The heir apparent to the Puerto Rican boxing throne was in top form last night, headlining a big show at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City as Juan Manuel Lopez kept his WBO super bantam title against opponent Olivier Lontchi.

Lopez was the definite favorite to retain going into the clash as Montreal based Cameroon native Lontchi had yet to rise above his regional status as NABA titlist and was in over his head.

A champion who can punch like Lopez, particularly a southpaw, presents a very difficult entry test onto the world stage and Lontchi wisely chose to stick and move in the early rounds, catching the oncoming champion with jabs before escaping.

But Lopez began to close distance and force the bout to the inside and along the ropes, where his strength advantage was evident. More...

© Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing

Aside from world super flyweight kingpin Vic Darchinyan's masterful dismantling of Jorge Arce in Anaheim and Andre Ward's victory over Henry Buchanan in Lemoore, there were two good bills in the states and we kick off this report at the Activity Center in Maywood, CA where welterweight Jesus Soto Karass continued his impressive run of victories on Friday evening.

The 26 year old Los Angeles resident originally from Los Mochis, Mexico, dominated opponent Carson Jones over ten rounds, canvassing the Oklahoma native twice in the third before losing a point for rabbit-punching.

Soto Karass now has an unbeaten streak of 15 bouts after suffering three consecutive losses in 2004-5 and improves to 23-3-3 (16), while Jones sees his own five bout win streak go down in flames, falling to 18-7-1 (10). More...

Click for larger image © Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing

Vic Darchinyan picked up one of the best wins in his career by besting Mexico's Jorge Arce in a barn burner to retain the WBC, WBA and IBF Super Flyweight titles at The Pond in Anaheim, CA.

The war of words between the pair had started long before the actual fight and the intensity in the ring matched the bad blood press buildup once the action started.

Arce made good on his promise to take the fight to southpaw Darchinyan but the Mexican firebrand's defense wasn't up to the task of handling the quick hands of the Australian resident. More...

© Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing

Bad Blood? Yes! Brawling Styles? Yes! An early candidate for Fight of the Year? You bet!

There is the very strong possibility of all three of the above happening when Australian based Armenian Vic Darchinyan defends three versions of his super flyweight title against Mexican Jorge Arce at the Anaheim Pond in Los Angeles tonight.

33 year old Darchinyan seems to be like a fine wine; he gets better with age. With 25 KO's in 31 wins, since moving up weight, the champion has improved greatly as a fighter.

After holding the IBF Flyweight title between 2004 and 2007, Darchinyan took the option of moving up a division after losing the title on a fifth round stoppage at the hands of Nonito Donaire. More...

© Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing

IBF, WBC and WBA Super Flyweight Champion Vic Darchinyan and WBA Interim Champ Jorge Arce both tipped the scales at the 115-pound limit during Friday’s weigh in at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. More...

© Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing

2009 has already been blessed with two electrifying bouts in boxing's most stacked division when Andre Berto successfully defended his WBC version of the welterweight crown against Louis Collazo, followed up by Shane Mosley's complete destruction of Antonio Margarito to claim the WBA title.

It is now just a little over two months into the New Year and we are about to be treated to another potential blockbuster when the hard hitting Vic Darchinyan, 31-1-1 (25), faces popular former WBC Light Flyweight Champion and WBA Interim Super Flyweight Champion Jorge Arce, 51-4-1 (39), this Saturday night.

Darchinyan, who is on a streak of 3-0-1 since his upset KO loss to boxing specialist and IBF/IBO Flyweight Champion Nonito Donaire, has been nothing less than impressive since that night. More...

© Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing

All four of the fighters who will be featured on Saturday’s excellent doubleheader on Showtime Championship Boxing participated in a final press conference that was open to the media and the public. It was held at The Village at Orange in Orange , Calif. More...

The last time Vic Darchinyan was involved in a Showtime Media Poll, he was a near-landslide choice to lose. Only six of 31 picked him to defeat Cristian Mijares last Nov. 1 on Showtime. Well, we know how that fight turned out.

This time, the roles are reversed and Darchinyan is an overwhelming pick to win by knockout when he defends his IBF/WBC/WBA 115-pound titles against Jorge Arce in what will be an explosive main event this Saturday on Showtime Championship Boxing at 9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast. More...

Three of the four fighters who will be featured on Saturday’s excellent doubleheader on Showtime Championship Boxing participated in a workout Wednesday that was open to the media and public. It was held at the TKO Boxing Gym in Anaheim, CA.

In what will be a slugfest from start to finish, Vic Darchinyan will defend his IBF, WBA and WBC super flyweight belts against Jorge Arce in Saturday’s main event live on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast. More...

Following his dominating world title unification victory over Christian Mijares, Vic Darchinyan asked reporters at the post-fight press conference “Did I keep my promise to knock him out? What about my pound-for-pound ranking? Mijares was No. 6.”

Even after a career changing win, the 115-pound IBF, WBC and WBA champ’s fight against Jorge Arce, Feb. 7 on Showtime Championship Boxing is still about respect. More...

A must-see matchup that fans, media and the fighters themselves have been clamoring for will take place when two of boxing’s biggest little men and hardest punchers, Vic Darchinyan and Jorge Arce, clash at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 7, live on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast. More...

Before a jam-packed gathering, which included 12 television and internet cameras but not Jorge Arce, Vic Darchinyan had center stage to himself as he spoke with the national boxing media Saturday morning at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Los Angeles.

Arce, who had agreed to attend the press conference, spent Saturday instead in the mountains of Mexico, where he trains. His unexpected absence only helped fuel the fire to an intense, heated rivalry that goes back several years. More...

One day before Vic Darchinyan risks his world super flyweight belts against former world champion Jorge Arce on Showtime, undefeated Andre Ward will defend his NABO super middleweight title against Henry Buchanan on Friday, Feb. 6, on ShoBox.

The ShoBox event, presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions, will originate from The Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino at Lemoore, Calif.

The only boxer from the United States to capture a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games, Ward, of Oakland, Calif., will bring a record of 17-0 with 12 knockouts into the 12-round main event. This will be his third appearance on ShoBox. More...

Before fan favorite Vic Darchinyan, 31-1-1 (25) puts his IBF, WBC and WBA super flyweight titles on the line against the popular, crowd pleasing Jorge Arce, 51-4-1 (39), on February 7, 2009, boxing fans will feast on a spectacular co-feature that will no doubt whet their appetite for the main event later that evening.

No. 5 ranked WBC lightweight challenger Antonio DeMarco, 19-1-1 (13), will take on “Kid Diamond” Almazbek Raiymkulov, 27-1-1 (15), in a 12-round lightweight bout for the NABO title on Saturday, February 7, live on Showtime Championship Boxing on Showtime t 9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast. More...

Rafael “El Torito“ Concepcion, 12-3, returns to the ring February 3 against former world champion Kermin Guardia, 37-8, in Brooklyn, New York.

This will be Concepcion’s second fight back since his enthralling battle with Jorge Arce last September in Mexico and he has his sights firmly set on becoming world champion again. More...

World Super Flyweight Champion Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan weighed in at 123.6 pounds for his WBC mandated 30-day weigh-in, well below the maximum limit of 127 pounds. The weight was certified for the WBC by Gary Soo, M.D.

Luis M. Escalona, Chairman of the WBC Safety Committee, informed promoters Gary Shaw Productions and Top Rank, that WBA interim super flyweight champion Jorge "Travieso" Arce had yet to furnish his required 30-day weigh-in result. More...

Gary Shaw Productions and Top Rank announced today that the championship doubleheader featuring the rumble between World Super Flyweight Champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan and WBA interim super flyweight champion Jorge “Travieso” Arce, and the NABO lightweight championship battle between top contenders Antonio DeMarco and Almazbek “Kid Diamond” Raiymkulov, will take place Saturday, February 7 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. More...

Jorge Arce, one of boxing’s most brash talkers, is no longer clamoring for a fight against WBC super bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez. Arce has now set his sights on WBC/WBA/IBF super flyweight champion Vic “The Raging Bull” Darchinyan.

“Vazquez had his shot, but he waited too long to make a decision and quite frankly, I think he was scared of the match up,” Arce said. “I can only hope that Darchinyan won’t run for the hills like Vazquez did.” More...

World super flyweight champion Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan is ready to give WBA interim super flyweight champion Jorge Arce, 51-4-1 (38) a shot at his titles.

Darchinyan, 31-1-1 (25), from Sydney, Australia by way of his native Vanadzok, Armenia, responded to the challenge Arce made to him today. More...

Tired of the continuous taunting and excessive calls to fight, World Boxing Council Junior Featherweight Champion and “Pound for Pound” candidate Israel Vazquez has agreed to former world champion Jorge Arce’s demands to fight.

“It’s getting ridiculous, at first when he started calling me out I didn’t take him seriously but this has been going on for over a year now, always the same thing with him. It’s like being in a schoolyard with the little guy egging on the bigger kid. Trust me, Jorge, I am not only bigger but better. More...