Vic Darchinyan Signs To Fight Jorge Arce on February 7

WBC/WBA and IBF super flyweight champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan has signed up for a $2 million grudge fight against Mexican warrior Jorge “Travieso” Arce to be staged either in Las Vegas or Los Angeles on February 7.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that Darchinyan’s promoter Gary Shaw is set to announce the deal with Showtime for staging what promises to be an explosive encounter between two cocky but hard-hitting fighters.

Darchinyan who lost his IBF/IBO world flyweight titles to Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire on July 7 last year via a stunning fifth round knockout came back with a vengeance, putting on an awesome performance to stop the highly fancied Mexican Cristian Mijares in eight rounds last November 1 at the Home Dept in Carson City, California.

Arce himself was badly beaten by the stylish Mijares who won a lopsided unanimous twelve round decision on April 14, 2007 and Darchinyan has vowed to silence Arce who had called him names including being a “fraud” and a “big mouth.”

The manager of Darchinyan, Elias Nasser reportedly signed the fight contract last Wednesday. The Sunday Telegraph quoted Darchinyan as saying he wanted the fight against Arce ever since the Mexican verbally slammed him unnecessarily.

Darchinyan said Arce is a strong fighter who is “going to stand in front and throw punches so it's going to be an exciting fight.There's going to be plenty of bombs being traded. But I haven't forgotten what he said about me. I'm going to remind him in the ring about his big statement, I'm going to let him know who is the real fraud.“

Drachinyan predicted that after he finishes with Arce “he will be retiring.''

In an interview earlier this year, Arce was asked his thoughts on the only man to have beaten Darchinyan, Nonito Donaire, the response of Arce was cutting. "I think he (Donaire) is a great champion and looks like a good fighter. But I think he hit the lottery by fighting Vic Darchinyan. I've always said it, Vic Darchinyan is nothing, he's a fraud.”

Continuing his vicious verbal assault Arce said “The only thing that Darchinyan has is a big mouth, but he can't back it up. He talks a big game, but when he gets into the ring he can't do s---.''

Arce who currently holds the WBA super flyweight interim title after beating Panama’s Rafael Concepcion who had earlier stunned Filipino southpaw AJ “Bazooka” Banal with a 10th round knockout boasts of a record of 51-4-1 with 39 knockouts while Darchinyan has a record of 31-1-1 with 25 knockouts.

Arce fought the Philippines light flyweight contender Juanito Rubillar twice in Mexico and won both title defenses although the decision in the rematch was regarded as somewhat controversial.

He also beat Australia’s Hussein Hussein in a bloody brawl on March 19, 2005 scoring a 10th round TKO on the undercard of the first encounter in the Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales trilogy and then smashed Hussein Hussein in two rounds in a rematch on October 8 that same year.


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Good ****. Vic by mid round stoppage in a FOTY candidate. :boxer