DARCHINYAN READY TO KNOCKOUT MALDONADO ON CASTILLO-CORRALES III CARD
Paul Upham Contributing Editor
SecondsOut
May 2 2006
By Paul Upham: Reigning IBF/IBO flyweight world boxing champion Vic
“Raging Bull” Darchinyan and Team Fenech were the special guests of
Wests Tigers – the reigning NRL rugby league football champions – at
their Concord Oval training facility on Tuesday morning in Sydney,
Australia. During the visit, Darchinyan sparred some rounds with
Tigers great Benny Elias.
“Last year the Wests Tigers were relatively unknown, but showed skill
and determination to win the NRL Championship,” said Darchinyan.
“Players such as Benji Marshall and Scott Prince proved how hungry
they were to win. I see a lot of similarities with my career. I have
won two world titles so far, but with every fight I want to show how
hungry I am to become the undisputed boxing champion of the world.”
Considered by many to be one of the hottest new stars in world boxing,
Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan – Australia’s only current male boxing
world champion – will next defend his world titles against undefeated
28 year-old Mexican Luis Maldonado 33-0-1 (25) on a card that will
see them as the main support bout to one of the world’s ‘Fights of
the Year’ in Jose Luis Castillo vs. Diego Corrales III on June 3 at
the Thomas & Mack Centre in Las Vegas, USA.
Darchinyan, who is promoted by prominent American Gary Shaw and
trained by three-time world champion Jeff Fenech, first won the IBF
flyweight world title in December 2004 against long reigning world
champion Irene Pacheco.
“The most knowledgeable people in American boxing can see how talented
Vic Darchinyan is,” said Fenech. “In this next fight in front of the
world, he will once again show that he is one of the most exciting
boxers competing today.”
30 year-old Darchinyan, the Armenia born Australian citizen, has
an undefeated record of 25 wins, 0 losses and 20 knockouts. In his
last fight on March 3 at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez,
California in the USA, the hard-hitting southpaw knocked out IBF
mandatory challenger Diosdado Gabi from the Philippines spectacularly
with one punch in round 8.
The impressive knockout win over Gabi was televised by American
network SHOWTIME across the USA as the main event of their “SHOBOX:
The New Generation” series to an audience in the millions and has
led to his next fight on SHOWTIME “Championship Boxing” on one of
the most highly anticipated fight cards of the year.
“Maldonado is a good fighter,” said Darchinyan. “But on June 3,
I will knock him out.”