Darchinyan vs Arce Preview

By Lee Payton

This Saturday night on Showtime, Super Flyweight Champion, Vic Darchinyan takes on rugged brawler, Jorge Arce, in a fantastic blend of destructive style and personality. These two fighters are as much fun on the mic as they are under the lights and provide all the ingredients necessary for a punishing collision. How do you say "machismo" is Armenian?

What's At Stake

For Darchinyan- His spot on our pound-for-pound list, the world titles he currently owns and a claim as the best 115 lber in the world. All that stuff is fine, but one gets the feeling that fighting goes much deeper than the accolades for this hot-blooded and proud little warrior. His fighting arrogance comes from a bottomless faith in the power of his straight left hand. A loss to this guy would be a serious bruise to his immense ego.

For Arce- This fight is a huge opportunity for the colourful Mexican scrapper. He's got a shot at the world's champion in front of a crowd that loves him. A win here sets up very lucrative business with natural rival Fernando Montiel. Like his opponent, Arce is a warrior first. He's one of those guys who clearly loves nothing more than being a fighter, and he takes representing Mexico very seriously. Arce wants this badly.

The Styles

Vic Darchinyan is one of the most unique fighters I've ever seen when the bell rings. To start things off, he's a southpaw. That's usually more than enough to annoy even the best fighters. He fights with knees bent, heavy on the back foot, waiting to spring forward with thudding straight lefts that come swiftly. Opponents know what to looking for, but his main weapon is a devastating one because of the uncommon leverage he gets behind the punch. He doesn't exactly move forward all the time because he prefers to work from a certain distance that maximizes the impact of his blows. He can be outworked inside, which is Arce's ticket, if he is able to get past the force field that is the champions left fist.

Jorge Arce is the Mexican fighter. He's tough, heavy handed, committed to body punching and will take a few to land his own. We know he is there to win and will never quit, but can he effectively close the range without getting busted up in the process? One of my biggest concerns for Arce is his ability to fight southpaws. I'm not sure he has the right feet for the job. In order to win this fight he has to make it as ugly as possible. His best shot is to roughhouse his way into a clinch and then pound away with short hooks.

What To Expect

I think we'll see a very entertaining four rounds that feature Arce taking Darchinyan's best while he tries to keep the champ off balance with wild rushes. You have to assume this is about the time Travieso's skin begins to give way. He'll probably be fighting through a mask of blood by the sixth while being targeted up the middle. This fight has the potential to get ugly down the stretch for the passionate guerrero, so I hope those in charge recognize when he's had enough.


Lee Payton