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Boxing: Darchinyan retains titles

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  • Boxing: Darchinyan retains titles

    Australian, Australia
    Aug 24 2005

    Darchinyan retains titles
    By Adrian Warren
    August 24, 2005

    VIC Darchinyan has retained the International Boxing Federation (IBF)
    flyweight world title with a crushing fifth-round technical knockout
    over Columbian challenger Jair Jiminez.

    Darchinyan, who also retained the less prestigious International
    Boxing Organisation flyweight world title, outclassed and outgunned a
    game challenger, who absorbed tremendous punishment at the Sydney
    Entertainment Centre.

    The 29-year-old champion consistently hit the target with hurtful
    straight left punches to the head, and let rip to the body.

    Jiminez, 26, was almost too brave for his own good, especially in the
    fourth round.

    A relentless Darchinyan sent the South American to the canvas in the
    first 20 seconds of the fourth with a volley of at least five blows.

    Sensing an early finish, the Armenian-born champion pummelled his
    opponent for the final 60 seconds of the round.

    The one-sided fight followed a similar pattern in the fifth round
    before Australian referee John Wright called a halt.

    At the time of the stoppage, Darchinyan led by five points on two of
    the judge's cards and six points on the other.

    Darchinyan is now undefeated in 24 professional fights, with 19 wins
    by knockout.

    Jiminez's record dropped to 22 wins, five losses and one draw.

    "He's a tough guy, he took a lot of punches," Darchinyan said.

    Darchinyan was making his second defence of the IBF title he won last
    December, from another Columbian, Irene Pacheco.

    His victory ended a run of successive world title fight losses
    inflicted upon Australians Anthony Mundine, Paul Briggs, Kostya Tszyu
    and Tommy Browne.

    Darchinyan said his coming options included a mandatory IBF title
    defence against Irishman Damaen Kelly, and a unification bout with
    World Boxing Association (WBA) title-holder Lorenzo Parra of
    Venezuela.

    Trainer Jeff Fenech hailed his fighter's performance, saying it
    underlined Darchinyan's status as one of the world's finest
    flyweights.

    Living up to his nickname of 'The Raging Bull', Darchinyan pawed at
    the canvas with his boot as he waited for the bout to start.

    As expected, Jiminez tried to take the fight to the Australian, but
    his forward lunges proved ineffective and he landed few meaningful
    blows on the champion.

    The Australian peppered the challenger with straight lefts throughout
    the first round and in the second, alternated his left hand attack
    between head and body.

    He wobbled the outclassed Colombian in the latter stages of the third
    before escalating his assault even further in the fourth.

    "From the second round, I felt I could stop him, I didn't know how
    long it would go," Darchinyan said.

    "I felt good, I had good power and I stopped him, like I said I would
    at the press conference."

    Darchinyan said he would head to Armenia for a two-week holiday on
    September 5 before returning to Australia to finalise the date of his
    wedding to his fiancee, Olga.

    The five-bout card produced plenty of action, but less than 14 full
    rounds.

    Unbeaten Australians Billy Dib and Ahmed Elomar each scored easy
    second-round stoppage wins over outclassed opponents in IBO Asia
    Pacific title fights.

    Featherweight Elomar improved his professional log to 9-0 by winning
    the vacant title against Thai Donchai Tiabkoon, while Dib extended
    his record to 7-0 by winning the vacant junior lightweight crown
    against Ugandan Michael Kizza.
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