By Cliff Rold
Armenian 34-year old lineal World Jr. Bantamweight Champion Vic Darchinyan (34-2-1, 27 KO) of Sydney, Australia, was the first man to unify the IBF (since vacated), WBC and WBA title at 115 lbs. but there’s another first which looms.
Darchinyan would like to avenge his first defeat at the hands of talented Filipino Nonito Donaire.
On Saturday night at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California, Darchinyan did his part to keep the hopes for that rematch alive, boxing to a commanding unanimous decision win over inexperienced but immensely courageous 22-year old challenger Rodrigo Guerrero (13-2-1, 9 KO) of Mexico City, Mexico.
Darchinyan weighed in for the bout at the division limit of 115 lbs., Guerrero a pound under at 114. It was Darchinyan’s third successful defense of the title he unified in 2008, only the second time Darchinyan has been the twelve round distance in fourteen title fights, and the first victory over that span of rounds.
The fight was competitive in the early going.
Guerrero lunged with a left jab and right hand at the start of round one, falling short of the mark with both. The southpaw champion pawed with his right jab and let the youngster get close; Guerrero took advantage with some hammering body shots while Darchinyan backed into the ropes. Darchinyan fired a right uppercut inside but Guerrero took it and showed no fear as the fight moved back to ring center. Darchinyan landed matching pairs of lead left hands in the closing seconds of an entertaining first three minutes.
Guerrero stepped forward and threw first again in round two, nailing Darchinyan with a right uppercut thirty seconds in to stand the champion up. Moments later, it was Guerrero tasting heavy leather, a long left clipping his face and knocking him off balance. The Mexican took a deep breath and immediately returned to the fray. Patiently stalking, Darchinyan came forward with the jab, controlling the middle of the round, knocked off track for just a second with a shot under his right arm inside the final minute. Guerrero blocked a left hand and closed strong with a jarring combination in the last thirty seconds. A left to the body was followed with a right to the head, Darchinyan driven backwards to the ropes. The champion clinched and they each landed form range at the close.
A wild exchange early in the third saw both men land looping but ineffective blows. A left hand at the midway point was anything but ineffective, Darchinyan landing flush but Guerrero didn’t budge. Darchinyan peppered the challenger with a pair of lefts before switching to an orthodox stance and attempting the same hand twice. Back to his southpaw footing, Darchinyan took a right to the body but popped Guerrero back in the head before the bell.
Bombs from both men colored the first minute of the fourth round and the action didn’t let up, Guerrero appearing fazed but responding to some lacing blows with hard lefts in response. An accidental clash of head opened a cut over the right eye of Guerrero and his corner reassured him it was no problem in the corner before the fifth. Guerrero took three stiff lefts to begin the next round but fired back with his right hand, the sight of his own blood not overwhelming him. A left and right in the corner landed for Guerrero but the champion wisely moved back to the middle of the ring, landing the more accurate punches in exchanges until the closing seconds when Guerrero wailed in with three connecting blows to the head of a charging Darchinyan.
The ringside doctor took a look at Guerrero’s cut just after the bell to start the sixth, ruling the challenger fit to continue, referee Ray Corona calling time to return the bout to action. Guerrero’s aggression and left hands pushed Darchinyan to the ropes yet again but Darchinyan calmly worked away from the strands, outboxing Guerrero and mounting the punishment with well timed lefts and rights.
A hammering left whipped the head of Guerrero around, dislodging his mouthpiece in the first minute of the seventh, but again he took the sort of shot which had floored many before him. A left hook and right hand were the sole offensive highlights for Guerrero from there, Darchinyan putting on a clinic of left hand precision to chip away at Guerrero.
A massive left rocked Guerrero early in the eighth but he would not fall, responding with a left of his even as Darchinyan added blows to the body and head. Another slashing left for Darchinyan and Guerrero charged harder, the champion clinching before Guerrero let loose with a bevy of shots near the ropes, all but a left to the body blocked by the champion. A left the uppercut blasted Guerrero, twisting him face first towards the ropes but the Mexican battler spun and gave more chase. Darchinyan landed another uppercut off the ropes and a long left in the middle of the ring seconds later, but Guerrero just kept coming, eating shots while winging hopeful lefts and rights.
The doctor checked on Guerrero after round eight, worried about the punishment he was taking. Guerrero responded that he was fine, that he was “going to be the new World Champion.” It was bold talk for a fighter who’d lost almost every round but there he was at the bell, jumping forward with two left hooks.
Darchinyan stepped away from both, the most uneventful round of the night unfolding as Darchinyan was content to take a breather. The fight was all but over, the only question remaining being whether Guerrero would hear the final bell.
He did.
Darchinyan boxed with confidence down the stretch even as Guerrero continued to press forward, a model for the heart and desire every challenger ought to bring to a chance at the top of the world. He clearly fell short, the unanimous decision scores lopsided at 118-110, 117-111, and a shutout 120-108 for Darchinyan, but he also clearly won the respect of the champion.
“This kid took big punches. I couldn’t believe…sometimes I could my knuckles going through to him and he’s holding, he’s coming back aggressive, sometimes I’m holding and I think something happened with him, and he’s just coming back aggressive. I respect him. He’s a good kid. He took big punches and he go twelve rounds. I think I’m gonna’ finish him but I just couldn’t.”
Looking to the future, Darchinyan stated he would attempt another move to Bantamweight in the event a rematch with Donaire could not get done at Jr. Bantamweight. “Yeah, I would love to move up. I know I am very powerful. I want to move up, beat the champions. Also, if I’m not gonna’ fight Donaire, I’d love this kid (Guerrero) to fight Donaire. (Donaire) would see what hell (Guerrero) gonna’ give him. I don’t think he’s gonna’ fight me. He’s scared. He don’t wanna’.”
Pointing at his WBA and WBC title belts, Darchinyan declared, “Here, two belts. If you already knock (me) out, why you don’t wanna’ take these two belts. I don’t want anymore to mention his name. He’s not fair. I want to move up and fight better champions.”
Darchinyan has attempted gold once already at Bantamweight, falling short in a 2009 decision against then-IBF 118 lb. titlist Joseph Agbeko.
Donaire vacated the IBF Flyweight title in 2009, with three successful defenses following his fifth-round title winning knockout of Darchinyan in 2007. Donaire won an interim recognition as WBA titlist at 115 lbs. last summer but has yet to take on a serious challenge since moving up the scale.
Despite Darchinyan’s stated wishes after the bout, as long as it appears an option the name Donaire will continue to be mentioned as a Darchinyan-Donaire rematch is probably the most lucrative fight to be made at in their shared division.
And in that division, Darchinyan remains the champion of the world.
Guerrero’s was not the only display of heart on the night, both men in the chief support bout giving their all for twelve rounds.
There was room for debate about the decision at the end, and blood to be cleaned up, but 22-year old Jr. Welterweight Lenny Zappavigna (23-0, 15 KO), 135, of Sydney, Australia, managed the unanimous decision win in an entertaining television opener versus Ecuadorian 29-year old Fernando Angulo (22-7, 14 KO), 138, of Caracas, Venezuela.
The loss was Angulo’s third straight, all of them by decision. Zappavigna can hope to improve on his current #14 rating by the International Boxing Federation at 140 lbs.
The broadcast was carried in the U.S. on premium cable outlet Showtime as part of its ShoBox series, promoted by Gary Shaw Promotions.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
