By Ian S Palmer
Filipino boxing sensation Nonito Donaire steps into the ting in Houston Texas’ Toyota Center on Saturday December 15 to defend his WBO Super Bantamweight crown against veteran Mexican slugger Jorge Arce. The 30-year-old Donaire will enter the ring with an excellent record of 30-1 with 19 Kos, while the 33-year-old Arce will climb through the ropes with a mark of 64-6-2 with 46 Kos.
While Donaire is widely recognized as one of the best boxers in the world, many of his bouts have bordered on boring since most of his opponents are afraid to exchange with him. Hopefully that won’t be the case with Arce and we could finally see Donaire’s chin tested. It’s no fault of Donaire’s though, as he doesn’t mind mixing it up, but it’s hard to do against fighters who are in survival mode.
Whenever Arce steps into the ring it’s for one reason and one reason only…and that’s to win. He’s been entertaining fight fans since turning pro way back in 1996 and he’s hopefully got at least one more good fight in him. He’s got the power to do some damage if he connects cleanly and has been more or less reborn since moving up in weight to the 118 and 122 lb divisions.
Arce hasn’t been beaten in his last 11 outings as he’s won nine of them and drawn one. The other bout was rules a no contest. One of his best performances over that time came against the previously unbeaten Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in May of last year. He should enter this fight with quite a bit of confidence and on an even level with Donaire as they have both won world titles in four different weight divisions. In addition, they are both used to big-time bouts and all of the attention that go with them.
Arce has a lot more experience than Donaire, but his style could be tailor-made for the champion. Arce likes to move forward and be the aggressor while throwing bombs as often as he can. Donaire is more of a skilled boxer who would prefer to pick Arce off while he’s moving forwards. Arce may find himself walking into numerous accurate and stinging counter shots. Donaire possesses more speed and accuracy, but it’s a tossup when it comes to power and heart.
Prediction
Arce says he’ll knock Donaire out, but that’s just the usual talk from fighters before a bout. But realistically, it’s probably his only hope of winning since he’s not going to be able to outbox him. Donaire is aware that Arce has been stopped three times in his career and if he gets the chance to stop it he’ll definitely go for it. Arce will likely have the fans behind him, but they’re not going to be able to help him out once the bell rings. It should be an entertaining contest with Arce landing his fair share of punches. However, look for Donaire to eventually catch him and stop him before the bout reaches its final bell.
