JORGE ARCE

updated February 20, 2007

At the age of 27, Jorge has been fighting as a pro for over 10 1/2 years - he made his debut at 16.

Jorge is a veteran of 17 world title fights, and has now won 24 fights in a row dating back to November, 1999.

A two-time light flyweight world champion, he won the WBO light flyweight world title at the age of 19 in 1998, and won the WBC light flyweight world title at 23 in 2002. He made four successful defenses of the WBC title in 2004, and won the WBC's award for "The Most Active Champion in 2004." He vacated the WBC light flyweight world title to move up to the flyweight division, and won the WBC interim flyweight world title in July, 2005.

He is a stablemate of former two-time WBC lightweight world champion Jose Luis Castillo. Both are managed by Fernando Beltran and trained by Tiburcio Garcia.

Jorge became a national celebrity in Mexico after appearing on the reality TV show "Big Brother V.I.P." Jorge said, "I was in there two and a half months with that show, and it just took my stardom to another level. I'm the most recognized boxer in Mexico today, even more than Erik Morales, Castillo, all of them, because of the show. People know that I box, but they also know the show. Televisa is always calling me for different shows that they do, and I'm always on TV doing different things. But boxing is very important to me, and as long as my father is alive, nobody is going to take the championship away from me."

Jorge didn't need an interpreter to say, "I'm the best fighter. Right now, nobody beats me. I am fine and ready for win, no problem. I am the best pound for pound, man."

Regarding his nickname, Jorge said, "I was a very hyperactive kid. I was always getting in trouble somewhere here and there, you know, pulling girls' hair, making everybody cry, hitting them. They were saying, 'Man, this kid is a real menace.' So, Travieso means 'menace.' "

Key Fights - 2006 - 4TH WBC INTERIM FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - in his last fight on 4-8-06 in Las Vegas, NV, he knocked out former former WBA minimumweight and light flyweight world champion Rosendo Alvarez (37-2-2): the fight was on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Zab Judah main event; Jorge was defending the interim world title, but Alvarez did not make weight and was not eligible to win the title [note: there have been reports that this was a nontitle fight, but the WBC said that the interim flyweight world title was at stake]; Jorge dominated most of the fight; he scored a knockdown with a body punch in the 6th round, and Alvarez was counted out at 1:54; after five rounds, Jorge led by scores of 50-45, 50-45, 49-46; after the fight, Jorge said, "I didn't want a knockout in the first round. I wanted to really hurt and punish him. Everyone told me how tough he was, but I never felt his power. I am ready for bigger guys. I just want to prove that I am a great champion and a great Mexican warrior."...

3RD WBC INTERIM FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 1-28-06 in Cancun, MX, he TKO'd Adonis Rivas (21-8-2): this rematch headlined the fight card that was part of the WBC's "Night of Champions" celebration, and drew a capacity crowd at the Plaza de Toros; Jorge was cut over his right eye in the 2nd round by a clash of heads, but outworked Rivas and wore him down; Rivas was cut over his right eye in the 6th, and did not continue after the round; Rivas was managed by Rosendo Alvarez, who was in his corner; after the fight, Alvarez and Jorge got into a shouting match and brief scuffle in the ring...

2005 - 2ND WBC INTERIM FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 12-16-05 in Monterrey, MX, he TKO'd Adonis Rivas (21-7-2): the fight headlined at Arena Monterrey; Jorge scored a knockdown in the 2nd round and dominated the fight; Rivas was cut and swollen over both eyes, and the referee stopped the fight on the injuries at 1:20 of the 10th round; after nine rounds, Jorge led by scores of 89-80, 88-82, 88-82...

1ST WBC INTERIM FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-8-05 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO'd Hussein Hussein (28-2): this rematch was the co-featured bout with the Jose Luis Castillo-Diego Corrales rematch at the Thomas & Mack Arena, which drew an announced crowd of over 15,000; Jorge scored a knockdown in the 1st round; he scored another knockdown in the 2nd - Hussein got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:50; after the fight, Jorge said, "I think he was still hurt from our fight in March. I could tell, because he couldn't take any of my shots."...

WON WBC INTERIM FL WORLD TITLE - on 7-30-05 in La Paz, MX, he TKO'd Angel Priola (30-2): the fight headlined the card at the Arturo C. Nahl baseball stadium, and reportedly drew over 10,000 fans; the first two rounds were close and Jorge was cut on the bridge of his nose, but he scored two knockdowns in the 3rd round, and Priola was counted out at 1:18; looking back, Jorge said, "The cut was in the same place, but it didn't open up that bad. It was barely bleeding, it was more like a scratch. It was nothing like it was in the other fight."...

WBC FL ELIMINATION BOUT - on 3-19-05 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO'd Hussein Hussein (26-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Erik Morales-Manny Pacquiao main event at the MGM Grand, which drew a capacity crowd of 14,623; it was an exciting, fast paced battle that repeatedly brought the fans to their feet - Jorge staggered Hussein early in the 1st round, but Hussein came back strongly in the 2nd and several of the following rounds were close; Jorge was cut badly on the bridge of his nose in the 5th round and it bled heavily for the rest of the fight; but Jorge swept rounds six through nine on one scorecard, and rounds seven through nine on the other two, and Hussein was penalized one point in the 8th for repeatedly pushing down Jorge's head; Jorge scored a knockdown in the 10th round, Hussein's corner climbed onto the ring apron to signal the end, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:07; after nine rounds, Arce led by scores of 88-82 on all three scorecards...

2004 - 7TH WBC L-FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 12-18-04 in Culiacan, MX, he knocked out Juan Centeno (16-6): Jorge scored a knockdown with a left hook to the body in the 3rd round, and Centeno was counted out at 2:48...

6TH WBC L-FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 9-4-04 in Tijuana, MX, he won a 12 round unanimous decision in the rematch against Juanito Rubillar (33-8-7): Rubillar was penalized one point in the 8th round for punching to the back of the head; scored 115-112, 115-112, 119-108; the result was originally announced as a split decision win for Jorge, but the WBC sent a press release three days later that said the ring announcer had made a mistake, and that is was a unanimous decision...

5TH WBC L-FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 4-24-04 in Tuxtla Gutierrez, MX, he knocked out former two-time world champion Melchor Cob-Castro (68-10-4): it was the rematch of their fight a year earlier; Jorge rocked Cob-Castro in the 3rd round, and scored a knockdown late in the 4th; he scored another knockdown with a left hook to the body in the 5th round, and Cob-Castro was counted out at 1:57...

4TH WBC L-FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 1-10-04 in Mexico City, MX, he knocked out Jomarie Gamboa (33-7-2): Jorge knocked down Gamboa in the 2nd round, and he was counted out at 1:38...

2003 - 3RD WBC L-FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 5-3-03 in Las Vegas he won a technical unanimous decision against former two-time world champion and No. 1-ranked Melchor Cob-Castro (67-8-4): Cob-Castro gave a good effort and scored a knockdown in the 3rd round when Jorge's glove touched the canvas; Jorge outworked Cob-Castro in several rounds, but was cut two times by head clashes in the 4th round, and the fight was stopped on the cuts after the 6th round; Jorge led by scores of 59-55, 59-55, 58-56; after the fight, Jorge said, "Cob had tremendous experience but he couldn't handle my young power."...

On 3-21-03 in Tucson, AZ, he knocked out Lee Sandoval (18-9-3): it was a nontitle fight; Jorge scored one knockdown in the 1st round and three more in the 2nd, and the referee stopped the fight; after the fight, Jorge said, "I was thinking about a knockout from the minute I walked into the ring. I wanted to knock him out quickly. I wish it had happened in the first round."...

2ND WBC L-FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 2-22-03 in Mexico City, MX, he knocked out Ernesto Castro (8-5-1) at 1:40 of the 1st round; it was one of three world championship fights on a card at Plaza de Toros titled 'Fighting for Mexico;' all of the fighters donated their purses to support 'Vamos Mexico,' a private organization for the education of poor children founded by Mrs. Martha Sahagun de Fox, the wife of Mexican President Vicente Fox and Mexico's First Lady; the fight card was also part of the WBC's 40th anniversary celebration...

2002 - 1st WBC L-FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 11-16-02 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO'd Agustin Luna (18-12): Jorge was cut over the left eye in the 1st round, but wore down Luna with a steady body attack; Jorge scored one knockdown in the 2nd round and another in the 3rd, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:13...

WON WBC L-FL WORLD TITLE - on 7-6-02 in Seoul, KOR, he TKO'd defending champion Yosam Choi (24-1): the fight was held in Choi's hometown at Seoul's Olympic Park; Jorge dominated the fight; he scored a knockdown in the 1st round, and rocked Choi with hard punches to the body and head several times in the fight; he stunned Choi again in the 6th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:21... On 6-7-02 in Reno, NV, he knocked out Ramon Hurtado (14-5) in the 2nd round...

2001 - WON WBC INTERIM L-FL WORLD TITLE - on 10-20-01 in Tijuana, MX, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Juanito Rubillar (25-8-5) of the Philippines: world champion Yosam Choi had been inactive with legal problems, and No. 1 ranked Jorge fought No. 2 ranked Rubillar; it was an exciting, fast-paced fight - Jorge scored one knockdown in the 4th round and another one in the 12th, and won by scores of 117-109, 117-109, 119-107...

On 2-2-01 in Tijuana he TKO'd Jose Beltran in the 3rd round...

2000 - 3RD WBC YOUTH L-FL DEFENSE - on 12-8-00 in Los Mochis, MX, he knocked out former Philippines champion Carmelo Caceres (16-8-3) in the 2nd round...

2ND WBC YOUTH L-FL DEFENSE - on 10-21-00 in Mexico City, MX, he TKO'd Philippines light flyweight champion Jovan Presbitero (8-1) in the 2nd round...

On 10-1-00 in Phoenix, AZ, he TKO'd Alfredo Virgen (24-19-1) in the 5th round of a nontitle fight...

On 7-7-00 in Villahermosa, MX, he knocked out Emilio Palacios in the 1st round...

WON WBC YOUTH L-FL TITLE -on 4-7-00 in Tijuana he won a 10 round decision against Javier Lagos (13-5-2)...

1999 - WON NABO L-FL TITLE - on 11-29-99 in Tijuana he won a 12 round decision against former world title challenger Ladislao "Speedy" Vazquez (30-14-1)...

LOST WBO L-FL WORLD TITLE - on 7-31-99 in Tijuana he was TKO'd against Michael Carbajal (45-1-1): Jorge, four days past his twentieth birthday, dominated most of the fight - he consistently outworked Carbajal and built a lead on the scorecards; Carbajal scored a knockdown in the 6th round, but Jorge recovered and swept the next four rounds on all three judges' scorecards; but Carbajal rallied again in the 11th round, staggered Jorge, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:53; after ten rounds, Jorge led by scores of 98-91 on all three scorecards...

1ST WBO L-FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 4-17-99 in Sassari, IT, he TKO'd local favorite Salvatore Fanni (32-7-2) at 1:17 of the 6th round; after five rounds, Jorge led by scores of 49-46, 49-46, 48-47...

1998 - WON WBO L-FL WORLD TITLE - on 12-5-98 in Tijuana he won a 12 round unanimous decision against defending champion Juan Domingo Cordoba (33-4-3) of Argentina: Jorge scored a knockdown in the 4th round and dominated the fight; scored 118-109, 119-110, 116-111...

He debuted at the age of 16 on 1-19-96...

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Jorge said, "I was born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa. There's four children in my family, all boys. Two are older than me, my younger brother is a professional boxer, too. His name is Francisco 'Panchito" Arce. I bought a store for one of my older brothers where he sells candy. My brother, Milton, really loves baseball. He played a couple of years in the minor leagues. "My father was a farm worker, he worked in the fields. He hardly works anymore. I bought him one of those buses that goes around the city, like a tour bus, and he makes money out of that.

"I started boxing because, I think, my father gave it to me. When he was growing up, he wanted to be a boxer and it didn't happen for him. He came from a family of 20, there were 20 total in his family. They were very poor, so they made him work and he never got a chance to become a boxer, which was his dream. He transmitted that to me, maybe not verbally, but the way he behaved towards boxing. I think that's where I picked it up from, I wanted to become a boxer for him. I started picking up boxing and I enjoyed boxing. One day, my dad was in a very bad accident where he worked, he almost got killed. That's when I decided, 'You know what? I'm going to do something special for him, I'm going to turn into a boxer.' Right now, everything I do is for him, even the world championship is for him.

"When I was about 10 years old, my mother was really worried about me. She thought something was wrong with me, I was so hyper all the time. I couldn't stop, I wouldn't slow down. So she talked to a doctor, a psychologist, and the psychologist said, 'All you need to do is get him in a sport. Anything, karate, anything you can put him in.' And I said, 'I'll go into boxing.' I was there two years. The first week I was there, they put me in a tournament and I won it. I started liking it, but my father had the accident when I was 12, and that's when I decided, 'You know what? I'm going to do this for you.' So, I started at 10 and at 12, I was really dedicated to it. I had about 45 amateur fights. I think I lost twice, one by disqualification.

"I won some national tournaments, some state tournaments. I was actually up for the 1996 Olympic team. I ended fighting Martin Castillo. [note: Castillo went on to win the WBA super flyweight world title] We fought in the semi-final fight and Castillo won. But everybody knows that Arce won that fight, it's just that Castillo was already a member of the Olympic team, and they didn't want him losing to me. I can't wait to get Castillo as a professional. I know I beat him as an amateur. "I'm married and we have a four year-old daughter. Her name is Michelle.

"I still live in Los Mochis, but I move around. I have a couple of houses in Hermosillo, Sonora, and Tijuana, and I have a girlfriend in every place.

"Lately, I've been really involved with entertainment. I was part of the Big Brother V.I.P. reality show with Televisa. I took second or third place. I'm going to do another reality show. You know those dancing shows that they have now? There's going to be one called 'Dancing for a Dream,' and I'm going to be paired with a real person, someone that they pick, and then if we win, she will get to fulfill her dream.

"I've already talked about doing some boxing commentary in the future. I've done a couple of things with Televisa and they really like what I do. I think I'll take some courses and that's where my future will be, in front of the cameras.

"Like I said before, my biggest motivation is my father. Winning a championship was very important for me and for him. My daughter is only four years old, and a couple of years ago she started saying that she had this little powder that before every fight, she throws it at me so I feel protected from everything, so I can't lose my fights and I can't get hit. I don't know where she got it from, she's only four years old. But every time it's like, 'Here's the powder, don't forget the powder. You don't want to get hurt, you're going to win.' I'm very religious, very Catholic. I always feel that faith that I have in God, and I think He talks to me through my daughter. I mean, why would she come up with something like that? I'm very faithful that's it's coming through Him. "I also have a promise that every December, I'm going to give as much as I can to kids. All the poor kids in Sinaloa, I always give them something. But I want to create a foundation for those kids so that they can have a good Christmas every December. I want to make sure that they have something. I tell Bob, [Arum] 'Show me the money, I need the money. I need a million dollars to give presents to the children of my home.' "...

STRENGTHS: Has an aggressive style and good skills...has good speed and movement...has good punching power, a good body puncher...tough and durable, has tremendous heart and determination...is experienced against top opposition...

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 48 fights...247 total rounds...106 world championship rounds...

AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 5.1 rounds...

KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 70 %...

DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds - 8 (7-1)...11 rounds - 1 (0-1)...10 rounds - 4 (4-0)...