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Daily Telegraph, Australia
Vic on cusp of greatness
By James Hooper
September 21, 2008 12:00am
THE limousine was waiting, idling under instructions from the Prime
Minister, while 10,000 screaming fans carried world champion Vic
Darchinyan out of the airport.
The diminutive boxing magician with dynamite in his hands, Darchinyan
crowd-surfed the wave of adulation, chaired along to his
chauffeur-driven car before being whisked away to government house for
a diplomatic dinner.
This was the rock star reception the southpaw IBF super flyweight
title holder commanded in his native land of Armenia last week.
Last Wednesday, Darchinyan arrived home in Australia. He flew economy
to Sydney and took a taxi to his Chiswick apartment with manager Elias
Nasser.
Australia's only legitimate world boxing champion, the 52kg Darchinyan
is lightning in a bottle. Pure, explosive entertainment.
His knockout punching power has him hounded all over eastern Europe,
where kids as young as 10 chase him down the street for autographs and
photographs.
Yet in Sydney, Darchinyan can bound down George St or Martin Place,
blending in as just another face in the crowd.
"It's funny, in Sydney I can walk down the street and I'm just another
person walking, but in Mexico, the Phillipines or Armenia, everywhere
there is a crowd coming after me,'' Darchinyan said.
"I don't mind either way. It's nice to be noticed, but it's nice to be
able to just do your own thing, too. Maybe after my next fight, people
will take notice.''
Darchinyan's days in the sun are rapidly approaching. Already rated
pound-for-pound one of the toughest fighters in the world, his next
fight will take him to the Mt Everest of pugilism.
Darchinyan is on the cusp of unifying the super flyweight division,
elevating him to the same pedestal as fighters like Kostya Tszyu, Jeff
Fenech and Roy Jones Jr.
The man standing in his way is WBA and WBC title holder Cristian
Mijares, a respected Mexican southpaw who guarantees the $2 million
November 1 unification fight in Las Vegas will be an epic.
If Darchinyan has his way, and his record of of 30 wins, 24 by
knockout speaks for itself, the fight will end well inside the
scheduled 12 rounds.
"I want to become a champion in many weight divisions. I want to go up
another division,'' Darchinyan said. "I will be happy if I can win
more belts, that's my dream.
"I believe if I can do this then I can be admitted into the boxing
hall of fame. All my four titles I have won by knockout. I want to
keep doing this.''
Darchinyan's trainer, J Fares, has the world champion tuning up to the
minute. Together with manager Nasser, the trio have carefully plotted
Team Darchinyan's approach for Mexican maestro Mijares.
"For his last fight, we timed things smart. For his next fight, we
want to time everything even better,'' Fares said. "We want to make
sure he's tuned to the second. With Vic, he's such a professional.
We're happy with where he's at now, but we've still got some work to
do.''
Team Darchinyan will travel to Las Vegas in October to acclimatise.
Victory will ensure the boxing hall of fame beckons for the
Australian-Armenian. According to Darchinyan, he's not fazed.
Superstar or anonymous fighter, as long as those in the know respect
him, he's happy.
Vic on cusp of greatness
By James Hooper
September 21, 2008 12:00am
THE limousine was waiting, idling under instructions from the Prime
Minister, while 10,000 screaming fans carried world champion Vic
Darchinyan out of the airport.
The diminutive boxing magician with dynamite in his hands, Darchinyan
crowd-surfed the wave of adulation, chaired along to his
chauffeur-driven car before being whisked away to government house for
a diplomatic dinner.
This was the rock star reception the southpaw IBF super flyweight
title holder commanded in his native land of Armenia last week.
Last Wednesday, Darchinyan arrived home in Australia. He flew economy
to Sydney and took a taxi to his Chiswick apartment with manager Elias
Nasser.
Australia's only legitimate world boxing champion, the 52kg Darchinyan
is lightning in a bottle. Pure, explosive entertainment.
His knockout punching power has him hounded all over eastern Europe,
where kids as young as 10 chase him down the street for autographs and
photographs.
Yet in Sydney, Darchinyan can bound down George St or Martin Place,
blending in as just another face in the crowd.
"It's funny, in Sydney I can walk down the street and I'm just another
person walking, but in Mexico, the Phillipines or Armenia, everywhere
there is a crowd coming after me,'' Darchinyan said.
"I don't mind either way. It's nice to be noticed, but it's nice to be
able to just do your own thing, too. Maybe after my next fight, people
will take notice.''
Darchinyan's days in the sun are rapidly approaching. Already rated
pound-for-pound one of the toughest fighters in the world, his next
fight will take him to the Mt Everest of pugilism.
Darchinyan is on the cusp of unifying the super flyweight division,
elevating him to the same pedestal as fighters like Kostya Tszyu, Jeff
Fenech and Roy Jones Jr.
The man standing in his way is WBA and WBC title holder Cristian
Mijares, a respected Mexican southpaw who guarantees the $2 million
November 1 unification fight in Las Vegas will be an epic.
If Darchinyan has his way, and his record of of 30 wins, 24 by
knockout speaks for itself, the fight will end well inside the
scheduled 12 rounds.
"I want to become a champion in many weight divisions. I want to go up
another division,'' Darchinyan said. "I will be happy if I can win
more belts, that's my dream.
"I believe if I can do this then I can be admitted into the boxing
hall of fame. All my four titles I have won by knockout. I want to
keep doing this.''
Darchinyan's trainer, J Fares, has the world champion tuning up to the
minute. Together with manager Nasser, the trio have carefully plotted
Team Darchinyan's approach for Mexican maestro Mijares.
"For his last fight, we timed things smart. For his next fight, we
want to time everything even better,'' Fares said. "We want to make
sure he's tuned to the second. With Vic, he's such a professional.
We're happy with where he's at now, but we've still got some work to
do.''
Team Darchinyan will travel to Las Vegas in October to acclimatise.
Victory will ensure the boxing hall of fame beckons for the
Australian-Armenian. According to Darchinyan, he's not fazed.
Superstar or anonymous fighter, as long as those in the know respect
him, he's happy.