By Mark Vester
At the Leagues Club in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, Vic Darchinyan (35-2-1, 27KOs) won the IBO bantamweight title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Eric Barcelona (51-17). Darchinyan knocked Barcelona down in the fifth round and once more in the 11th to grab lopsided scores of 120-103, 118-105 and 116-108 with the judges. Barcelona lost a point for low blows in the sixth and twelfth.
The fight wasn't pretty with but Barcelona stood his ground at times. He held often and fell often to the mat from slips. Darchinyan used his right jab to set up power punches and combinations. Darchinyan tried to put him away in the final round but couldn't.
Darchinyan is still the WBC and WBA champion at super flyweight. There is no decision yet made on what he plans to do but a ring return in August is being planned against a major opponent. He is targeting the winner of Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez at featherweight and the winner between IBF bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez and Abner Mares - both fights taking place this Saturday.
