Boxer A beat Boxer B. Boxer C beat Boxer A. The logical assumption is that Boxer C will beat Boxer B, right?
Not necessarily the case. This is the Sweet Science, folks. The parameters for success differ from conventional wisdom. This game, as former trainer and current ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas often says, is 75 percent mental.
Styles make fights, and the approaches of junior bantamweights Vic Darchinyan (31-1-1, 25 KOs) and Jorge Arce (51-4-1, 39 KOs) will certainly make for an explosive bout when the two square off Saturday in the main event of Showtime Championship Boxing's first show of 2009.
Better late than never.
Darchinyan and Arce have been on a collision course for years, but each suffered derailment along the way. Darchinyan was floored by Nonito Donaire in the fifth round of their July 2007 flyweight bout only three months after Arce was blown out in a unanimous decision loss to Cristian Mijares.
Yet the luster remains.
The unorthodox Darchinyan is 3-0-1 since his only defeat, racking knockouts in each win. This includes his nine-round annihilation of Mijares, who was edging his way into the top-10 pound-for-pound ranking. Arce has also been hot as of late, winning five in a row, four by knockout.
Back to the equation: Mijares (A) outboxed Arce (B). Darchinyan (C) crushed Mijares (A). So is the Raging Bull’s victory over Arce set in stone?
The only things for certain are Darchinyan’s propensity for trash talk and Arce entering the ring wearing a cowboy hat and sucking on a lollipop. The rest is up for grabs.
The Pond in Anaheim, Calif., is showcasing a firefight. Darchinyan (No.1) and Arce (No. 6) say they’ll leave everything in the ring. Only one will exit the ropes with the WBA, WBC and IBF titles.
Predicting a winner isn’t an exact science, but the fight itself should be sweet enough for fans.
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