Round by Round: Jorge Arce vs. Hussein Hussein.

In this WBC flyweight title eliminator, both Arce and Hussein gave their all in front of a capacity crowd inside the MGM Grand, not to mention the millions viewing across the world. It was one of the most entertaining fights seen in a while and definitely a fitting prelude to the main event. Here is what happened in this elimination bout.

Round one: Arce comes out fast and has Hussein hurt quickly. Hussein recovers soon and begins to get his own work going. They both have success in a big exchange. Hussein’s defense is tight and he absorbs a lot of punches on his gloves. Hussein lands a good left hand.

Round two: Hussein boxes well but Arce is fired up. Hussein lands a huge uppercut that startles Arce. Hussein is controlled and is more effective than the wild-swinging Arce. Hussein’s nice combinations are getting the job done as Arce slows and has to eat more Hussein right hands. fullstory

Round three: They both jab. Hussein’s defense is still much better than Arce’s. Hussein fights well off the ropes. It is a good action fight so far. Arce lands a good set of combinations but Hussein comes back, firing off several bursts of combinations of his own.

Round four: Arce is checked by the corner for cut damage. Arce comes back out aggressively. Hussein lands a good right hand but Arce simply calls him in for more. Arce is trying to bully Hussein. Lefts and rights jolt Hussein suddenly. It is a war in the corner as they both go at each other furiously until the end of the round.

Round five: Arce lands a left. They both trade hard off the ropes. Arce’s right hand is effective and he is landing a lot of punches overall. Arce’s cut is checked by the doctor again. They continue to fight after the bell.

Round six: Arce is wild with his punches again but landing more consistently than Hussein. Hussein’s right uppercut lands and it is a good weapon for him in the fight. Arce backs Hussein up. They trade fantastically and both have significant success. Arce is the stronger fighter at this point.

Round seven: Arce’s cuts are checked once more. Hussein jabs and lands some combinations. Arce hits a left and Hussein lands another combination.

Round eight: Hussein comes out strong and goes hunting for Arce. Arce comes back strong. Arce’s right hand is answered by a sharp three-punch combination from Hussein. Hussein begins to take over before Arce dives at him and shakes him with a left hand shot. Arce scores with some huge combinations and Hussein is deducted a point. Arce finished the round in style with a flurry.

Round nine: Hussein’s uppercut lands again. They trade back and forth. Arce lands a big right hand followed by two big trades in which both have their moments. It must be said that Arce looks to get the better of all of the exchanges.

Jim Cawkwell can be reached at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk