had settled into the same abandon of offense but with a new maturity by way of tucked chin.
The lone caveat is no one has seen him hit by someone who hits as hard as Arce since Donaire. While the Mexican’s power may not be what it was seven pounds lower, it’s still far superior to anyone Darchinyan faced in 2008.
It must also be said though that Arce hasn’t faced anyone with the sort of shocking, fight changing power Darchinyan possesses in even longer. The last time he did, against the great Michael Carbajal in 1999, a healthy lead on the cards was erased in mere moments during a fateful eleventh round. In other words, the chances of Darchinyan-Arce going to the judge’s cards after a full twelve are remote.
Which leads to…
The Pick
Darchinyan KO3: Arce has been stunned in multiple fights in recent years and has a lot of wear on his tires. Though younger at 29, he’s been in more fights and more hard fights than Darchinyan. Darchinyan is the faster man and is awkward enough to catch Arce coming in. When he does, that should be all she wrote. However, don’t let the round pick fool. Every second should be thrilling while it lasts.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com