VIC SAYS, “I NEVER FELT HURT” VS. “BALLET DANCER” Union City, NJ- This past Saturday night, Nonito Donaire (18-1, 11 KOs) strutted into the ring with the clear vision of his opponent, master power puncher and then IBF & IBO flyweight (112 lbs.) champion Vic Darchinyan (28-1, 25 KOs), sprawled out limply on the canvas, as everyone outside of his family and nuclear community laughed their way out of the squared circle of his dreams. Donaire, with the frame of a pedestrian super flyweight and a superior ability in the weight class below, proposed to himself the goal of making Darchinyan, who had verbally thrown everything but the kitchen sink at Donaire and his older brother Glenn (16-3-1, 9 KOs) in the pre-fight media war, swallow his taunting words. Glenn Donaire fell prey to Darchinyan’s insults as a result of their meeting last October, where Darchinyan shattered Glenn’s jaw with his heavy hands. While the younger Donaire got Vic to digest a tremendous amount of punishment and swallow what appeared to be a bit of his own blood by the fifth round of their encounter, Nonito failed to achieve the ultimate objective of his adventure in the ring. ”LITTLE VIC” ON DRUGS, OR JUST KTFO? “I feel good… I don’t feel I was hurt,” Darchinyan responded to the concerned ringside interviewer asking him if he was alright with the dim hope of getting any response at all, and completely caught off-guard by Darchinyan’s egregious state of denial. Donaire, however, did not fall under the shock treatment of Darchinyan’s defense mechanism: head stuck out like a fighting rooster and arms cocked to the sides like crab claws, his defense relies almost completely on the fact that his opponents find it hard to believe he leaves himself so wide open, thus deceiving them into keeping a comfortable distance for Vic. By the middle of the first round, it was clear that Vic, in fact, does leave himself completely open, a la Prince Naseem Hamed (36-1, 31 KOs), and Donaire had figured it out. With the only flash of Darchinyan’s monstrous power present in the second round, by the following round the audience witnessed a facet of Darchinyan never previously viewed in the ring—a vulnerable one. Donaire sealed the deal by the fifth. A RUSSIAN WITH PLENTY OF CHUTZPAH! Vic announced his post-fight pristine condition after struggling to stand up for about ten minutes before the interview could take place, later returning to typical form and hounding Donaire for a rematch. The magnanimous Donaire—who Vic referred to as a “ballet dancer just like his brother”—with the patient air of a medical assistant tending to an inhabitant of a nursing home, pleasantly took the time to explain the concept of managers, promoters, and overall bureaucracy, promising a rematch with his manager’s approval, all business interactions apparently foreign to the post-knockout Darchinyan. Failing to curb his in-fight ferocity, Darchinyan responded by completely ignoring the explanation and lengthening his barely coherent harangue on rematches until his corner waved a red flag in the Raging Bull’s eyes all the way to the hospital. GOT TO MENTION YOU KNOW WHO! One must question whether ranking the cockiness of self-proclaimed Greatest of All Time Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (38-0, 24 KOs) above Vic Darchinyan’s glosses over the situation, or demonstrates a prejudice embedded in the false belief that ego is proportional to body size, talent, and in-fight excitement. It is almost impossible to imagine the former denying such lucid match results in such a violent and vehement fashion. While we have never seen Mayweather in the unfavorable end of a decision, demonstrating skepticism in a certain judge’s competence is one thing; eliminating the possibility of sustaining damage after falling nearly comatose is quite another. However, it is as undeniable as Darchinyan’s crushing defeat that arrogance outside the ring usually translates to excitement within it; this has been the case of Darchinyan and, detractors aside, Mayweather, as well as unorthodox predecessor Prince Naseem Hamed and a man with an actual claim to the title of Greatest of All Time—Mohammed Ali (56-5, 37 KOs). GOOD BIGGER MAN SMOKES GOOD LITTLE GUY Humility, however, also goes a long way. Nonito Donaire, while tasting a victory directly resulting from Darchinyan’s small size and not any proportional deficiency on the Armenian’s part, exhibited an unparalleled graciousness in his victory and rises above many of his compatriots who serve as role models for their people with dubious financial and political histories. He openly admits that Darchinyan’s miniscule frame was a pleasant surprise after fighting opponents that averaged 120 lbs; Darchinyan’s heaviest opponent, Puna Eminent, while weighing in at 126 lbs, also held a record of 0-3-1 (Donaire’s biggest opponent, Paulino Villalobos, held a record of 26-36-2, with 16 KOs—much more experience). DONAIRE ADMITS THE “SIZE” ADVANTAGE While he proudly upholds his victory, Donaire acknowledges that had he not have been a super flyweight by nature, he would not have been able to defeat his opponent. This sincerity, professionalism, and positive attitude, especially in the face of such a violent opponent as Darchinyan, does a service to the boxing community and the Philippine community as a whole, which has suffered for too long the yoke of a role model with the type of sinister demeanor and behavior that spills over to his fans, who soak up the senseless violence of vulgarity like sponges. Following Donaire’s lead in the class and etiquette department, and Darchinyan’s in that of flair, the lower classes are in good hands.
