By Cliff Rold
Photo (c) Tom Casino/Showtime
Excellent matches made at 115 lbs. have not been a weekly occurrence in 2008.
It just feels like it.
It’s been so good that a division whose very purpose has been debatable in the past now garners praise from even mainstream Boxing outlets which rarely pay attention much lower than 122 lbs. The Jr. Bantamweight’s latest showdown of top ten combatants occurs this Saturday on Showtime at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST.
32-year old former IBF 112 lb. titlist Vic Darchinyan (29-1-1, 23 KO), the Armenian banger fighting out of Australia, had crept into the low tiers of some well regarded pound for pound lists through his first 28 paid outings. Number 29 went south. So did Darchinyan.
In the fifth of five thrilling rounds, Darchinyan was knocked literally senseless by Filipino youngster Nonito Donaire in July 2007. Given his age and size, it would have been easy to write Darchinyan off but instead he’s moved up three pounds and bounced right back. A draw that should have been a win against another Filipino, Z Gorres, in the Philippines this past February as set the stage for a title opportunity against the IBF’s 115 lb. representative, 29-year old Dimitri Kirilov (29-3-1, 9 KO) of Russia.
Will this fight be as good as some of the others seen in class through the years first seven months? And with WBC/WBA titlist Cristian Mijares looking for a name opponent in the Fall, can the winner of this one make a statement for cutting in line in front of WBO titlist Fernando Montiel?
Let’s go to the report card.
Speed: Kirilov is efficiently quick, a fighter who is ordinary and damn good at it. The southpaw Darchinyan is deceptively and awkwardly fast. It’s an advantage Darchinyan has been used to in his career. His loss to Donaire was the first time he’d been in with anyone who was able to lace him almost at will. Kirilov should have success in getting shots off based on a solid fundamental base of straight shots. In his win over another southpaw last year, Jose Navarro, he traded quick short shots all night and getting there first more often added up on the cards. Against Darchinyan, he can’t count on the sort of orthodox offense Navarro employed. Darchinyan’s ability to leap in with the left and follow it with off-balance but still hard right hooks creates a danger of being hit with the unseen. Pre-Fight Grades: Darchinyan B+; Kirilov B
Power: Even if Kirlilov builds a lead early on the cards, Darchinyan has the punch to erase it all at once. Kirilov has never stopped anyone of note and will almost certainly need every minute of twelve rounds to win this weekend. He punches hard enough to keep other men honest, but Darchinyan won’t have anything to fear in single shots and that could make him more dangerous. In his last bout, a draw with journeyman Cecilio Santos, Kirilov was troubled by the pressure exerted by his foe. What happens when pressure is brought along with perhaps the hardest hands in the nether regions? This category is a no-brainer. Pre-Fight Grades: Darchinyan A; Kirilov
Defense: Darchinyan is clearly there to be hit. He always has been. His wild lunges and wide swings can be a bonus as much as detraction. While they can leave him open at bad times, through most of his career they have more regularly put him out of range for traditional counters. Since opponents don’t know quite where punches are coming from, they focus on avoidance instead of rolling and countering. He also has an odd crouch stance that sees weight heavy on the back foot, almost a posture out of film reels from the turn of the twentieth century. Kirilov has shown that with high blocking hands and a steady jab, he can defuse a southpaw bomber as was the case when robbed against Luis Perez in 2006. Perez was more orthodox than Darchinyan, so Kirilov’s defense will have to be even tighter and he’ll need to stay calm under fire to find his scoring opportunities out of defensive postures. Kirilov’s defense will be his biggest advantage and best chance to win. Pre-Fight Grades: Kirilov B+; Darchinyan B
Intangibles: Though he looked good against Gorres, the age of Darchinyan is impossible to ignore. As the scale gets lighter, successful older fighters get fewer. His loss to Donaire can be explained variables other than age. Donaire was just so much faster, his technique so superior, that the fight organically devolved for Darchinyan. Kirilov is a different challenge, and a different gauge. His power won’t threaten Darchinyan, but his jab and tight defense could stretch the duration of the bout and test Darchinyan’s legs. Kirilov knows how to do it. In 2006, he often befuddled Perez. Does he still have that in him? His draw with the average Santos says he may have even less in the tank than the older man after a professional career with some tough tests and an even longer amateur tenure before that. We know he won’t quit and know that Kirilov has the stuff to stand in the pocket even when a knockout almost never comes. We also know even the emotional frustration of the Perez fight didn’t defeat him. Pre-Fight Grades: Darchinyan B+; Kirilov B+
The Pick: The Santos fight weighs heavy in the pick here. It was a bad draw. In addition, there is no doubting that Kirilov is not the guy who the money rests on. Darchinyan-Mijares is just a more sellable fight. Darchinyan also has looked the part of better fighter throughout his career. He’s faced a deeper pool of fighters overall and has seen what Kirilov will bring to the table. Kirilov has never seen anyone who can punch like Darchinyan. Look for Darchinyan to struggle with distance early but solve Kirilov by the middle rounds en route to a TKO around the eighth.
Then the guessing game begins. Will the Fall see Mijares-Darchinyan before the fight Boxing lovers are already clamoring for between Mijares and Montiel? And can Darchinyan spoil that match? Given his gift for gab and big time power, even if he doesn’t spoil it, Darchinyan couldn’t help but make a potential Mijares-Montiel fight bigger. Considering what little men make for the punches they take to the head, no one could begrudge that.
For more on this bout, feel free to click here: http://maxboxing.com/Cliff/Rold0730m08.asp
And tune in tomorrow at BoxingScene for the Zab Judah-Joshua Clottey pre-fight report card.
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