READY TO GO: NONITO DONAIRE MORE THAN WILLING TO FACE VIC DARCHINYAN AGAIN
Examiner.com
Dec 3 2009
Donaire would love to face Vic Darchinyan again (Photo:Tom
Casino-Showtime)Just recently rumors have begun to leak about the
possibility of Nonito Donaire and Vic Darchinyan hooking up again.
Donaire was the first man to defeat Darchinyan when he shockingly
stopped him in the fifth round a few years back and 8 Count News
recently reported that a rematch is in the works, according to
Darchinyan’s promoter Gary Shaw.
If Donaire-Darchinyan II does come off it would be a crucial fight in
both men’s careers. Each man has work in front of them for the moment,
however, as Darchinyan is scheduled to defend his WBA and WBC Super
Flyweight titles against Tomas Rojas next weekend while Donaire is
slated for a February 13th bout at the Mandalay Bay against Gerson
Guerrero.
Whatever happens from this point forward, July 7th, 2007 will always
be a special night in Donaire’s life as he was able to seize the
moment in upsetting Darchinyan, who was undefeated at the time.
Looking back on what that fight meant to him, Donaire concedes that
his early motivation for the bout stemmed from the idea of becoming
a champion, but that he later took things personally.
"It was just about the opportunity," Donaire reflects of his initial
thoughts on getting the bout lined up. "Just the chance to fight for
a world championship was what I always wanted. If you want to make
it in boxing you have to face that one person who is in your way. By
the time I got into that fight it wasn’t about winning or becoming a
champion; it was all about wanting to kick his butt for what he said
beforehand. That was the whole mentality going into that fight."
Another one of the reasons that the Darchinyan bout was so meaningful
was because of the way Donaire’s early career progressed. Never a
fighter who was groomed accordingly like other emerging talent, the
Filipino always felt that if you kept fighting whoever was in front
you that good things would eventually happen. Seeing the Darchinyan
bout become a reality was a confirmation of his beliefs.
"Before that I was at the bottom and never had the luxury or options
of picking my opponents," Donaire reflects. "I was never one of those
fighters who got taken care of and I always fought whoever was in front
of me. I just always wanted to make fights happen. I never ask who,
what or where, I just know that I am going to be there."
When Donaire and Darchinyan did set foot in the ring the contrast
in styles was strikingly evident, as Donaire was slick and elusive
while Darchinyan was crude and aggressive. From the outset of the
bout Donaire controlled the contest and befuddled the ultra-confident
champion with his in and out movement and superior speed. Coming
into the bout Darchinyan was undefeated in 28 bouts and accustomed to
dominating many of his opponents with his awkward attack and punishing
power. However on this night the look of frustration on his face told
a completely different story.
Donaire built up and early lead and began dominating the contest in
the third and fourth rounds, often catching Darchinyan with shots that
he didn’t see coming. In the fifth round Donaire unleashed a perfectly
timed left hook that landed flush on the Armenian’s chin and sent him
sprawling to the canvas and through the ropes. Dazed and confused,
Darchinyan’s pride allowed him to rise but he was in no shape to
continue and the bout was called off moments later. Donaire screamed
in joy as the realization hit him that he had made his dream a reality.
"When I realized that I had won that is when I started running
around screaming ‘I’m a world champ!’," Donaire reflects. "It
was unbelievable. That feeling of victory was just something else,
especially when you beat somebody who is thought of as being invincible
by others. And I didn’t just beat him, I knocked him out.
It was incredible."
After the bout Donaire’s career was expected to take off but things
haven’t played out the way he initially expected. Getting the desired
opponents in the ring with him has always been a problem, apparently
now more so than ever. That coupled with an eleventh month layoff
between December 2007 and November 2008 put a damper on Donaire’s
outlook momentarily.
"It was very frustrating," Donaire says of sitting on the sidelines.
"There was a time when I didn’t fight for a whole year. I kept
hearing this and that and how I was supposed to fight this guy but
all of sudden something would come up. Either somebody would pull
out or go up in weight. It was hard to see my career grow and then
not have the big fights happen. To be in the gym and train as hard
as I did and not have the fights happen was frustrating."
Despite the hardships of sitting idle, Donaire eventually began to
push forward with his career again while also making the move up to the
Super Flyweight limit. He is coming off of a twelve round decision over
Rafael Concepcion in August and the follow up date against Guerrero
should give him some extra motivation as well. Still, at the end of
the day Donaire is at a point in his career where is looking to fight
the biggest fights available and that is exactly what another tussle
with Darchinyan represents.
"I’m been wanting that fight for a while. His people have said they’ll
fight me time and time again in the past but it’s really up to them to
make it happen. For me, I’m ready to go. If you ask a fighter if they
want to fight of course they are always going to say yes, at least
that’s how it is for me. I’m here and I’ve been waiting for it. They
had the rematch clause in the first fight when I beat him but it never
happened. If they are really serious about it then it’s a good thing."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress