VIC DARCHINYAN may have suffered his first professional career loss and lost his world title, but that doesn?t mean he?ll be ripe for the picking when he squares off with Cebu-native Z Gorres in their title fight on Feb. 2.
The 32-year-old US-born southpaw was recently named by Ring Magazine as among its Top 10 punchers in the world, proof that he remains a very dangerous opponent for Gorres.
Darchinyan, the former International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight champion, carries a ring record of 29-1, including 23 by KOs.
He?s expected to plane in to the country on Saturday, a week before the 12-round slugfest at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel and Casino.
Manager Elias Nasser and trainer Billy Hussein, brother of boxers Nadel and Hussein Hussein, will accompany Darchinyan in his first trip to the country.
Solar Sports, in cooperation with ABC-5, will be airing the title fight at 8 p.m. where the winner will have a chance at meeting Russian Dmitro Kirilov for the IBF super-flyweight championship.
“We are very thrilled with the way Vic has prepared for this fight,” Nasser said. “He is very confident of scoring a big win and I think the Filipinos are in for one hell of a night.”
Darchinyan defended his IBF 112-pound title four straight times from 2004.
He lost his championship belt over Filipino Nonito Donaire Jr. in Connecticut, USA last year after absorbing a crushing left hook in the fifth round.
He bounced back from the sorry loss with a 12-round win over RP fighter Federico Catubay.
Gorres, who has a 27-2-1 record with 15 KOs, is unfazed by the reputation of his fearsome rival.
“Matagal kong hinintay ito and I?m ready to show what exactly I can do,” Gorres said, whose first attempt at winning a world crown ended up in a controversial split decision to World Boxing Organization (WBO) super-flyweight champion Fernando Montiel of Mexico.
