By Jake Donovan

It’s the fight that Jhonny Gonzalez and Jorge Arce have sought, yet wanted to wait for the right opportunity to give it the proper showcase it deserves.

Set to the backdrop of more than 10,000 compatriots in Arce’s hometown of Los Mochis, Mexico, the civil war finally gets is proper showcase as the pair of featherweights collide on Saturday evening.

Also on the show, rising super featherweight Adrian Estrella puts his unbeaten record on the line versus former two-division titlist Celestino Caballero.

Gonzalez (56-8, 47KOs) makes the second defense of his second run as a featherweight titlist. The 33-year old landed back in the saddle with a stunning 1st round knockout of then-unbeaten Abner Mares last August, but has been forced to endure a stretch of inactivity due to delays in securing big fights.

A big part of that came with separate delays and an outright cancellation of a scheduled rematch with Mares, who claimed an injury in withdrawing from their planned February clash. The former three-division champ ultimately resurfaced under the Al Haymon banner, having returned to the ring this past July.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez knew better than to wait around and instead went on to face – and beat – unbeaten Clive Atwell in a cut-shortened bout. It was far from his best performance, but Gonzalez – who previously served as a bantamweight titlist before twice winning a belt at featherweight – settled for the win and marched towards the highly anticipated all-Mexico clash with Arce.

Making the fight wasn’t as simple, though it had nothing to do with either fighter holding up progress.

Arce (64-7-2, 49KOs) sought one more big fight upon returning the ring last November, coming out “retirement” following a Dec. ’12 knockout loss to Nonito Donaire. Had the 35-year old superstar – in and out of the ring, having also enjoyed a stint on a Mexican reality show years ago – remained on the sidelines, there would have been plenty of praise heaped upon a career that saw title wins in four weight classes.

Included among the lot was a lengthy run as the lineal junior flyweight king, coming three years after becoming the answer to the trivia question of whom Michael Carbajal rallied to knock out in the final bout of his Hall of Fame career way back in 1999. It was the last loss Arce would suffer for another eight years – and three weight classes – but has endured ups and downs since an Apr. ’07 humbling at the hands of then-super flyweight titlist Cristian Mijares.

A dozen or so years after watching a huge lead evaporate versus Carbajal, Arce found himself in the favorable end of a similar situation. What was supposed to be a coronation for then-unbeaten Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. instead became the Boricua’s worst nightmare, as Arce rallied hard to score a dramatic 12th round stoppage to win a super bantamweight belt.

He has since added a title at bantamweight (however manufactured the circumstances), as he is one of three legendary fighters from Mexico to have claimed title wins in four weight classes. The other two: Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales, with Arce having the opportunity to become the first from his boxing-rich nation to become a champ in five divisions.

That part is enough reason to pursue the opportunity versus Gonzalez, who was always open to the fight. Getting the two to agree to terms was the easy part; securing network rights was another matter. Gonzalez – who fights under the Promociones del Pueblo banner - is under contract with Televisa, while Arce is aligned with TV Azteca as part of Fernando Beltran’s Zanfer Boxing.

A joint effort made it possible for Saturday’s clash to happen, which airs on Televisa in Mexico and beIN Sports Español in the United States.

The last remaining question is whether or not history will be made in the ring on Saturday.

BOXINGSCENE.COM STAFF PREDICTIONS – JHONNY GONZALEZ vs. JORGE ARCE

Ryan Burton (Arce TKO6): My gut says Arce pulls off the upset.

Jake Donovan (Gonzalez TKO3): Arce has never lost in his home state of Sinaloa, and there certainly won’t be any shortage of motivation to go out with a bang. I get the sense that – at 35 and not really a fighting featherweight – he’s outmanned here, but will go out on his shield and perhaps even floor Gonzalez early. That will awake Jhonny, who lets his hands go and stops Arce in a wild yet brief shootout.

Lyle Fitzsimmons (Gonzalez UD): It’ll be entertaining for as long as it lasts, unless one of the guys suddenly ditches the style he’s manifested since the 1990s. Yes, they’ve both fought since the 1990s.

Cliff Rold (Gonzalez KO): Gonzalez is chinny so there is some small element of intrigue but mostly this looks like a fight between a naturally bigger man against a smaller guy who is a) close to shot and b) has usually been badly exposed when he raises his level and isn't being gifted titles (see: Angky Angkota...twice).  Gonzalez should win this by controlling the range and making it surprisingly dull until he finishes matters. 

Alexey Sukachev (Gonzalez TKO4): Arce is an ever-lasting vial of minor miracles (as was his fight against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.) but he will be in tough against Gonzalez, a naturally bigger and younger fighter with a knockout punch. He will destroy Arce pretty fast, landing huge left hands to knock him out.

Anson Wainwright (Gonzalez TKO6): The all-Mexican fight pits Gonzalez who will be looking to make the second successful defense of his WBC 126-pound title against Arce who's bidding to break Mexican records having won titles at 108 (twice), 115, 118 and 122 (plus an interim title reign at 112). Both can punch but I see Gonzalez as the bigger man and as the fight goes along at a brisk pace his punches will mark Arce up. I look for Gonzalez to retain his title and claim the al-important bragging rights with a mid-round stoppage.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox