Brisbane Courier Mail, Australia
Townsville Bulletin, Australia
Advertiser Adelaide, Australia
FOX SPORTS, Australia
May 25 2005

Champ chases new fans
By Grantlee Kieza

KOSTYA Tszyu was a Russian who spoke no English and couldn’t even
order a sandwich in a cafe when he first hit Australia.

But he transformed himself into an Aussie icon by applying himself to
language classes, allowing his engaging smile to shine through and
pulverising anyone put before him.

A decade and a bit later, Australia’s IBF world flyweight champ Vic
Darchinyan – an Armenian with a big left but little grasp of the way
we speak – is being groomed to win over the hearts and minds of
Australia’s sports fans.

He is the world champ nobody knows but celebrity manager Robert
Joske, who oversees the careers of Steve Waugh, Justin Langer, George
Gregan and Clyde Rathbone, aims to change that with a campaign to
make Darchinyan a household name.

So, after swapping blows with some of the toughest little scrappers
in the world, Darchinyan is set to grapple with Shakespeare’s Henry
V.

Three times a week the whirlwind world champ visits voice coach
Therese Bennetts, who has helped to mould the speech of some of
Australia’s leading politicians, television presenters and corporate
heavyweights.

The flyweight hitman is one of her favourite pupils.

“Vic is a very good student, highly intelligent with a captivating
smile,” she said.

“My aim is to improve the clarity and colour of his speech and to
make him more charming for television interviews.

“I have told him that voice training is just like the gym — the
mouth is full of muscles and it needs discipline to get them in
shape.

“Soon we’ll be doing the prologue from Henry V and I’m sure he will
be wonderful.”

Darchinyan is likely to make his next title defence against Irishman
Damaen Kelly at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in late July.

He is also the subject of a documentary being made for the University
of Western Sydney by stablemate Lovemore Ndou who, between his other
lives as a world-rated junior-welterweight and a father of four, is a
hard-studying media and law student.

Ndou is making his film in conjunction with cameraman Karl Morrison
from Imaginescape and is interviewing many of Australia’s top boxers
for the project.

* KOSTYA Tszyu says age has not wearied him and that at 35 he would
beat the Tszyu of a decade ago.

Tszyu defends his world title against 26-year-old Ricky Hatton in
Manchester on Sunday week and told the British press yesterday
advancing age would not be an issue.

“I’m a fresh 35 and I would beat the Kostya of 25,” Tszyu said. “I’m
much smarter now.

“Ricky Hatton is 26 but he has had many wars in the last few years.

“When you’re fighting war after war after war, your body doesn’t like
it any more.

“It comes to the stage it gets used to getting hit and getting cut,
but one day it will say, ‘I’ve had enough’.”