Jhonny Gonzalez vs. Jorge Arce: Winner, Recap and Analysis

In a battle between two of the most recognizable Mexican boxers of their era, Jhonny Gonzalez toppled Jorge Arce in the 11th round via technical knockout to retain his WBC featherweight title belt.

Gonzalez started modestly but controlled the pace from the onset and used his reach and size superiority to his advantage early and often. He put his foot on the gas pedal in Round 3, knocking Arce down multiple times and opening up a cut over his left eye—an early hole the wily and resilient Arce couldn't overcome.

A fight that very well could have ended in four rounds went 11, but there was little doubt as the bout wore on that Gonzalez's title belt was safe as could be. 

But though the win was hardly in question, Gonzalez let up considerably in the latter rounds and refused to put away his opponent—often looking like he didn't much mind whether the fight went the distance or not.

Perhaps he was trying to show Arce respect as he fought in the opponent's hometown. Maybe he was just tired and didn't want to leave himself exposed. But it took the referee stepping in during Round 11 for this one to be brought to a close.

Saturday's showdown made for quite the assembly of career achievements for the two longtime standouts. The duo entered the fight with 96 career knockouts and 120 victories among them. 

While staying confident in his own abilities, Gonzalez admitted heading into the bout what the above stat proves—it was sure to be a memorable fight.

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“From the moment the bell rings to start the first round, I strongly advise you, don’t miss a beat," Gonzalez said, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. "The fight could end at any moment, but however long it lasts, it will be war. We will win. I’m bigger, and I have more reach. Our training is what will bring the win this Saturday."

If they were going for a war-like feel, it didn't come to the surface in the opening rounds.

Despite coming in as a huge favorite with aspirations to end the fight early, Gonzalez refused to set the tempo in Round 1. He remained defensive and allowed Arce to be the aggressor, seeming to rely on his size and reach advantage for any opportunities for early strikes.

Things didn't change much heading into Round 2. While it was obvious Gonzalez had enough spunk to keep Arce at bay, he remained calm and waited for his chances, as Boxing360 describes:

After setting Arce up slowly through the opening two rounds and not finding much success, it was apparent he was simply waiting around for his chance to pounce. That came in Round 3.

The fight started to open up with Gonzalez beginning to attack his overmatched opponent, and he unleashed his full arsenal of brutal hooks and effective jabs to bloody up Arce. The 35-year-old couldn't hold on for long, being sent to the floor twice before the Round 3 bell saved him, as Boxing-Hype.com noticed:

To make matters worse, Arce walked away from the round with a bad cut over his left eye that seemed to open up at the start of every following round. 

He may not have been worse for wear and continued plucking away, but Arce was proving by Rounds 4 and 5 that he was no match for Gonzalez's sheer tactical skill and advantage in length, as Patrick Connor of Queensberry Rules noted:

Arce didn't go down without a fight, even with the loss being all but inevitable. He landed a couple of crushing blows to Gonzalez in the fifth round, but they were quickly shaken off as Gonzalez rallied to send Arce crashing to the canvas again just before the Round 5 bell.

After looking moments away from wrapping it up for the second time already, Gonzalez again opted to take his foot off the gas. With Arce stumbling and Gonzalez still holding a massive edge, Rounds 6, 7 and 8 passed with nothing more than scrapping. 

Gonzalez regained his pace in Round 9, sending Arce to the canvas again and even convincing the referee to attempt stopping the fight. But on it went, after Arce implored the official, per Boxing360:

The 33-year-old looked happy to cruise to a win in 12 rounds, but Arce made no secret that he wanted the best from Gonzalez. Instead, the victor decided to stop pushing and stay content with a decision victory, per Connor:

As if he needed any further establishment, Gonzalez again proved his worth late in his boxing career. Saturday's victory marks his fifth straight win and his 17th in his last 18 appearances. It was his sixth successful defense of the WBC featherweight title—going back to his run from 2011 to 2012.

While Saturday's result might not compare to his upset over Abner Mares or successful defense of the title against Clive Atwell, notching another impressive victory over a living Mexican legend in his hometown was huge for Gonzalez.

On the other hand, it's hard to tell exactly where the result leaves Arce. He entered Saturday with three consecutive victories after retiring following a 2012 loss to Nonito Donaire, but none of his opponents could hold a candle to Gonzalez, and that showed throughout the fight.

Saturday's fight may have pegged two Mexican boxing greats who are past their prime, but only one of the two remains a heavy hitter in contention for world titles. That man is Jhonny Gonzalez.