The Sweet Science
Feb 8 2009
Vic Darchinyan Stops Arce On Cuts In 11th
By David A. Avila
ANAHEIM-The little guys rumbled and in the end Vic `Raging Bull’ Darchinyan proved too fast and too elusive for the iron chinned Jorge `El Travieso’ Arce of Mexico and kept all three of his super flyweight world titles on Saturday.
Darchinyan found someone willing to trade in Arce, but proved in front
of 5,540 fans at the Honda Center that though he couldn’t crack the
will of the Mexican fighter he could cut him up and leave him
searching for some way to grab the IBF, WBC and WBA titles.
`He surprised me,’ said Darchinyan. `I didn’t expect him to fight the
way he did.’
Arce withstood Darchinyan’s biggest barrages but could never land the
big blow himself against the lightning left hand of the Armenian
slugger. All night long Arce charged and the world champion dodged big
blows and countered with left hand explosions. He kept his distance
all night long at the behest of his Aussie corner.
Darchinyan led by a large margin on all three score cards when the
fight was stopped at the end of the 11th round because of several bad
cuts on Arce’s face.
Arce immediately began attacking Darchinyan’s body but was not very
successful. The left hand scored and opened up a cut on the Mexican
fighter in the first round.
In the second round Darchinyan kept away until the last 10 seconds
then exchanged left hands with Arce. A left hook by the Mexican landed
and left Darchinyan a little shaky and he returned to his corner.
Darchinyan opened up the third round with some rocket left hands and
Arce met the challenge. Both brawled for most of the round with heavy
punches landed by Arce and Darchinyan. Arce’s bull rushes were proving
effective but only when the champion was willing to engage.
Arce’s head first attacks were effective but then a left uppercut by
Darchinyan wobbled the Mexican fighter who proceeded to use his
veteran tricks to stay out of trouble the rest of the fourth round.
The fifth round was the closest so far with Arce landing right hands
to the body and head. Darchinyan finished it with a hail of punches
and kept punching through the bell to keep the Mexican from landing
another big blow.
The junior bantamweight took a rest in the sixth but came out firing
at the end of the round with a flurry of blows to steal the round.
Once again Arce opened strong in the seventh round but found
Darchinyan waiting until the final minute to make his move. The faster
punches of the Armenian fighter are proving to be the difference in
the fight.
Both fighters looked tired in the eighth and ninth rounds but
Darchinyan’s speed was still the difference in the fight between the
two weary foes.
The fight slowed dramatically in the 10th round as Darchinyan followed
instructions from his corner to keep distance from Arce. Pot shots
from the Armenian fighter caught Arce but overall it was another dull
round.
A clash of heads in the 11th round left a bloody gash over Arce’s
right eye. At the end of the round the fight was called by referee Lou
Moret on the advice of the ringside doctor for a technical knockout
win for Darchinyan.
Arce was not pleased by the stoppage.
`I don’t know why the doctor stopped the fight in the last round, a
fighter always has a chance to win,’ said Arce who was butted
accidentally. `He cut me with his elbow not a punch.’
Darchinyan did not deny that the fight was rugged and gave Arce his
props.
`He hurt me with some good punches but I always came back,’ Darchinyan
said. `He proved to me he was tough and a good fighter.’
All three judges had Darchinyan far ahead by scores 109-100 when the
fight was stopped.
`Darchinyan is a great fighter,’ said Arce. `A very good fighter.’
Other bouts
Tijuana’s Antonio DeMarco (21-1-1, 15 KOs) captured the NABO
lightweight title with a technical knockout at the end of the ninth
round when Kid Diamond’s corner told the referee to stop the fight.
`I had the flu and got sick and weak after the sixth round,’ said
Diamond (27-2-1, 15 KOs) who fights out of Las Vegas.
DeMarco, had his best round in the ninth when he caught the elusive
Diamond with right hands and a left hook that sent the Las Vegas
fighter teetering. After some discussion the corner men for Diamond
told referee Jerry Cantu to end the fight.
`I was aware we were running out of time,’ said DeMarco who was ahead
on two judge’s scorecards and behind on the third. `I had to go out
and change that.’
Junior middleweight Martirosyan (23-0, 14 KOs) pounded out a victory
over Ohio’s Billy Lyell with a consistent body attack in the first
five rounds but paid the price with an injured left hand.
`He had a hard head,’ said Martirosyan. `He was really tough up
there.’
Around the seventh round the former U.S Olympian refused to back away
and slipped into a more aggressive gear. Lyell liked the change in
tactics but was unable to capitalize on the more stationary
Martirosyan.
`We’ve been working on me not moving but it’s hard to adjust,’
Martirosyan said about working on his new style. `Things are going
well.’
The former Olympian boxed well and looks sharp. A world title match
could be close for the Glendale-based fighter.
All three judges gave the decision to Martirosyan 80-72, 79-73, 78-74.
`We’ll see what the doctor says about the hand,’ said Martirosyan as
he looked the swollen fist.
Heavyweight Travis Kauffman (16-0, 13 KOs) overwhelmed Cliff Couser
(26-18-2, 14 KOs) from the opening bell and forced referee Jerry Cantu
to stop the fight at 2:41 of the first round for a technical
knockout. Couser tried covering up but could not keep Kauffman off him
and was never in the fight.
It was another strong performance for the Pennsylvania fighter who
seems to get stronger every outing. He’s a very tough heavyweight who
is picking up momentum. By next year Kauffman should be ranked if he
continues to mow through heavyweights. He already has the calm
demeanor of a veteran prizefighter.
San Diego’s Chris Avalos (9-0, 7 KOs) out-fought Las Vegas boxer
Torrance Daniels (12-9-1) for seven rounds until the ringside
physician convinced referee Jerry Cantu to halt the fight at the end
of the seventh round in a scheduled eight round bantamweight
bout. Avalos tagged Daniels hard during every exchange. From the
outside Daniels used his reach to pot shot, but was usually enticed to
engage inside and paid the price.
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