TSS Take 2: Vic Rolls Over Arce, TKO11

Evil Vic talks a mean game, and even Darchinyan haters have to agree that most nights, he backs up his smack talk with his fists. Jorge Arce absorbed Vic’s wicked wordplay before the super flyweight title scrap, and ate copious helpings of Darchinyan tosses over the course of 11 lopsided rounds at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Saturday. Darchinyan ate a few left hooks, but apart from that, used his superior mobility and accuracy to bust up the game Arce’s face, and force the ringside doctor to halt the fight after 11 rounds in a bout televised on Showtime.

Darchinyan came in with the WBA, WBC, IBF super flyweight belts, and weighed 115 on Friday, while the 29-year-old Arce was also 115 pounds. The crowd was pro Arce, and the fighter was all business entering the ring. Well, he was rocking his signature lollipop and cowboy hat. The Evil Armenian, Vic, age 33, was eating up the boos as he strode to the ring. A former fly, and light fly titlist, Arce was 51-4-1, with 39 KOs, and the former fly crownholder Evil,Vic was 31-1-1 (25 KOs).

Vic looked to have the strength edge early. Were his legs solid underneath him? His left eye was marked at the close of the round. Vic was similarly effective in the second. He countered smartly, and lead when he wanted to. In the third, Arce kept on lunging in. But he got fired up, and landed at the midway point. He cut the bridge of Vic’s nose, and it looked like Arce was warmed up.

In the fourth, Vic got back to being evil. His lefty uppercuts snapped Arce’s head back. Arce did score with a solid left hook. In the fifth, Arce bore in, still stubborn, but he ate three smacks at the end of the round. He still looked to land his signature left hook to the body. In round six, both men hugged more, but Arce was hangin’ tough, and maybe gaining ground mentally. In the seventh, Vic moved, and popped. It didn’t look like Arce could slow him down in the eighth.

In round nine, Vic continued to outbox Arce, who had a cut behind his left ear. Vic also show his evil ways with a forearm to the head. Arce didn’t care for that, and complained. In the 10th, Arce went low with the left hook, not for the first time. In the 11th, Vic’s uppercuts landed with nasty thuds. Would Arce make it to the final bell? His right eye looked bad, as he pawed at a gash. The doc looked hard at Arce after the round. “I’m feeling good,” Arce said, to no avail,a s the doc told the ref to halt the fight.

After, Vic said he'd fight Nonito Donaire, but Gary Shaw called Nonito disloyal, and vowed that rematch would not happen.

Arce said he came to fight, but Darchinyan used his elbows in illegal fashion. Jim Gray called him out on that rationalization. For the record, Arce's face looked better than Vic's, as Vic had a mouse on the left eye and a gash on the bridge of his nose. Arce said he would like a rematch. He also said he didn't agree with the doctor's call at the end. The doctor and the ref both declined to speak to gray, who was gracious about that. I do not agree. Both men owe it to viewers to explain that himself. That is pure CYA garbage.

Mexican Antonio DeMarco (20-0) held on to his unbeaten record, when his foe Kid Diamond Raiymkulov’s corner told the doctor to stop it after the ninth round. Diamond (27-2-1), out of Krygzstan,  wanted to come out for more action, but his corner didn’t agree. They thought his nose was broken, and didn’t like that his mouth was full of blood. It was a fan-friendly lightweight scrap.

Check back for David Avila’s ringside report.