By Cliff Rold (photo by Tom Casino/Showtime)
Old timers regularly point out that too much is made in Boxing of single losses these days. When Nonito Donaire knocked Vic Darchinyan cold last year, there were those who declared him ‘exposed,’ even ‘overrated.’
Turns out it was just a loss, something many of the best fighters of all time and almost of the ones beneath their stratosphere have had or will in due time. In Boxing, the options (almost always) are win, lose or draw. After his bout with Cristian Mijares on Saturday, Vic Darchinyan now has 31 of the first and only one each of the other two options. He also has two more titles (WBA ‘Super’ & WBC to go with an IBF) around his waist and the most satisfying win of his career. He also stands atop the ultra-talented Jr. Bantamweight division.
While the pre-fight report card favored Mijares to win, it was noted that “Darchinyan might be getting undersold heading into this one with almost none of the press giving him the nod as their ‘winner’ pick. The Donaire loss remains a sole blemish and he’s got serious wins to offset it before and after.” As well it was noted, “Lots of fighters come off devastating knockout losses with a lost step or at least tentativeness. Darchinyan has shown neither. Regardless of how his personality might rub some fans or opponents, he’s shown a fighter’s character this year.”
Exposed indeed.
Let’s go to the report card.
Speed: The biggest revelation in this fight was Darchinyan’s wide advantage in this category and Mijares made it worse by fighting down to Darchinyan’s range. In the pre-fight report card, the observation was made that, “Only a ½ inch of height separates them on paper but Mijares fights at a tall 5’6 and Darchinyan crouches low enough to make the disadvantage closer to 3-4 inches.” Mijares gave away that advantage by standing flat-footed and crocuched rather than standing tall and at a safe distance where he could best pick and counter. To Darchinyan’s credit, he fought taller than normal, throwing the jab high against Mijares early, targeting his forehead and bringing the left over the top. The uppercut that dropped Mijares at the end of the first he never saw coming, caught out of position and hanging over his front foot. As the fight wore on, the fury of Darchinyan’s combos kept Mijares often in a shell, reacting rather than acting and unsure where the next bomb would come from. This was an area where the styles of the fighters meant a mis-read of just who the faster man was. The purer boxer was assumed and one can recall the lesson of assumptions. Pre-Fight Grades: Mijares A; Darchinyan B+/Post-Fight: B+/A
Power: The gap in speed meant Darchinyan, acknowledged as one of Boxing best pure punchers in any class, could employ his bread and butter to best affect. Mijares’ reactions early expressed he’d never, ever, been hit like Darchinyan was hitting him and, even as he settled and attempted to get back in the fight from the third forward, Mijares would have any chance for momentum stalled by a left hand he just couldn’t defend. Mijares kept Darchinyan honest in spots with right hand counters, but the shots lacked the snap to do anything other than force Darchinyan to reset before launching again. This category was clear before the fight; it was decisive during. Pre-Fight Grades: Darchinyan A; Mijares B/Post-Fight: Same
Defense: Darchinyan overwhelmed Mijares’ defense, rendering it a means to a longer beating rather than a means to victory. Darchinyan wasn’t impossible to hit on the night and Mijares caught him quite a few times. He was though hard to hit before he had already blasted through with his own best stuff and more disciplined than he’s been in the past. His head movement was subtle and regular and his gloves in place to block when he wasn’t on offense. Where Darchinyan was also effective was in setting traps. He wasn’t all bull rush; he walked Mijares into traps and outboxed the boxer by forcing him forward and then opening up. He never allowed Mijares to settle into a rhythm; Darchinyan was setting his own. Pre-Fight Grades: Mijares A-; Darchinyan B/Post-Fight: Darchinyan B+; Mijares B
Intangibles: Darchinyan’s ‘fighter’s character’ cannot be denied. His sole loss has clearly been a catalyst for him, fueling the most impressive run of his career. A disputed draw against Z Gorres at the start of the year and the annihilation of Dimitri Kirilov in August were all prelude to this. He fought, as he always does, with a chip on his shoulder but it was bigger this time. Darchinyan wanted to prove the world wrong and turned in his best performance to do so. Mijares showed the guts to get up in the first when his legs seemed to have other ideas and weathered a torrent of punches before finally relenting. What he did not do was come in with a game plan that respected Darchinyan’s strengths, perhaps overconfident and inflated from recent successes, perhaps just not good enough head to head with Darchinyan. Darchinyan showed the extra stuff to come back from a bad loss; now Mijares, who hadn’t lost since 2002, gets his turn. Pre-Fight Grades: Mijares A; Darchinyan B+/Post-Fight: Darchinyan A; Mijares B
What a year 2008 is playing out as. Being under 30 seems to be a curse for those who work their way into the pound for pound ranks with Kelly Pavlik, Miguel Cotto and now Mijares all falling in rough fashion to their elders.
For the defeated, rebuilding will be in order and there will be plenty of options for that. The talent pool at 115 is such that Mijares can be tested at any point right now and may be well served to go after the WBA’s ‘regular’ titlist Nobuo Nashiro following some safer return rounds against the Mexican locals.
It will take no time at all for some to now declare Mijares as ‘exposed’ or ‘overrated,’ but it could be a mistake. The wins he’d put together against quality opposition since 2006 weren’t an accident. However, Darchinyan dealt him a serious, extended beating. The world will know, sooner than later, whether for Mijares this was just a loss or not.
To the victor goes the spoils and for Darchinyan that could mean a rematch with Donaire, total unification with Fernando Montiel, or potentially the biggest money bout ever at 115 lbs. with Jorge Arce. Whatever it is, Boxing fans who have followed Darchinyan’s career, from the literal and figurative fireworks of his IBF Flyweight title win over Irene Pacheco in 2004 to now, will be glued to their seats when it goes down.
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
