FILIPINO BOXER Diosdado Gabi hopes that the winning ways of compatriot Manny Pacquiao will not rub off on his opponent this weekend.
The 26-year-old Gabi (26-2-1, 18 KO’s) collides with Australia-based Armenian Vic Darchinyan in a 12-round world flyweight title fight Saturday morning (Manila time) in California.
In an ironic twist that is expected to create adequate interest among Filipino boxing fans, Darchinyan (24-0, 19 KO’s) is actually a stablemate of Pacquiao as they are both being promoted by Gary Shaw.
Another odd scene is that the southpaw Gabi has American guru and Pacquiao motivator Freddie Roach as his lead trainer for this particular title fight.
Fresh from signing up with the influential Shaw, the 30-year-old southpaw Darchinyan will defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) 112-lb crown for the third time since winning the title two years ago.
This will be Darchinyan’s second American fight and his first under Shaw.
Darchinyan had a grand American ingress on December 2004 in Hollywood, California where he demolished the then-unbeaten Irene Pacheco of Colombia via 11th round stoppage to snatch the IBF crown.
Darchinyan has since defended the crown twice last year in Australia, defeating South African Mzukisi Sikali via 8th round TKO in an IBF/IBO unification match, then stopped Colombian Jair Jimenez in the 5th round.
Just like Darchinyan, this weekend’s title fight to be held at the Chumash Casino Resort in Sta. Ynez will be Gabi’s second US bout.
The Davao-native Gabi, ranked No. 4 in the IBF and No. 2 in the WBC, had a promising debut September of last year in Stockton, California where he scored a 4th round technical decision over Mexican Alfredo Tirado.
Shaw has already trumpeted the title fight as Darchinyan’s coming out party which will be shown on major American television network Showtime and thru Main Event’s Pay-Per-View network in Australia.
Solar Sports has reportedly clinched a deal with Gabi’s handler Mike Koncz and will show the title fight on Philippine TV on a slightly delayed basis.
Confident that the Aussie will triumph over Gabi, Shaw and Darchinyan’s trainer, three-division world champion Jeff Fenech has already issued a challenge to flyweight supremo Jorge Arce of Mexico.
The 26-year-old Arce is the acknowledged superstar of the division and is also being eyed by Hawaiian world champion Brian Viloria, the current world lightflyweight ruler who traces his roots in Ilocos Sur.
Meanwhile, Viloria is expected to arrive today from Japan where he rooted for fellow Olympian Jose Navarro versus world superflyweight king Masamori Tokuyama.
