It?s definite ? well, almost. ALA stable owner Tony Aldeguer told The STAR yesterday the IBF superflyweight title eliminator between Z Gorres and Australian Vic Darchinyan is 99 percent confirmed for Feb. 2 in Cebu or Manila, depending on what site is determined by co-promoters ABS-CBN and Viva.
The IBF set a deadline of Feb. 13 for the fight-off to determine the mandatory challenger of newly crowned champion Dimitri (The Baby) Kirilov of Russia. A purse bid was scheduled to involve Darchinyan?s promoter Gary Shaw but the parties came to terms with no difficulty.
Darchinyan?s camp initially tendered an offer for Gorres to fight in Sydney. A consortium of financiers was purportedly assembled to back the bid. But it turned out to be a bluff.
At the onset, Aldeguer accepted Darchinyan?s offer with no conditions. Then, Darchinyan asked if Aldeguer could make the same offer to him for the fight to be held in the Philippines instead.
?I really don?t care where the fight is,? said Aldeguer. ?I leave the negotiations to my son Michael. I?m confident wherever they fight, Gorres will beat Darchinyan, whether it?s in Australia, the US or the Philippines. When Darchinyan?s people sounded me out about fighting here, I made an offer which they quickly accepted. So the fight is on.?
No contract terms were disclosed as Aldeguer mentioned there is a strict confidentiality clause in the agreement.
Aldeguer said Gorres is ready to fight Darchinyan right now.
?Gorres is in excellent condition,? said Aldeguer. ?He?s been sparring with Boom Boom (Bautista) and A. J. (Banal) and you can?t get better sparmates than them. There will be no more purse bidding. The IBF has cancelled it. We?ve got an agreement. After Gorres beats Darchinyan, we?ll go for Kirilov.?
Gorres, 25, was earlier penciled to take on Colombian Jonathan (El Explosivo) Perez in another title eliminator during the WBO convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last Oct. 31. The fight was scrapped when Gorres reportedly came down with a slight sprain in his hand. Sources said there was no upside to the bout as Gorres had to pay his own way to San Juan and fighting a Latino in a Latino convention was too risky, considering his lofty world rating.
Then Gorres was lined up to meet Indonesian Jemmy Gobel in an eight-round exhibition in Mandaue City on Dec. 8. That, too, was cancelled when the IBF ruled against it, citing a provision prohibiting a fighter to engage in a match or exhibition after signing for a future bout sanctioned by the governing body.
Aldeguer said the twin cancellations make no difference.
Shaw, who was in Manila to attend the recent WBC convention, predicted a tough fight for Gorres and Darchinyan.
?It?s 50-50,? said Shaw. ?Both guys are capable of making things happen in the ring. I couldn?t pick a winner. But I see a great fight.?
