It may be real or a ploy, but this latest development may benefit Filipino world title challenger Diosdado Gabi to reckon his foe as beatable.
A day before Australia-based Armenian world flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan left for the United States, his trainer and former three-division world champion Jeff Fenech expressed concern about his boxer’s lack of preparation.
“We didn’t have much time in training, so everything has been a bit rushed, it hasn’t been the greatest preparation,” Fenech said while being interviewed by several Australian press at Sydney Airport.
The 30-year-old southpaw Darchinyan headed to the United States last weekend w ere he will defend his crown versus Gabi this Saturday (Manila Time) at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.
Fenech admitted that the unbeaten Darchinyan (24-0, 19 KO’s) only had about a month to prepare for this fight but remains optimistic about their chances of beating the Filipino challenger.
Fenech blames the scenario to the several postponements they encountered for their botched title defense versus Irishman Damaen Kelly.
Darchinyan said that ideally, it will take six weeks for him to prepare for a title fight. He currently holds the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) belts.
But despite the lack of time to prepare for the title defense, Fenech disclosed he did not push his fighter any harder than normal during their four-week drills.
“You can’t push him too hard now, because he’ll be too flat for the fight,” Fenech said.
On the other hand, Gabi has already acclimatized himself in the United States since September of last year.
The 26-year-old Gabi (26-2-1, 18 KO’s), also a southpaw like Darchinyan, has been staying in the residence of his American agent Michael Koncz.
Gabi is also being trained by American guru Freddie Roach, the acknowledged master of Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao.
A win by Gabi will give the country its first official world boxing champion since Pacquiao, despite his superstar status, has yet to claim a regular world title in any alphabet organization.
