If Vic Darchinyan is the ?Raging Bull,? then Z Gorres will be the matador in their IBF superflyweight title eliminator at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino ballroom in Cebu City on Feb. 2.
That?s how ALA stable owner Tony Aldeguer views how the much-awaited fight will unravel.
?Gorres won?t go for a knockout,? said Aldeguer the other day. ?He?ll outbox and outfight Darchinyan. If there?s an opportunity to score a knockout, then he?ll take it from there. Gorres is very calm and confident of winning. He?s focused. I?ve never seen him as determined to win.?
Aldeguer said the 25-year-old Gorres has studied Darchinyan?s style carefully on tape.
?We?ve got six of Darchinyan?s fights on tape,? continued Aldeguer. ?Gorres knows his tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. He analyzed what Darchinyan did in his last fight against (Federico) Catubay. That?s our gauge. We won?t reveal what Gorres plans to do but he?s got Darchinyan all figured out.?
Darchinyan, 32, floored Catubay, an ALA fighter, in the seventh and 11th rounds before finishing him off in the 12th in Sydney last October. It was the Australian?s first outing since losing the IBF flyweight crown to Nonito Donaire in Connecticut last July. The fight also marked his debut in the 115-pound ranks. The win raised Darchinyan?s record to 29-1, with 23 KOs, compared to Gorres? 27-2-1, with 15 KOs.
Aldeguer said Gorres? confidence got a boost after he faced WBO superflyweight titlist Fernando Montiel and former WBC lightflyweight champion Eric Ortiz.
?Everybody knows Gorres beat Montiel except two judges didn?t think so and Gorres stopped Ortiz,? said Aldeguer. ?Gorres realizes what?s on the line. Darchinyan is his stepping stone to a world title. Gorres respects Darchinyan as a former world champion and a dangerous opponent because of his knockout power but he?s ready to win.?
Aldeguer said the excitement surrounding the bout, dubbed ?Now or Never,? is unprecedented in the history of Cebu boxing. Tickets are selling briskly and Aldeguer said he expects a full house.
?Fans usually buy tickets a day before or the day of the fight,? said Aldeguer. ?But in this case, fans started to buy tickets about three weeks ago. The first two rows of the VIP section were sold out on the first day tickets went on sale.?
The lowest-priced ticket is P300 for the mezzanine. Other ticket prices are P500, P1,500, P2,000, P2,250, P2,500 and P3,000. The ballroom has a seating capacity of 3,000.
?We?re expecting a war,? said Aldeguer. ?Darchinyan is convinced he?ll win by knockout. But Gorres is out to prove him wrong.?
Darchinyan is arriving in Cebu from Sydney tonight with an entourage of six, including trainer Billy Hussein and Donaire?s next challenger Hussein Hussein. In his career, he has fought only in Australia and the US so the Philippines is unfamiliar territory. Darchinyan has so far beaten four Filipinos ? Catubay, Donaire?s brother Glenn, Diosdado Gabi and Silvio Glinogo.
The winner of the eliminator will advance to fight for the IBF 115-pound title, now held by Dimitri Kirilov of Russia.
New Jersey promoter Gary Shaw, who is now in Cebu, said if Darchinyan beats Gorres then captures the IBF crown, a rematch with Donaire will be lined up with the superflyweight title at stake. That would give Donaire a chance to win a second world diadem. Darchinyan will appear in a public workout at the Banilad Town Center on Monday and join Gorres in a press conference at the Caspian Room of the Waterfront Hotel on Wednesday. The weigh-in will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday.
The fight will be aired on ABC-5 and Solar Sports. Donaire will be a guest commentator on the TV coverage panel.
?If Gorres uses his skills, he?ll outbox Darchinyan,? said Donaire. ?But if Darchinyan gets his way in bullying Gorres, he could win by knockout. Styles make fights. If Gorres is able to control the fight with his style, he?ll win for sure. Gorres is a skilled fighter while Darchinyan isn?t. Darchinyan will try to intimidate Gorres. He?s all power. But I don?t think he?ll tag Gorres who?s too slick and quick. Speed will be a decisive factor.?
In Cebu, Donaire will come face to face not only with his victim, Darchinyan, but also his next opponent, Hussein. Donaire will battle Hussein in Dubai on April 4.
