Jorge Arce is not a four weight division champion

By Boxing News - 05/12/2011 - Comments

Image: Jorge Arce is not a four weight division championBy Gerardo Granados: Obviously the hard core boxing fans already knew he is not. Last Friday 6th, Jorge Arce was interviewed right after the weigh inn of his fight against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., when he was asked about his chance to become a three division champion, Arce got upset and tried to explain that he was a former three division champion looking to achieve a fourth weight division, also trying to explain that his WBC flyweight title was not “interim.”

Arce said that he did not cared about records but it was obvious that he did not like to be considered as an interim flyweight champion. Well, some one must be mistaken and according to the information that is available in the web it seemed that Jorge Arce was an interim WBC flyweight champion. Then why does Jorge Arce believed that he was a former three division Champion?

On the Boxrec site, on the record fights of Jorge Arce he is listed to have had gained and defended an interim WBC flyweight, on WIKIPEDIA Jorge´s information establishes him as an interim champion at flyweight and there is no record of him of been the regular champion; on ESPN DEPORTES in a note published on march 26th of 2006 the site had as the WBC champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam from Thailand and as interim champion Jorge Arce from Mexico; on East Side Boxing site there is an article dated on September 13th 2005 that reads “Hussein Hussein rematches Jorge Arce: WBC Interim Flyweight Title on the line”. Also on the Top Rank site the Jorge Arce bio establishes him as a former interim WBC flyweight champion.

According to the data available Arce is a former WBO super flyweight title holder (January 30th 2010 defeated Angky Angkota TD7/12), former WBC light flyweight champion (November 20th 2001 defeated Juanito Rubillar by UD12), former WBO light flyweight champion (December 5th 1998 defeated Juand Domingo Cordoba by UD12). And at another big upset of the year Jorge Arce stopped Wilfredo Vazquez jr to gain the WBO junior featherweight belt by TKO12, and I need to recognize that I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of this tremendous fight because I gave no chance to win to “Travieso”.

If there is no prove of Jorge Arce to have been the regular WBC flyweight champion then he must stop been promoted as the first Mexican fighter to have achieved belts in four weight division by the Mexican main television networks. Even on FOX DEPORTES site in a note published on on May 8th the article reads that Arce become the first Mexican fighter to achieve world titles in four weight divisions. On FOX SPORTS site in a note published on May 8th it reads “Former three-division champion Jorge Arce also stopped Wilfredo Vazquez”, so according to this information now Arce is supposed to be a four division champion? On ESPN DEPORTES site in a note published on May 9th there is a note that reads “Mexican Jorge Arce accomplish his dream by winning his fourth title in different weight division being the first Mexican to do so”.

The current four weight division champions are: Venezuelan Leo “Torito” Gamez won the inaugural WBA minimuweight (1988), light flyweigth (1993), flyweight (1999) and super flyweight (2000) champion, tying Roberto Duran as the second latino fighter to have achieved world titles in four weight divisions. Roy Jones Jr. won the IBF middleweight title (1993), the IBF super middleweight (1994), three times the WBC light heavyweight (twice in 1997 and 2003), the WBA light heavyweight (1998) and his fourth division as the WBA heavyweight champion (2003). Pernell “Sweet Pea” Withaker won the IBF lightweight title (1989), the WBC lightweight (1989), the WBA lightweight (1990), the IBF light welterweight (1992), the WBC welterweight (1993) and his fourth the WBA light middleweight title (1995). Panamanian Roberto Duran won the WBA lightweight title (1972), the WBC lighweight (1978), the WBC welterweight (1980), the WBA light middleweight (1983) and his fourt division as the WBC middleweight champion (1989) becoming the first latino fighter to have achieved world titles in four weight divisions.

Is Jorge Arce suposed to have tied them? According to the information available Arce has never won the regular World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight title, been just the interim champion. Finally on DIARIO FOX SPORTS (May 11th) the WBC long time president Jose Sulaiman finally cleared in an interview that Jorge Arce has been only a three division champion, and to never have won the regular flyweight title and to only have been the interim one.

Jorge “Travieso” Arce has added his name to the historic Mexican fighters such as: Fernando Montiel, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales and Julio Cesar Chavez; he is the least skilled Mexican champion to have conquered belts in three weight divisions but undoubtedly “Travieso” might be the bravest of all.

If the media informs that a fighter is a four weight division champion then the casual fans will believe it, being this an honest mistake or not some casual fans will be confused.

Anyways cheers to the new World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight champion and new triple division champion Jorge “Travieso” Arce.



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