Arce-Darchinyan: Jorge Faces A Uphill Battle

By Boxing News - 01/09/2009 - Comments

darchinyan2343By Dan Ambrose: IBF/WBA/WBC super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan (31-1-1, 25 KOs) defends his titles against former light flyweight champion Jorge Arce (51-4-1, 39 KOs) on February 7th at The Pond, in Anaheim, California. In every which way you look at this fight, it seems like Arce, 29, has little chance at winning. Indeed, this fight seems like a fight destined to be a terrible mismatch with Darchinyan ultimately destroying Arce.

However, it isn’t as if Arce can’t punch hard enough to get the job done, because he has respectable power and has proven himself to be an awesome puncher throughout his 13-year career. However, Darchinyan is a huge puncher on a whole different level than Arce and capable of ending matters with one punch.

That’s where the problem lies for Arce, who probably won’t be able to last the full 12 rounds if he decides to stand and trade shots with Darchinyan. Arce has gone through a slight chance in his fighting style since losing a 12-round decision to Cristian Mijares in April 2007.

No longer is Arce getting by on slugging alone, as now he’s become more of a boxer/puncher, capable of fighting well on the outside when he wants to using his jab and then coming inside to land to the body and head when he sees an opening. Perhaps the best body puncher in the division, Arce can be murder if he’s able to land on the inside without being checked.

Even a puncher as powerful as Darchinyan would likely have a tough time handling Arce’s powerful body attack at close quarters. Darchinyan, though, likes to fight on the outside where he searches for openings and then comes rushing in to land big shots in ones and twos to the head and body.

Darchinyan, a southpaw, is mostly a head hunter, and makes no bones about that. His one weakness is that he tends to telegraph his attacks as he comes charging in to land his big left hand. In a fight with Nonito Donaire in July 2007, Darchinyan’s tendency to come wildly forward was taken advantage of when Donaire timed him and tagged him with a short left hook, knocking Darchinyan out in the 5th round.

There’s been no real change to Darchinyan’s style since then, the only difference being that he’s moved up in weight to the super flyweight division where he’s not had to drain himself so drastically to make the weight like he did while fighting in the flyweight division.

The new division seems to suit Darchinyan well, as he’s won four times since moving up in weight, beating Federico Catubay, Z Gorres, Dimitri Kirilov and Mijares, while picking up the IBF, WBA and WBC super flyweight belts. His recent win over Mijares, the WBA/WBC champion, was very impressive, with Darchinyan knocking him down in the 1st and finishing him off in the 9th to get the TKO stoppage.

In contrast, Arce lost to Mijares in 2007, and had huge problems with his boxing ability. Arce was unable to have any effect on Mijares with his power shots and ended up taking a severe in the fight.



Comments are closed.