Jorge Arce vs. Simphiwe Nongqayi II RBR

Well, it depends really.

He was a legitimate light flyweight champ (WBC - 7 defenses)

He was the interim flyweight champ (also WBC - "defended" the interim belt four times...or you could say vied for it five times)

He was the interim super flyweight champ (WBA with one defense, or just two contests...WBO once).

Now he's the legitimate super bantamweight champ (WBO, just made his first defense).

Regardless of whether you recognize the interim reigns, the dude has participated in a mind-boggling number of world title bouts or eliminators of some form or another over the last dozen years and is still going strong in this renaissance period after most had written him off as done/completely shot.

 

Yeah, but come on - he fought five times in a row against good opposition, after an eliminator with Hussein, for the WBC interim flyweight title while waiting for Wonjongkam to give him his deserved crack at the regular title (which never came).

His run at flyweight is more legitimate than a lot of titlists' non-interim "reigns".

 

Yeah, it was likely politicking from both sides. I just don't think Arce should be penalized for that, when he did nothing but consistently fight world-ranked top-contender-level opposition en route to racking up a pretty stellar record in world title bouts - currently standing at 21-4 (14)