Worst excuse for a loss...eva

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3391132

Jorge Arce was born and raised in Los Mochis, Mexico. He and his family didn't have much.

"When we were growing up, we were very poor," he said. "We had a hard time making ends meet and that's what made me hungry. That's what made me want to make something of myself."

Arce had done a fine job of that as he headed into perhaps the biggest fight of his career in April 2007 against countryman Cristian Mijares.

Arce, a former junior flyweight world champion, challenged Mijares for his super flyweight championship in San Antonio.

Arce said his mind was elsewhere. He lost to Mijares by six, eight and 10 points.

Judging by a conversation with Arce on Saturday from Aguascalientes, Mexico, it appears his head is back on straight. He will take on Devid Lookmahanak at Plaza Monumental in Aguascalientes on Saturday. The winner is expected to get a shot at the winner of the Mijares-Alexander Munoz title unification fight that same night in Durango, Mexico.

Arce is the No. 1 challenger to Mijares' belt. Lookmahanak is No. 3.

Arce, 28, is as animated as they come. He speaks with passion, and at a mile a minute. He was in rare form as he talked about the trials and tribulations of the past year.

[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Israel Leal

Jorge Arce, left, admits he wasn't as focused as he should have been for fights in the past.
At the root of his wandering mind, he said, was his fiancée, Karime.

Arce had gone through a messy divorce, and prior to meeting Karime, he surmised he would never again marry. However, as the fight with Mijares approached, Arce and Karime were planning to do just that.

"All I was thinking about at the time was getting married," Arce said. "That's all we wanted to do. I knew that if I beat Mijares, I had other fights coming up. In July, they had promised me [Martin] Castillo. In November, they were talking about [Vic] Darchinyan. And all I kept thinking about was, 'When am I going to get married?' Instead of thinking about when I win this fight what I'm going to do for my career, all I was thinking about was, 'Well, there's not going to be any time to get married.'"

Arce said he talked to a psychologist after the defeat.

"He said, 'You probably didn't put all your emphasis on your career. You were thinking of doing something else,'" Arce said. "Those things happen. You're not focused on what you're doing on that night. But now I'm totally focused. I got married, I have a kid. I'm ready to go."

Arce and Karime were married two months later, in June. A couple of months ago, Karime gave birth to their daughter, who's named after her mother. All is well.


That loss to Mijares was really damaging to everything … I needed to get back to where it would be easier for me to work hard, to the level that I was once. And that's what keeps me motivated. I know I have a daughter now. I think my life is right where it should be.
-- Jorge Arce, on his motivation to get back on top of his game
"That loss to Mijares was really damaging to everything," said Arce, 2-0 with two knockouts since then. "My psyche was damaged. So I needed to get back to where it would be easier for me to work hard, to the level that I was once at. And that's what keeps me motivated. I know I have a daughter now. I think my life is right where it should be."

Trainer Javier Capetillo will be working his third fight with Arce (48-4-1, 37 KOs). He said he is convinced of Arce's renewed dedication.

"I really believe he's as hungry as he's ever been," Capetillo said. "I know how bad he wants a world title again. And if he met Mijares again, I think he'd be more than ready. And I think he'd knock him out. This is only my third fight with him, but I can see how much he wants this."

There is no guarantee Mijares is going to beat Munoz. Arce went so far as to say he has a feeling Munoz is going to win, and that he will be fighting Munoz next. But Arce won't get a chance to fight either of them if he gazes into the future and past Lookmahanak.

[+] EnlargePaul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Arce, left, was manhandled by Cristian Mijares in a title-losing effort in '07.
"No, no, to the contrary," Arce said. "I know how big these fights are. I know how important they are to where I want to go. And it shows because I've been working really hard. I'm only a pound over weight right now from where I should be on weight a week from today and that's never happened before."

Moreover, Arce said, he knows next to nothing about Lookmahanak (18-1, 9 KOs). In this case, he said, that's a good thing.

"I don't know what this guy is: A puncher? A boxer? I have no idea what he is," Arce said. "I don't know if he can take a punch, if he can't. It makes me work a lot harder because I don't want any surprises."

Arce suffered a disheartening loss to Michael Carbajal in July 1999. Arce was way ahead on points, then was shockingly stopped in the 11th round, losing his junior flyweight championship belt. He recovered nicely and three years later won another junior flyweight world title with a sixth-round stoppage of Yo-Sam Choi.

But eight years later, he was back at Heartbreak Hotel after his lopsided loss to Mijares.

It's a place Arce doesn't ever want to visit again. But it might be difficult to avoid. If he gets past Lookmahanak, a fight with Mijares or Munoz looms.

Arce has also been talking about a potential fight with Israel Vazquez, the terrific 122-pound champion from Los Angeles via Mexico City.

Since Arce had such a tough time matching up with a 115-pound champion in Mijares, it seems beating Vazquez would be an almost impossible task. But not to Arce.

"I think he's not much bigger than I am physically," said Arce, who, at 5-foot-6, is about an inch taller than Vazquez. "And I think that's why it will make a great fight. I think our styles will mesh."

Capetillo went a step further.

"Physically, I know he can make 122 and be real strong at [that weight]," Capetillo said of Arce. "The key to the whole thing is that Vazquez has been in a lot of wars. He's been in really tough fights and Arce hasn't. And I think that makes it about a 90 percent chance of winning the fight. I really do believe he can win it."

Vazquez's manager, Frank Espinoza, said Sunday that he is interested in a fight with Arce. But he scoffed at Capetillo's words.

"Trainers can say this, trainers can say that," Espinoza said. "But at the end of the day it's just those two guys fighting. I believe Israel would impose his strength. He is just the bigger guy."

 

I think Angel Manfredy discounting a loss because he "felt spacey" that night will always be near the top of the list.

 

Someone mentioned an excuse Vinny Pazienze used in another thread. Something about caffeine.

 

Yeah manfredy's was better, so was oscar's oysters.

Most people felt "spacey" after taking a flush Chico left hook. What a fucking pleb Manfredy was ::

Still, I like Arce, but what a load of shit, Mijares would beat him again, no problem.

 

manfredy was a sore loser. always has been. same goes for leija who blamed it on some injury that supposedly occured before every fight he lost.

 

i think Arces excuse is just fine... he overlooked him and thinks he's better than Mijares - it's dumb and a wrong assumption but in that regards the excuse makes sense and isn't that bad.


Much worse: Roy Jones lost because of the hurricane and because he didn't want his dad to get all the credit... ::

 

IMO.. NOTHING tops Vinny's "mis-timed my coffee" ::

Oscar's "I ate some bad shellfish" is a close 2nd

then I'd prolly go with.. "I was thinking about getting married" :doh: :: :laughing:

I love excuses! I know some guys hate it but to me it is pure entertainment.. I love them

I was just talking with a friend last night about this.. we were talking about Holy.. you know.. according to Holy.. he has NEVER lost a fight unless he was sick or hurt::

 

:laughing: that is a great one:laughing:

 

Nothing is more pathetic than the Tito groupies saying that Tito lost to Hopkins cause of 9/11.

 

Ricardo Williams blamed his loss on his walk to the ring. I can only imagine what he told the judge when asked about why he had cocaine.

 

Wlad and the vasoline

 

Arce is such a joke. I can't wait until he steps into the ring with another good fighter and loses badly again.

 

Not to mention Bernard Hopkins' own bit of terrorism the night of the fight.::

 

but what if he is thinking about somthing else?:dunno:

 

Pac-man and the socks is a pretty good one. ::

Who was it that blamed the ring for a loss? Was it Joppy when he got KO'd by Tito?

 

No, it was qwerty when Joppy got KO'd by Tito :: ::

 

LOL! Seriously? I thought Joppy himself said it, maybe you're right. ::

 

Hector Camacho Sr. said his performance against Rosario (I think) was hurt because his mother gave him an angry look in the dressing room and it affected him all night long.

It was his mother's angry stare, not El Chapo's left hook.

 

My favorite excuse ever is from George Foreman, in his autobiography By George.

After going through the "funny water" excuse, he says during the fight that he had Ali on the ropes and was about to knock Ali out. However, he saw a friend in the audience cheering for Ali. Seeing a disloyal friend hurt his concentration and bothered him when he was about to knock out Ali once and for all.

::

 

I always liked how every loss Shane had is usually due to his back tightening up::

 

REED Never Heard Ali Say it HIMSELF, but Many have Accused him of LOSING to Leon Spinks ON PURPOSE...


REED:dunno:

 

I remember hearing Ali mention the claim and say it was false.

 

One thing I'll never understand.. and this of course is because I'm not a fighter.. but when you have a guy who is CLEARLY past his best, like Jones against Johnson, Holyfield against everyone for the last decade, Ali late in his career.. during a post fighter interview, these guys will never admit to the excuse which is obvious, true, and understandable.. the one excuse which is undeniable and upholds the greatness of their prime years.. they will never admit that they are simply too old, and past it. Why ??

 

I think it's a tough thing to admit that you are washed up D Man

 

They're in denial. They've been fighting for a long time and don't want to believe that they're done.

I read an article where Peter Manfredo was sparring with Vinny Pazienza recently, and Paz was doing well, considering his age. Manfredo complimented him and said "you're doing so well now, you must've been something during your prime" and Paz got mad at him for saying that.

 

Paz must be short on cash:dunno:

 

Do you think Arce thinks about the other guy naked while in the ring? :eeeek:

 

Probably not as much as you do.

 

LOL! beat me to it.

 

:eeeek: wtf??

i bet if you were in there boxing you'd be trying to measure it with your eyes to se if he was as big as your 4 and a half incher