by James Slater – Not long now until archrivals Vic Darchinyan of Australia (by way of Armenia) and Jorge Arce of Mexico get it on in their eagerly awaited, potential war. Meeting up on February 7th, the two exciting super-flyweights will settle their differences in front of what is sure to be a sell out crowd in Anaheim, California.
These two men quite simply cannot stand one another and there is plenty of what appears to be genuinely bad blood between them. An explosive, inside distance-ending fight can be expected as a result. “Raging Bull” Darchinyan, the unified IBF, WBA and WBC super-flyweight king, is known for his awesome punching power, while former world ruler Arce is a wicked body puncher himself. The Mexican is also a fearless warrior who loves to get in there and trade – add it all up and the fight can’t fail to be memorable..
Speaking in today’s Herald Sun, 33-year-old Darchinyan, 31-1-1(25) spoke about the upcoming fight and his plans for the future. It seems there is a very good chance that the Arce grudge match will be the Armenian-born puncher’s final fight at 115 pounds.
“After this fight, I don’t think anyone [in the super-flyweight division] is going to fight me because they are going to see what I am going to do with Arce,” Darchinyan said. “I’m not going to wait for them ( them being proposed future foes Fernando Montiel and, in a rematch of the only fight he has lost, Nonito Donaire), I’m going to move up to bantamweight. If they can move up to bantamweight and win any title, the door is open for them any time.”
A rematch with Donaire, the man who sensationally KO’d Darchinyan in 5 rounds back in July of 2007, would be hugely interesting, and it is to be hoped Donaire does indeed move up so the fight can happen. But first Darchinyan has to take care of Arce; which he is sure he will do.
The world champion is proud of the boxing skills he has to match his frightening power, but he says it will be Darchinyan the puncher that enters the ring next month to meet 29-year-old Arce, 51-4-1(39).
“Over the world, now they are starting to talk about my skills, I am going to remind them how big a puncher I am,” Darchinyan stated. “I think I am going to knock him out [Arce] and punish him badly.”
Arce, too, is massively confident, and the two men will be giving their all on Feb. 7th. Then, win or lose, former flyweight champ Darchinyan looks set to move up in weight once more and become a welcome addition to the bantamweight division.