By Cliff Rold (photo by Brian Crowe/FightWireImages)
One sided fights are rarely thrilling.
One sided fights rarely feature Jr. Bantamweights Vic Darchinyan and Jorge Arce.
While he may only have lost a single round, the third, it took until late in the fight to feel Darchinyan (32-1-1, 26 KO) and his WBC, WBA and IBF belts were safe. The pre-fight report card predicted a third round stop in favor of Darchinyan, stating:
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.
Repeatedly on Saturday night, Darchinyan’s awkwardness and style did indeed allow him to catch Arce coming in. To the delight of fans paying to attend or just paying for cable, Arce wasn’t willing to go anywhere even as left uppercuts mounted on the point of his chin. Outlanded and outbombed, Arce continued to land his own wicked shots in spots to keep any viewer on the edge of their seats.
Just shy of a decade apart, Arce faced the two best opponents of his career in the Hall of Fame enshrined Michael Carbajal and now the likely Hall of Fame entrant Vic Darchinyan. In the first fight he showed great promise for the future; in the latter he displayed the courage and will in that promise. Both go into the record books as technical knockout losses in the eleventh round; both added more to the framing of his resume in defeat many a victory could have.
Let’s go to report card.
Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Darchinyan A-; Arce B/Post-Fight: A-; B
Pre-Fight: Power – Darchinyan A; Arce B/Post-Fight: A/B+
Pre-Fight: Defense – Darchinyan B; Arce C+/Post-Fight B-/C+
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Darchinyan B+; Arce B/Post-Fight: A’s all around
From early on, it was clear the southpaw Darchinyan was going to get to Arce (51-5-1, 39 KO) before Arce could get to him and with regularity. As the rounds wore on, the regularity became a bit uncomfortable. The power Darchinyan carries is well evidenced and sustained punishment at his hands wrought a career end and near tragedy on Mexico’s Victor Burgos in 2007. Around the ninth round, the question of when fellow Mexican Arce’s corner would protect their charge became easy to ask and answered in the moments before what would have been the twelfth and final frame.
Prior to that, Arce remained in the fight even if the scores read otherwise. It wasn’t a case of timing as much as sheer pugnacity, but Arce never stopped looking for holes to land his lead right and some hard left hooks. In the third, he did just that and had Darchinyan visibly stunned. He repeated the feat intermittently throughout the night, justifying his corner’s decision to allow his continuance. As was fitting in a battle of puncher’s, neither man ever stopped believing the ending shot was available to them.
Also fitting, the defense was hard to find. Carrying his strategy forward with less discipline than he showed in defeating Cristian Mijares late last year, Darchinyan’s desire to allow Arce to hear a ten count made him vulnerable to shots he could have avoided. Arce has always charged in without looking and paid for it steeply. However, it allowed both men to display what has made them champions. While Darchinyan might not have a steel chin, in all but his bout with Donaire he has shown the ability to weather adversity. Arce’s willingness to take two in pursuit of landing one and endure the pain that requires speaks volumes about him.
Moving Ahead
The future looms large for the 33-year old Darchinyan. The only dispute to his claim as World Champion at 115 lbs. right now is a formality as the consensus other best in class, WBO titlist Fernando Montiel (38-2-1, 28 KO), appears headed towards a permanent tenure at Bantamweight. The temptation will be there for Darchinyan to follow but there are still good fights for him at Jr. Bantamweight.
Rematches with Mijares or against his Flyweight conqueror Donaire would be intriguing, though Darchinyan promoter Gary Shaw is vocally opposed to the latter. Because his unified status makes him a ‘super champion’ in the eyes of the WBA, there is also WBA ‘regular’ titlist Nobuo Nashiro (12-1, 7 KO) and former two-time WBA beltholder Alexander Munoz (32-3, 27 KO) would make for a war.
For Arce, there is some danger on the horizon. His brand name and proven draw at the gate will make him an attractive opponent for titlists and rising contender alike. It’s not necessarily what is best for his health. While the calendar says he is 29, Arce has been a pro since 1996 and never sought the easy way to victory. In a different weight class, he could hope to continue near the top a while longer but 115 is one of the sports premiere classes right now. It is too deep, too strong, for another rise to be expected. Arce is almost certain to carry on but will have to be matched very carefully in doing so.
For a detailed recap of the fight, log on to: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18294
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
