Former Mexican champion Jorge Arce.
LAS VEGAS — The excitement was escalating, the crowd was filling the hall and as Manny Pacquiao made his way to the stage for his fan rally at the Mandalay Bay’s convention center here, a man in the front row waved frantically at the Filipino champion.
He looked like one of the enthusiastic fans; he blended well with the thick crowd.
But instantly, Pacquiao recognized four-division champion Jorge Arce, the Mexican warrior who is known for his ruthlessness inside the ring. The Filipino reached out to Arce and the two shared a hug as cameras flashed.
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“My heart is for Pacquiao,” Arce, who lost his World Boxing Council featherweight title six months ago, told INQUIRER.net later.
“Pacquiao’s too fast,” he said.”Mayweather’s going to try to move side to side but Manny’s going to knock him out,” Arce added, as he clenched his battle-scarred fists.
The 35-year-old Arce, who has an entertaining ring walk where he wears a cowboy hat while sucking a lollipop, will also be remembered by Filipinos as the one who got knocked out by Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire three years ago.
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Arce also dropped by Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s event at the nearby MGM Grand Garden Arena, which will also serve as the site of the super fight on Saturday night, to show support for his compatriot and unbeaten bantamweight and super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz.