THERE was a time when the name Vic Darchinyan (37-5, 27KOs) was synonymous with highlight reel knockouts.
Circa 2006, he lorded it over the flyweight division as its resident bully. Known for an awkward southpaw stance, ?The Raging Bull? was a feared knockout artist who brutalized the likes of Irene Pacheco, Luis Maldonado and our very own Diosdado ?Prince? Gabi.
But my, getting old can indeed be a drag.
Last Sunday, Vic was outfought by Shinsuke Yamanaka, a young and untested Japanese who turned pro only in 2006.
Almost unbelievable if you consider that in just a span of 6 years from that apex, Darchinyan is now on the slippery slope of his storied career.
In that bout, Yamanaka was hardly intimidated by the ?Raging Bull? and irreverently engaged him toe-to-toe on several occasions in their WBC bantamweight title brawl.
Currently, Darchinyan is on a two-fight losing skid and is a paltry 2-3 in his last five fights dating back to 2010. His last stoppage win came against journeyman Tomas Rojas in 2009.
Maybe the sting in those punches is gone, defused by his mounting number of losses? Maybe the scent of intimidation has eviscerated or maybe his opponents have figured him out style-wise?
Whatever the case, I don?t think we will be seeing that Nonito Donaire rematch anytime soon.
RING KINGS. It?s all set for Miguel Cotto?s date with destiny on Cinco de Mayo against Floyd ?Pretty Boy? Mayweather Jr.
Predictably, Floyd Jr. is pegged as the heavy favorite and rightfully so. I?ve said it before and I?ll say it again. Cotto is not the fighter he once was and has lost the snarl that once defined him.
I see the faster Floyd Jr. picking him apart with accurate snipes and counter-right hands and eventually bloodying him up en route to a late TKO victory.
But if there?s anything going for Cotto in this battle is that he seems to perform better against boxers and counter-punchers than against pressure fighters.
Though he won his last outing against Antonio Margarito, he did so unimpressively as he refused to be goaded into exchanges and was clearly mortified of Margarito?s brutish ways.
Ditto in the Ricardo Mayorga battle where he looked uncomfortably vulnerable to the feral Mayorga?s wild right hands.
Perhaps he will find the smaller Floyd Jr. a more inviting target to prime his offensive arsenal the way he did against Zab Judah and Shane Mosely.
In terms of speed, the Pacquiao loss would also be a good metric to measure Cotto?s chances against fleet-footed Floyd.
Cotto was doing well in the first few rounds but when the exchanges ensued, he found himself just a little slower than the Pacman, and those minute disadvantages in speed can mean the difference between a win and a devastating knockout-loss.
Though he often engaged simultaneously with Pacquiao, the latter always landed first and with greater accuracy. I expect more of the same with the Mayweather encounter.
I think a more palatable match-up on the same card is Shane Mosely (46-7, 39KOs) vs. undefeated knockout artist Canelo Alvarez (39-0, 29KOS), unless of course Sugar Shane shames himself again and brings a bicycle to the fight, the way he did against Manny.
HE SAID IT. ?Accept that fight and choose me. I would really appreciate it if you give me that chance?-Mercito Gesta?s message to Juan Manuel Marquez (ESNewsReporting.com).
LAST ROUNDS. Are on our dapper SAC president John Pages and a dear friend, Liezl A. Siu, who both celebrate their birthdays this week. Cheers!
