Jorge Arce

At 44 years old, Jorge Arce has this physical status:

Jorge Armando Armenta (born July 27, 1979), also known as Jorge Arce, is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2014.

He is a multiple world champion and the second boxer from Mexico to win world championships in four weight divisions (after Érik Morales, who first achieved the feat two months before).

Arce competed in the WBO light flyweight championship from 1998 to 1999, while lineal light flyweight champions from 2002 to 2004, the WBO junior featherweight title from 2010; and the WBO bantamweight championship from 2011 to 2012.

In addition, he competed in his final fight in 2014 for the WBC interim flyweight championship from 2005 to 2006, the WBA's interim flyweight championship from 2008 to 2009. Arce remains a favorite boxing fan and is also the older brother of title contender Francisco Arce Armenta.

He was seen sporting a black cowboy hat (earning him the nickname "The Mexican Cowboy") and sucking a cherry lollipop at Arce's signature ring entrance.

Life outside of boxing

Arce has gained some acclaim outside of the ring, appearing in various Televisa comedy sketches, and taking part in Adal Ramones' show's dancing competition, "Bailando por su Sueo," where he and a fellow contestant finished eighth out of nine couples. He has also done boxing commentary for television Azteca.

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Professional career

Arce became a professional at the age of 16, winning his first four fights. In back-to-back fights against Omar Romero and Gabriel Munoz in the summer of 1996, he lost 10 straight fights and a pair of regional belts before losing on points to veteran (and future IBF Light Flyweight Champion) Jose Victor Burgos on December 12, 1997.

He recovered from his setback with four straight victories against Juan Domingo Córdoba for the WBO Light Flyweight title on December 5, 1998. At the age of 19, Arce won the fight and became a world champion.

Arce drew a big-money brawl in Tijuana against three-time champion Michael Carbajal on July 31, 1999, after a fruitful defense of his name. After 10 rounds, Arce was ahead on all three judges' scorecards, but in the 11th, the veteran Carbajal tied with a spectacular right hand and captured the crown by a technological knockout, as Arce was unable to proceed.

Arce won a WBO regional belt after a four-month layoff and his first victory in a row as he returned to the ring for his seventh straight victories while competing his way back to the top of the charts for another championship shot. He won the Interim WBC version of the Light Flyweight title on October 20, 2001, defeating Juanito Rubillar. He defeated Yo-Sam Choi, the reigning Lineal and WBC light flyweight champion who had been out with an injury, nine months later to win with full distinction. He held the title until the summer of 2005 before relinquishing it in order to gain a lot of weight. He beat Augustin Lara in his first defense. He defended his title three times against Ernesto Castro, Lee Marvin Sandoval, and Melchor Cob Castro.

He appeared in the Big Brother V.I.P. version of Big Brother, the Televisa version. Celebrities were gathered together on a show. On January 10 of the following year, he landed in third place and continued preparations for his next defense against former world champion Joma Gamboa. Arce invited his Big Brother colleagues to the fight with Gamboa, his first fight of the year in 2004, which he defeated in second round by a decisive defeat. But chaos ensued during and after the war. Arleth Gonzalez, one of his colleagues, was kicked out of her chair by another individual. And Verónica Castro was harassed by the media when she was trying to leave the fighting site, taking her more than two hours to get to the parking lot.

In a rematch against former champion Melchor Cob Castro in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Arce successfully defended his title on April 24, 2004. In May 2003, Arce had defeated Castro in May 2003, but the match was called off after six rounds due to a head clash that injured Arce. The fight went to the scorecards, with Arce winning a narrow but controversial decision. He left no doubt in the rematch, knocking Castro out in the fifth round.

He retained the title with a twelve-round decision in a rematch with Rubillar on September 4th of the same year. After Rubillar's manager accused the fight's judges of murdering his fighter, Rubillar's chief, the couple went on to offer Arce 100,000 US$ for a rematch, which will be held in the Philippines.

On December 18, Arce defended his title for the seventh time, defeating Juan Centeno by a third-round TKO. He then tried his luck in the flyweight (112-pound) weight division.

Arce stopped Hussein Hussein in the 10th round of a competition for the right to challenge Pongsaklek Wonjong to defend his WBC Flyweight title on March 19, 2005. After Wongjongkam sustained an injury, he relinquished his light flyweight crown and was matched by the WBC with Angel Priolo on July 30 for their interim title. In the match, which was held in La Paz, Mexico, Arce scored in a third-round TKO victory.

Arce kept busy rematching Hussein in Las Vegas on October 8 as waiting to fight Wongjongkam. With a second-round knockout, he maintained his Interim WBC crown.

Arce defeated former two-time champion Adonis Rivas by 10th round tko on December 16, 2005. Arce defeated Rivas in a rematch in his upcoming bout.

Arce defeated Alvarez of Nicaragua, a well-known WBA Minimumweight and Light Flyweight Champion, on April 8, 2006, knocking Alvarez out in the sixth round. It was his fourth successful defense of his Interim Flyweight Championship.

He advanced to the super flyweight division on September 23, 2006, defeating former Light Flyweight Champion Masibulele "Hawk" Makepula by a fourth-round knockout (which, according to HBO commentators, he had anticipated earlier). He defeated Argentinian Julio Ler in a 12-round decision on January 27, 2007, giving the WBC's No. 1 superflyweight ranking.

Cristian Mijares, the WBC Super Flyweight Champion, lost in a unanimous decision on April 14, 2007, in San Antonio, Texas. Mijares took the fight by a wide margin, with official judges determining the match 119–109, 118–111, 117–111, all in favour of Mijares.

Arce bounced back from defeating Tomás Rojas, the future champion, by a 6th-round technical knockout. Arce defeated former Flyweight Champion Medgoen Singsurat by a technical knockout in the first round on December 1, 2007.

Arce (49–4–1, 37 KOs), a close contest, defeated Devid Lookmahanak of Thailand (18–2, 9 KOs), by a majority vote in the main event at the Plaza Monumental Aguascalientes in Aascalientes, Mexico. Arce had to dig deep and work hard to get past the once-beaten Lookmahanak, who was a game southpaw and rarely took a step back, with a sold-out crowd of 18,000 fans cheering him on. In the seventh round, the difference in the contest, which also gave Arce the victory, was a knockdown. The scores were 115–113, 115–114, and 114–114. The contest would have been a draw if there was an extra point for the knockdown. This was an eliminator for a shot at the WBC Super Flyweight Championships. Arce faces Cristian Mijares, who won the WBA's version of the competition with a points victory over Alexander Muoz.

Arce claimed the Interim WBA Super Flyweight title from holder Rafael Concepción on September 15, 2008.

Arce blasted former champion Isidro Garca on November 1, 2008, with a (48 seconds of the) 4th round technical knockout for a super flyweight belt. Garcia, who has lost 3 of his last four fights, slowed to 51–4–1.

Arce was defeated by Undisputed Super Flyweight Champion Vic Darchinyan on February 7, 2009.

On September 15, 2009, Arce defeated Simphiwe Nongqayi, the IBF Super Flyweight Championship that had been recently vacated by Darchinyan. However, he was disqualified by a unanimous vote.

Arce defeated Indonesian Angkota on January 30, 2010, winning the vacant WBO Super Flyweight title for the first time. Arce said that if he had lost, he would have dropped out of boxing.

Arce debuted at the Centro de Usos Multiples in Ciudad Obregón, Mexico, on April 24, 2010. In the 7th round, Arce defeated his opponent by KO, raising his total record to 54–6–1. This was not his first fight as a bantamweight: he had already competed once in the weight class in 2007.

Arce was scheduled to face Eric Morel (42–2; 21 KO) of Puerto Rico on June 26, 2010 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, United States, with the Interim WBO Bantamweight championship in play. Due to a cut he received when training, the Los Mochis native pulled out a few weeks ahead.

Arce faced fellow Mexican and former champion Martn "El Gallo" Castillo at the Palenque de la Feria in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, on July 31, 2010. In the first round, the native of Los Mochis won the fight by KO.

Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr., Jr., Jr. of Puerto Rico, a strong underdog, defeated him by a twelfth-round technical knockout on May 7, 2011. In defense of his name, he defended his former champion Simphiwe Nongqayi.

Arce has stepped down to the bantamweight division to face Angky Angkotta in a rematch for the vacant WBO bantamweight crown. He defeated Angkotta by a unanimous vote.

On February 18, 2012, he defeated Lorenzo Parra, the former champion. He met prospective featherweight champion Jesus Rojas in his upcoming fight. Arce denied Rojas in the first round, but in the 2nd round, the contest came to a no-contest, leaving Arce unable to proceed.

He then advanced to the featherweight division and defeated former champion Mauricio Martnez.

Arce defeated WBO Super Bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire on December 15, 2012, the first time the two countries met. He was disqualified in the third round due to a knockout. Arce resigned after losing to Donaire.

Arce announced his return to the ring a year later in the featherweight division a year later. He faced WBC World Featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez after winning three straight games, but he was disqualified by 11th round TKO. He resigned after the war.

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