Australia’s Vic Darchinyan retained his status as the undisputed super flyweight world champion by demolishing Mexico’s Jorge Arce in Anaheim, south of Los Angeles, with a vicious technical knockout on Saturday.
Darchinyan battered Arce for 11 rounds, opening up two severe cuts under the Mexican’s eyes.
Before the start of the 12th and final round, ringside doctor Dr Paul Wallace stepped in and ended the fight with Arce’s face covered in blood.
Darchinyan retains the division’s World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation title belts.
“He surprised me,” Darchinyan said.
“I didn’t expect him to fight like he did.
“He proved to me he was a strong fighter.”
Arce, a former champion in the division, was furious the fight was stopped and complained one of the cuts he suffered came from Darchinyan’s elbow.
“I don’t know why they stopped the fight,” a bewildered Arce said.
“A fighter always has a chance to win in the final round.”
Darchinyan will now pursue the biggest payday of his career, a multi-million dollar fight with boxing’s pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao who last year knocked out Oscar de la Hoya.
Darchinyan opened up a cut under Arce’s left eye in the first round after pounding the Mexican with three of his powerful trademark powerful lefts.
Arce appeared shaky on his feet late in the seventh round after being rocked again by multiple Darchinyan lefts and the punishment continued, with Arce’s right eye dripping blood at the end of the 10th.
In the 11th Darchinyan continued to pound Arce and by the end of the round the Mexican’s face was covered in blood.
Before the final round began, Dr Wallace stepped in.
“I would have like to have knocked him out,” Darchinyan said.
“Maybe I would have in the last round.”
The three judges had Darchinyan easily ahead on points, all scoring the fight 109-100 to the Australian.
Arce came into the ring wearing his trademark black cowboy hat and sucking on a lollipop, something Darchinyan vowed before the fight he would no longer be able to do. Darchinyan delivered.
“I was just too strong,” Darchinyan said.
The fight was staged in front of a parochial pro-Arce crowd at the 17,000 seat Honda Centre, the home of Anaheim’s National Hockey League team, the Ducks.
Boos reigned down on the Armenian-born, Australian citizen Darchinyan as he entered the ring but as the fight progressed the minority Armenian and Australian fans took over the arena.
The 33-year-old Darchinyan improves to a 32 win (26 knockout), one loss, one draw professional record.
The 29-year-old Arce falls to a 51 win, five loss, one draw pro record.
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