Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Aug. 18, 2006
Darchinyan can’t get unification fight
August 18, 2006 – 4:24PM
Two of the other flyweight world boxing champions are avoiding
Australia’s dual world title holder Vic Darchinyan, but he hopes
to press ahead with a mandatory defence of his crowns in Las Vegas
in October.
Darchinyan, the International Boxing Federation’s and International
Boxing Organisation’s flyweight world champion, is provisionally
pencilled in to fight on the October 7 undercard of the Diego
Corrales-Joel Casamayor at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
A unification bout with Argentina’s unbeaten World Boxing Organisation
champion Omar Narvaez was proposed as the 30-year-old Sydney-based
boxer’s next engagement.
However, Darchinyan said Narvaez and Thailand’s World Boxing Council
champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam had knocked back offers and his next
bout could be a mandatory defence of his IBF title.
With the first and second rankings currently empty, that could mean
a match-up with third-ranked Jose Victor Burgos of Mexico, a former
IBF light flyweight world champion.
"The WBO and WBC champions have cancelled, they don’t want to fight
me," Darchinyan said.
"I might fight a mandatory against Jose Burgos, if they get him it
will be good because I know he’s a tough fighter and it would be a
good television fight."
If his fight is confirmed for October 7, it would be a massive day
for Australian boxing with light heavyweight Paul Briggs earlier
this week announcing he would challenge Poland’s Tomasz Adamek for
the WBC light heavyweight title in Chicago on that date.
Darchinyan, who has won all 26 of his pro fights (21 by KO), recently
resumed training after a holiday in Armenia, where he was born.
"I started my running and I’m doing my sprints and one more week and
I will start sparring again," Darchinyan said.
Meanwhile Darchinyan now has something in common with fellow fighter
Anthony Mundine, as he is due to open his own cafe next week.
In his nod to his fight nickname, the business, which he will share
with a partner, is called Vic’s Raging Bull Cafe.