ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Undisputed super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan punished Jorge Arce with powerful left hooks from the opening bell on his way to an 11th-round knockout Saturday night.
Darchinyan retained his WBA, WBC and IBF belts with the victory over the determined but outclassed Arce.
Arce's face was covered with blood and his knees were buckling as he took punches on the ropes in the closing seconds of the 11th round. The ring physician examined a gash near the fighter's right eye and determined he should not come out for the 12th.
Darchinyan (32-1-1, 26 knockouts) began jolting Arce with both hooks and straight punches with his left hand in the first round, and continued hitting him squarely in the face the rest of the fight, mixing in a few straight rights that also found their target.
Although he was taking a lot of blows, Arce (51-5-1) was the aggressor most of the fight, wading in swinging but not landing many solid punches while Darchinyan was pounding him.
Darchinyan, a native of Armenia who lives in Sydney, wobbled his foe from Los Mochis, Mexico, several times, but there were no knockdowns.
The champion lost just one round on each of the three judges' cards; two had Arce winning the third round, another had him winning the fourth.
In a lightweight prelim, Antonio DeMarco of Tijuana, Mexico, stopped Almazbek Raiymkulov of Las Vegas. DeMarco (21-1-1, 15 KOs) was battering a bloodied and defenseless Raiymkulov (27-2-1, 15) on the ropes at the bell ending the ninth round, and Raiymkulov's corner said he could not continue.
