Los Angeles Daily News, CA
June 3 2006

Boxing: Darchinyan finds spotlight
BY ROBERT MORALES, Staff Writer

If you got it, flaunt it. That’s Vic Darchinyan’s motto. He hits
hard, and every time he fights he is hopeful of putting that power on
display.
Darchinyan, of Australia via Armenia, will defend his International
Boxing Federation flyweight title against Luis Maldonado of Mexico in
what is now tonight’s main event at Thomas & Mack Center in Las
Vegas.

Although everyone expected the fireworks of the night to come in the
fight between Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales, it won’t be
surprising to see Darchinyan put on his own show.

Corrales-Castillo was canceled Friday when Castillo did not make the
135-pound weight limit.

“If you can show your power, people really love you,” said
Darchinyan, who is trained by Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech, a former
bantamweight and featherweight champion out of Sydney, Australia.

Darchinyan is 25-0 with 20 knockouts. His first four victories
produced just one knockout, but he has knocked out 19 out of his past
21 opponents. Some of this power, Darchinyan said, is God-given.

The rest comes from a love for boxing that motivates him to train the
way a champion should train. The thinking is, God-given ability is
one thing, but if a fighter’s work ethic is poor, he will not be able
to be all that he can be.

“I just love my training,” Darchinyan said. “I love to show people my
power. But I am not very old and I feel like I am becoming much more
powerful and my punch is coming harder.”

Since Darchinyan is a small fighter, and he’s not American, he is not
well-known here. But his fight will be televised by Showtime. Don’t
think he won’t take advantage of the exposure – with a bang, perhaps.

“It is a very good opportunity for me,” Darchinyan said. “I have won
a lot of my fights by knockout since winning the title. It is very
important for me to win by knockout. … I feel I am the strongest
puncher in my division, and the most powerful puncher pound-for-pound
in boxing. If anyone hits harder than me, I’d like to know his name.
As always, I look forward to showing the world my power, and my
style.”

Darchinyan has made three title defenses, each of which he has won by
knockout.

Maldonado, ranked No. 8 by the IBF, is no slouch at 33-0-1 with 25
knockouts.

“He is a good, strong fighter,” Darchinyan said.

So is Darchinyan.

– Robert Morales