Vic Darchinyan and the Lethal Lefties

by Lee Payton

Vic Darchinyan beat up Jorge Arce on Saturday night and retained his Super Flyweight World Championship in the process. The proud Mexican never stopped trying to get something big in, and he actually did so from time to time, but he just couldn't find his feet in there.

In the end, Vic's special punching power and superior physical strength won him nearly every round on his way to a convincing TKO win over Arce, who is just unbelievably brave.

Darchinyan puts such a frightening beating on most of his opponents that I got to thinking about how uncommon southpaw destroyers are in boxing. How does this little Armenian assassin stack up against the great offensive lefties in recent memory?

Raphael "Bazooka" Limon was an impossibly rugged, wiry featherweight bomber, who let it all hang out as long as the fight lasted. Like Vic, Bazooka used awkward body movements to set up his bombs, but his were delivered in a wild fashion that created a violent visual effect to the audience.

Both guys are deadly. Wearing a devious grin Vic snipes his man, taking some time to enjoy the victim's pain before finishing the job. Bazooka chases down his prety for miles, whipping rocks the whole way. You wonder if Darchinyan could survive the heat Limon has thrived in. He hasn't had to go there yet.


Cornelius Boza-Edwards (pictured left) and Bazooka Limon were similar in their acceptance of the incoming. They knew they'd probably have to take the other guy's best to have a chance at winning the fight. Neither had the ability to ending it with a single blast, and that usually meant those watching were in for a slugfest. They met in 1981 and it was quicker hands of Ugandan that made the difference over 15 punishing rounds.

Though quite different in style and mentality Darchinyan and Boza share a bruising way of going about business. Vic seldom loses a physical exchange on his way to pounding his man into submission, and Boza was always at home when things got rough.


Marvin Johnson (pictured right) was a ferocious monster. A lot of fighters talk about how they aren't afraid of anything, but Johnson proved it. As a matter of fact that lack of fear is one of the main reasons he is underrated by many today. The other reason was that he fought a lot of extremely tough and skilled guys along the way, losing to the best of them.

He was a thickly muscled attacker, who sprinted to the opponent and smashed bursts of short, damaging blows into whatever he could hit. Some guys could take it and some couldn't. Matthew Saad Muhammad could take it, and he did just that over 2 of the most brutal fights in light heavyweight history. Though Saad stopped him twice, he had to surrender a piece of himself in the process. I often wonder how many other 175 lbers would have been able to stand up to that fierce initial onslaught. The Raging Bull shares Marvin's hunger for the knockout, but is more measured in his approach.


Prince Naseem Hamed will be remembered for his totally unique style in and out of the ring, but the thing that made all the boasting and showmanship worth a damn was the way he took guys out. He dispatched some very solid fighters in shocking fashion before coming to Madison Square Garden for a donnybrook with another exciting southpaw in Kevin Kelley.

Hamed was a stocky swatter who was merciless on hurt fighters. He stood at bizarre angles and held his hands in a way that was entirely his own. Often the opposition never saw the punch that laid them out or had them stumbling around with a cloudy eyes. Sound familiar? Our current 115 lb champion has many of the same characteristics that made The Prince popular around the world. Naz hit harder with a single blow, while Darchinyan is more likely to attack from start to finish.


Manny Pacquiao is on top of the world right now mostly because of his blend of alarming speed and crushing power. That scary combination is usually enough to end matters, but when it isn't, he can fall back on his infinite hunger and pride to get him through. The Pac-Man is one of a kind.

There was a time when a valid comparison could be made between Darchinyan and the current #1 fighter in the world. It wasn't too long ago that Manny was seen as a one handed fighter who only thought about drilling the guy in front of him as hard as he could until he went to sleep. We've all heard the same criticism hurled Vic's way since he came onto the scene, and it got much louder when he was stopped by Nonito Donaire.

Great fighters learn from their mistakes. They always work at getting better. Manny Pacquiao is humble enough to accept that he is not perfect, and that's a major part of why he's the best in boxing. If Darchinyan can swallow some of his pride, he can be even more dangerous than he is today. He seems to have a little more respect for his opponents when the bell rings these days, which is an encouraging sign for the future.

Honourable mentions go to Michael Moorer, Jose Luis Ramirez, Edwin Valero, Ponce De Leon, Vassiliy Jirov and Corrie Sanders.

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Darchinyan vs Arce Predictions

Dynamic Super Flyweight World Champion, Vic Darchinyan, defends his title against the very colourful scrapper from Mexico, Jorge Arce, tomorrow night, in what should be an offensive showcase.

Darchinyan brutally dispatched one of his Arce's conquerors the last time he was in the ring, but styles make fights and maybe the challenger's grit will be enough to thwart the champ's punishing attack. So who finishes on top in this meeting of two of the most interesting characters in boxing?

Read on for predictions from The Boxing Bulletin Staff.

I have to go with Darchinyan in this one. Arce is a fun little warrior, but he simply cannot afford to get hit as often as he usually does when he clashes with the champ. There are just too many things working against him this time. For one, I don't think Arce likes fighting southpaws. True, Vic isn't the type to get cute in there, but he is a very unusual fighter, and I think his fighting stance is going to give the Mexican fits. I also don't believe that Arce has the power to seriously hurt this guy. Even against smaller fighters, he would tend to grind them down over time and I don't see him getting into Vic's chest enough to consistently get his best work done, so I'll take the champion to retain his crown via TKO in the 9th. He'll just be lining up skin tearing left hands all night from the pocket on his way to a convincing stoppage. -Lee Payton

Darchinyan vs. Arce is a personal dream fight for me going back a couple of years. Of course boxing didn't strike while the iron was hot, and the prospect of this battle isn't quite as searingly brilliant as it once was. Both men's stock has dropped since their initial banter, back and forth in interviews a few years back, and while Darchinyan has done much to regain his stature, perhaps even beyond where it was before his knockout defeat to Nonito Donaire, Arce has continued to struggle at times, particularly with lefties. Heading into this bout, Arce enjoys a small height and reach advantage, but the key factor in the physical characteristics category may be Darchinyan's southpaw stance. Cristian Mijares, also a southpaw, befuddled Arce all night. Following that one sided loss, Arce faced Tomas Rojas, another southpaw, and "el Travieso" looked to be on his way to a loss when he suddenly stopped Rojas with a vicious body shot. After the bout Arce told interviewers that he didn't want to face any more southpaws. Just over a year down the line... enter Darchinyan, perhaps the most awkward southpaw in the sport. Aside from the physical aspect of the stance, which has troubled Arce, perhaps his struggles have grown a measure of doubt in his mind. Whether the southpaw stance is truly Arce's kryptonite or not, that thought may be brewing under the surface of his mind. If his confidence is at all disturbed by seeing another lefty across from him, he is already at a disadvantage, which he simply cannot afford with an opponent like Darchinyan. All that said, I would expect Arce to come out with fire and look to go toe to toe with "The Raging Bull". Darchinyan has that same attitude and a genuine dislike for all his opponents, Arce in particular. While we should get fireworks, I predict Darchinyan will get the better of most exchanges due to his superior, and underrated, defense. Arce is as tough as they come, and so long as he has a clear head, he'll keep trying. Each man can likely hurt the other, and it will come down to which fighter has the faster hands and feet, and the better chin. This is one of those bouts that I don't envision going past six or seven rounds, perhaps even, a much quicker ending. The bottom line on this match-up to me, is that while Darchinyan has grown from his loss, Arce has grown weary. Though tenacious and perhaps with a few moments of his own, I see Arce getting stopped in between three to six rounds. -Jeff Pryor

Vic Darchinyan vs Jorge Arce will be a crowd-pleaser while it lasts, but I don't see it being particularly competitive. Vic has been on a tear against quality opposition, while Arce looked befuddled and discouraged against the last two southpaws he fought. Getting nearly whitewashed against the highly skilled Cristian Mijares is forgivable, but after he scraped by Devid Lookmahanak in what I thought was the worst decision in 2008, the pattern had become clear. Arce is unlikely to beat an elite southpaw again. I think Vic Darchinyan wins by mid-to-late round knockout. -Michael Nelson

I think this is a much closer fight than most do. Vic is murder on a boxer like Mijares, that can't get his respect. The only thing keeping me from taking Arce outright is that I think he is on the downside of his career. This isn't a tough one to figure out. The guy who backs up the most loses. Sometimes it's as simple as that. My guess is it's an even brawl after eight rounds, Arce tires a bit at the end and Darchinyan pulls out a close UD. - Mark Lyons

It will be fun while it lasts, but I'll be very surprised if Vic doesn't win convincingly. He hits harder, is better defensively and brings an unorthodox style that should give Arce trouble as well. I'll take Vic by late stoppage. - Andrew Fruman

I don't see an upset here. Darchiniyian presents a tougher test than Arce ever passed even when perceived to be at his best. Arce hasn't looked impressive in a while, possibly from a move up in weight and lacking enough wrinkles in his game to make up for diminished power and strength. Vic himself looked to be on the slide after his upset loss to Donaire but looks like he may have bounced back better than ever. Vic is bigger, more powerful and seems to have developed his ring identity and confidence after the knockout loss to Donaire. Darchinyan by 10th round TKO. - John Vaci

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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.


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