Photo by Dominic Serna
Note: Arce’s April 2 fight was cancelled at the very last minute and he will now fight on the May 7 edition of “La Fight Club.”
“We look forward to moving up slowly but surely,” said a confident Nick Arce as he prepares to fight for a third time as a professional on the April 2 edition of Golden Boy Promotions‘ “LA Fight Club,” which will be at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, California.
The 18-year-old native of Los Angeles is excited about fighting in his hometown for the first time since turning professional in November, but because of his ability to draw crowds of over 200 people to his first two fights, he will already be used to hearing people chanting his name.
“I’m extremely excited to fight here in Los Angeles because the venue is only a 15-minute drive from the gym,” said Arce as he sat on the edge of a boxing ring at the Westside Boxing Club, where he has spent endless hours developing his skills under the guidance of the Saucedo Brothers.
The Belasco Theater is indeed close to home, and Arce relishes this fact as he leans against the ropes of the ring after a tiring workout to tell us about his next bout, which won’t require an almost thee-hour drive the way his first two fights did.
Arce is usually moody a week before the fight due to a combination of strict dieting and twice a day workouts, but an air of confidence and positivity surrounds Featherweight boxer as he closes camp for a third time.
“I feel no pressure because I know everything is going to go well and because we’ve been training hard. We’re going to go there with a positive mindset,” said Arce, who is growing accustomed to the lifestyle of a professional boxer.
“The training is a little harder and it’s a little tougher. It’s a whole different ballgame in the pros because you have to go in there with a smarter mindset than in the amateurs,” said Arce.
One thing Arce appreciates is the fact that he now has an entire day to recover from a weigh-in, whereas in the amateurs he only had roughly three hours and would sometimes have to weigh in again the very next day.
“In the amateurs you’d have to make weight every day and now it’s just making weight one day and you have a whole day to recover, and that’s the good thing,” said Arce, before making plans as to what he’ll eat after weighing-in.
Arce tells me he wants to go to an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant. I nod in agreement.
Despite Going to College, Boxing Is His First Priority
Like many his age, Arce is balancing a life between school and work, but nevertheless prioritizes his professional career.
As a student of West Los Angeles College in Culver City, Arce has his eyes set on a vocational degree and that means sometimes having to do homework after a day of training.
“Sometimes it’s stressful because at times I have to do papers on days that I have to train or do an interview, but I balance it out. Sometimes it takes stress off the fight,” said Arce.
This past Thursday, for instance, Arce was interviewed by the popular radio show host Eddie “El Piolin” Sotelo. Later that day, he participated in a media workout in his home gym along with Everton Lopes and Julian Ramirez, who will also fight on Thursday’s card.
After the two media events, Arce still had a small workout to finish before heading home to work on an essay that was due the following Monday.
It was, needless to say, a busy week for the young man, but when asked about what was more important, Arce had no doubts about it: Boxing.
Boxing his first priority, and he and his team are behind him in ensuring his success.
Staying Smart with a Strong Team
Arce has stopped both of his two opponents, but nevertheless plans to continue developing his skills in the ring.
“We’ve been working on our boxing, going back to the basics, scoring points and showing the people our footwork and our hand speed,” said Arce, who has taken an intelligent approach to the ring.
Jose and Nacho Saucedo–the Saucedo brothers–have trained and molded Arce since he first walked into the gym, and have stressed the importance of staying smart in a violent sport.
Jose, the older of the two Brothers, was happy with his first two fights, but notes that there is always room for improvement.
“His progress is going well. There were errors that we saw in the two fights and we are correcting them,” said Jose.
The team knows that a career in professional boxing means that the learning never ends and that each fight comes with something new to work on.
“The errors we saw most were that he kept dropping his hands and that he has to work better with his aggression. He needs to use his jab a bit more because he has a long reach and he needs to stay calm,” said Jose.
Indeed, in his second fight, Arce scored a quick knockdown in the first round, but a got a bit reckless after seeing his opponent go down so quickly.
It took a round before Arce began to relax again before systematically stopping his opponent. Arce looked good, but his trainers promise an even better performance in his next fight.
“With each fight he’ll be progressing even more, and in this third fight you’ll see more changes,” said Jose.
Photo by Golden Boy Promotions
Arce doesn’t just have a strong backing in the corner, but also has a growing fanbase in the Los Angeles Area.
Nacho, the younger of the two brothers, notes that there is an entire team that makes sure he has a full crowd behind him when he steps in the ring.
“It’s the work of the entire team,” said Nacho, “the entire team comes together so that Nick can be that popular. With the work of the managers, the gym, the name of the gym—all of that makes a great team and that’s how he got so popular.”
“And also,” Jose interjected, “because he’s down to earth and charismatic.”
Arce does have the charisma and the look to be a future star, but knows that there is more work ahead.
The mantra “slowly but surely” works well for Arce and the Saucedo Brothers. The year looks promising for the team, and it motivates them to work even harder.
“In 2015, we expect him to get better and to continue to mature in the ring,” concluded Jose.
