Pasadena Star-News, CA
Feb 8 2009

BOXING: Darchinyan too much for Arce

By Robert Morales, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/07/2009 09:54:06 PM PST

ANAHEIM – Jorge Arce said he was hopeful that his fight with Vic
Darchinyan would produce a lot of blood, because he gets more
motivated when the red stuff gets on him. Unfortunately for Arce, most
of the blood spilled Saturday was his.

Absorbing a beating that left his face a bloody mask, Mexico’s Arce
was not allowed to answer the bell for the 12th round of his fight
with Darchinyan, who dominated Arce in retaining his three super
flyweight championship belts before 5,450 at Honda Center.

The fight was stopped because of cuts by referee Dr. Lou Moret on the
advice of the ringside physician, Dr. Paul Wallace. Darchinyan is
credited with an 11th- round technical knockout.

Arce showed tremendous courage, but Darchinyan – of Australia via
Armenia – was simply too powerful. Darchinyan smashed Arce often with
a vicious left cross that sounded loud when it landed. But Arce
claimed that the cut over his right eye was from something other than
a punch.

"I recognize he’s a strong fighter, but the cut was from his elbow,"
Arce said. "I don’t know why they stopped the fight. Going into the
last round, a fighter always has a chance to win."

Arce (51-5-1) was behind 109-100 on all three scorecards at the time
of the stoppage.

Darchinyan also proved a tough target to hit. He is left-handed, and
his style can be best described as crab-like, making himself a small
target.

Arce, 29, did land some body shots that seemed to affect Darchinyan,
and an occasional left hook and right hand. Since Arce is also an
aggressive fighter, he and Darchinyan also ended up in quite a few
clinches. But there was more than enough action. "He surprised me,"
Darchinyan said. "I didn’t expect him to fight like he did, but he
proved to me he was tough and a good fighter. I hit him with some good
shots and he kept fighting back. I would have liked to knock him out
cold, but it’s OK the way the fight ended. I am happy. If the fight
goes on, maybe I knock him out."

Darchinyan (32-1-1, 26 KOs), 33, admitted that Arce stunned him a
couple times.

"He hurt me with some good punches, also," Darchinyan said. "But I
always came back. … I was just too strong and I think my speed was a
difference."

Kid Diamond of Las Vegas was cut over the right eye from a head-butt
in the first round, but he did his best to stay in his lightweight
semi-main event against Antonio DeMarco of Tijuana.

But after Diamond was pummeled with a barrage of heavy punches to the
head near the end of the ninth round, Diamond’s corner did not allow
him to answer the bell for the 10th. The bout was scheduled for 12
rounds.

Diamond (27-2-1) said he was not at his best going into the fight.

"I got the flu, and I got sick and weak after the sixth round," he
said.

DeMarco is 21-1-1 with 15 knockouts. He was ahead by five points on
two of the scorecards – which seemed a bit much – and behind by one on
the other.

"I don’t think the head-butts affected him," DeMarco said. "He was a
good fighter."

Junior middleweight Vanes Martirosyan of Glendale remained undefeated
with an eight- round unanimous decision over Billy Lyell (18-7) of
Youngstown, Ohio.

Martirosyan, a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, said afterward
that he believes he broke his left hand in the first round. He was in
obvious pain as the fight progressed.

Martirosyan (23-0) is promoted by Top Rank Inc. Lee Samuels, a Top
Rank spokesman, said Martirosyan’s hand was quite swollen after he
removed his glove.

Chris Avalos of Lancaster put quite a beating on Torrence Daniels of
Colorado Springs in a super bantamweight fight that was stopped after
seven rounds on the advice of the ringside physician. Avalos decked
Daniels in the second and seventh rounds. Daniels (12-9-1) was a
willing combatant and showed tremendous heart, but he was outquicked
and overpowered by Avalos (9-0, 7 KOs), who is just 19.

Omar Henry of Houston is now 3-0 with three knockouts after knocking
out Francisco Martinez of Moreno Valley at 57 seconds of the first
round. Their junior middleweight fight was scheduled for four rounds.