ARCE AND MOSLEY: A TALE OF TWO AGING LIONS
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 09 May 2011
Jorge ?Travieso? Arce gave fans a ?this is why we love boxing? moment with another blood and guts performance against Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr, a naturally bigger defending champion five years his junior.
Arce (57W (44 KO's) ? 6L-2D) got off the floor after being knocked down by a left hook in round four and fought through his own blood in a battle of attri
tion. He stopped the previously undefeated Vasquez (20W-1L, 17 KO's) in the 12th and final round. Vasquez' corner had to throw a bottle into the ring to get the referee's attention and save their boxer from further punishment.
Arce took the WBO 122 lb division world title and had his ?I told you so!? statement to the rest of the world. The old lion still has teeth. He even wanted to fight some more when he called out Vic Darchinyan to a rematch.
Arce is 31 but is considered a decade older in boxing years due to his countless ring wars. In his fifteen tear pro career he has fought the likes of Michael Carbajal, Hussein Hussein, Cristian Mijares and Darchinyan. Arce was assessed as well past his prime but he showed us last weekend in Las Vegas what raw passion can do.
This scene was in stark contrast to the 39 year old Shane Mosley's effort against Manny Pacquiao. Mosley went down in round three and he did get up despite being visibly stunned and glassy eyed. But the way he ?fought? the rest of the way, fans wished he stayed down.
He said he would surprise everyone and he'll talk about being the heavy underdog after the fight. But he never had his ?I told you so? moment. In fact by just trying to survive, he may have missed a golden opportunity considering that Pacquiao was suffering from leg cramps. The scores were just as embarrassing - 120-108, 120-107 and 119-108.
While it's true that Vasquez is no Pacquiao, those who witnessed Arce's performance would have given him an ovation even if he lost.
Mosley will be inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. His career will be defined by two wins against a prime Oscar dela Hoya and eight title defenses as IBF lightweight champion, all by stoppage.
Arce will also be in the Hall. He may not be at the same level of skill set as Mosley and he'll never earn five million dollars a fight. But on that night in Vegas, Arce showed us once again the true meaning of the word ?warrior?.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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