By Cliff Rold - With three knockdowns on the night, 33-year old Jhonny Gonzalez (57-8, 48 KO) of Mexico City, Mexico, dominated and forced a mercy stoppage of 35-year Jorge Arce (64-8-2, 49 KO) in eleven rounds on Saturday night at the Cancha de Usos Multiples Praderas de Villa in Arce’s hometown of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. It was Gonzalez’s second defense in his second reign as WBC Featherweight titlist.
Arce was attempting to win a belt in his fifth weight class after titles at Jr. Flyweight, Jr. Bantamweight, Bantamweight, and Jr. Featherweight. He also held an interim belt at Flyweight. Arce claimed after the fight to be entering retirement again, a claim he made after a knockout loss to Nonito Donaire in 2012. Arce was back in less than a year. Time will tell if retirement sticks this time around.
Both men weighed in at the division limit of 126 lbs. The referee was Johnny Callas.
The first round saw each man trying to figure out the geography of the fight, Arce popping jabs from range looking for room to attack and Gonzalez laying in wait to counter. The shorter, of height and arm length, Arce struggled to get close and found most of blows falling well short of the mark. Late in the round, Arce landed a short shot to the head. Gonzalez stepped forward and dug to the body.
Action heated up in the second and it worked to Gonzalez’s favor. While he took some right hands from Arce, and some blows to the body, his jab and combinations carried the frame. With about a minute to go, a shot had Arce’s legs unsteady and in the closing seconds Gonzalez did good work with Arce’s back to the ropes.
