This weekend while covering a Marquez vs. Diaz fight in Houston, I discovered that Mexican fans love Vic Darchinyan despite the fact that he demolished two of their favorite proud champions, Christian Mijares and Jorge Arce, one after the other.
One of Vic’s trainers from Australia, Angelo Hyder, who was a cut man for Chris John defending featherweight title against Rocky Juarez, was running around Houston wearing “The Raging Bull” Vic Darchinyan t-shirt. Fans kept stopping Angelo and asking questions about Vic and expressing their admiration and respect for the Armenian banger who calls Australia his home today. Why do Mexican fans love Darchinyan, because he fights like a Mexican. “He is a real fighter,” said Hyder: “he throws punches to hurt you.”
Besides Mexican fans, Showtime loves Vic Darchinyan; they are happy to televise all of his upcoming fights and why not? All of his bouts feature violence, sustained action, drama and blood. So what’s next for the unified super flyweight champion of the world?
After his latest conquest, a brutal one sided destruction of Jorge Arce, Vic feels he should be recognized as an elite fighter. “I think I?ve got to be in the top ten pound for pound,” said Darchinyan: “But I don’t want to be just top ten, I want to be closer to number one.” If I am not mistaken, by the time this article gets published Vic will take the number 10 spot on a mystical pound for pound list of 411mania.com. He has earned it, by developing a crowd pleasing and very technically sound boxing style that incorporates combination punching offence and movement defense.
Vic just might become only the second boxer in history of Australia, after Jeff Fenech, to win world titles in three different weight divisions; after unifying titles at super flyweight he is moving up to antamweight. “Montiel actually got in the ring and challenged Vic after the Arce fight,” said Elias Nassar, Darchinyan’s manager. Mexico’s Fernando Montiel is a great challenge for Vic. He has been impressing American fight fans lately with sharp boxing skills and a new found desire to mix it up.
Showtime expressed an interest in staging a fight in Australia, but Vic prefers to fight in America. What about staging a fight in Armenia? Vic’s popularity in Armenia is reaching epidemic proportions; he is becoming an iconic figure. Do I dare to compare him to one Manny Pacquiao, yes I do. Vic might fill up a soccer stadium in Yerevan if Gary Shaw would take a chance and do it.
Other opponents that are being considered for Vic’s next bout are Africa’s IBF bantamweight champion and a very strong fighter, Joseph Agbeko and WBC champion from Japan, Hozumi Hasegawa, who is not a household name in America, but still a very tough out. Whoever his next opponent will be, the 33 year old champion has a very aggressive schedule; he wants to fight three more times this year. After conquering the bantamweight division, Darchinyan plans to move up possibly all the way up to featherweight to challenge Mexican ring great, Israel Vasquez, who was on hand at the Arce post fight press conference and expressed an interest in it when the time comes. Is Vasquez too big for Vic? Recent history showed us that size is not everything. Speed and skills can sometimes beat the size advantage and let’s face it: Vic has the speed and the skills. Little big man has to be one of the hardest punchers in the sport, pound for pound. His dreams are just as big as his punches. Let’s hope he can secure some big fights to culminate his career as he wants to be remembered as one of the best in the sport.
