By Rafael Soto
Tepic, Nayarit. On Wednesday at the People's Theater before thousands of youth and the presence of the Governor Ney Gonzalez Sanchez and his wife Sharo Gonzalez Mejia, three-time world champion Jorge "Travieso" Arce moved his young audience whne talking about his experiences, joys and sadness in his professional and personal life.
This happened at the conference with Arce speaking with hundreds of young people organized by the Nayarit State Government.
Jorge "Travieso" Arce faces former universal champion Martin "Gallito" Castillo in aten round bantamweight bout as the co-feature to "Summer of Champions" in Tepic on Saturday July 31.
South African star Simphiwe "Golden Master" Nongqayi (16-0-1, 7 KOs) will defend his super flyweight title of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) against local hero Alberto "Topo" Rosas (31-5, 25 KOs ) in the main event fight at the Palenque de la Feria of Tepic, Nayarit.
"Summer of Champions" is promoted by Zanfer Promotions and the Government of the State of Nayarit and is part of series "Top Rank Live" and will be broadcast in the United States by Fox Sports Espanol and in Mexico by TV Azteca.
"When I was age 12, my father who was a welder, did not come home and we learned that my father had had an accident. A large pot of boiling oil had fallen on him and had burned him all over his body. I remember it was April 13," said the boxer.
"That's when the doctor told us that my father could still hear and recognized people but maybe in the morning he would no longer be with us. The doctor told me I had to leave because his situation was complicated. I knew that my father liked boxing and it was then that I made a promise that if he recovered and lived, I would become the champion of the world. He remained in intensive care for three months and began to get better with therapy."
Thus began his commitment of courage and he trained with a clear goal to be world champion.
"At 19, I had that fight, for the world championship of the WBO at flyweight, against Argentine Juan Domingo Cordoba on December 4, 1998 and I told my promoter that I needed airline tickets for my mom, dad, and my brothers and the promoter told me that there was no more money. I told him I would buy them, he asked why, and when he learned of my story he gave them to me as a gift," Arce said.
"When the announcer said I was the world champion. I asked the organizers that the belt be given by my father because he was the champion and to put him in the ring because nothing is easy in this life but when you want it you do it. I never gave up because I promised my father."
The audience stood up teary-eyed and with applause to recognize a true warrior and understood that it takes everything to be in that ring.
