By Dennis Principe

FULLY aware that he was live on air via a Philippine radio show, former world champion Vic Darchinyan took the opportunity of sending a message to the countrymen of his upcoming opponent Nonito Donaire, Jr.

 

During a telephone interview with this writer’s daily morning show “Sports Chat” over DZSR Sports Radio 918kHz, Darchinyan revealed that apart from avenging the most embarrassing loss of his career, the Australia-based Armenian champion said he wants to refute a particular praise about his Filipino tormentor.

 

“I want to prove he is not the one everybody has been talking about. I want to prove to Filipinos he can never be a Manny Pacquiao and he’s overrated. I fought many Filipinos and you have so many great fighters. But I fought his brother, Z Gorres, Diosdado Gabi, I beat all of them,” said Darchinyan.

 

Darchinyan will finally get the chance he’s been waiting for, and that is to avenge a 5th round technical knockout loss which happened six years ago in Connecticut.

 

It was the 37-year-old Darchinyan’s first ever defeat, a loss that saw him surrender his International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) flyweight belts to Donaire.

 

Darchinyan said that immediately after the loss, he asked his promoter Gary Shaw to give him the rematch within three months.

 

The fight did not happen immediately but it still gave Darchinyan a lot of opportunities along the way as he was able to conquer marquee fighters namely Yhonny Perez, Tomas Rojas, Cristian Mijares and Jorge Arce.

 

At superflyweight, Darchinyan felt he was about to get that rematch when he heard Donaire’s fancy of becoming the first ever Filipino to be crowned undisputed champion.

 

“When I became undisputed champion i sent him a message. ‘Let’s fight. let’s fight again, let’s have a rematch. And his answer was ‘I already beat you why do I have to fight you?’, said Darchinyan “If you understand boxing you know the meaning of his answer. Why don’t you fight me? You wanted these three titles to become undisputed? He doesn’t want that because he does not want to be in the ring with me.”

 

While he admits he has already moved ahead of that knockout defeat to Donaire, Darchinyan still feels he was winning that fight and that he just got caught with a fluky blow.

 

“It was not him who was pushing me in the corner. I was the one pushing him and looking for a knockout. I jumped on a punch. Pacquiao was faster, stronger and was ready to knock Marquez out but he jumped into a punch, too. It happens in boxing,” said Darchinyan.

 

Darchinyan then said six years of waiting will not make him too eager and careless again once he brawls with Donaire come Saturday night in Corpus Christi, Texas.

 

“He beat me six years ago and you can say he can do it again. For me, it doesn’t matter because don’t forget, I am now at an age where I am much smarter,” said Darchinyan “I am not going to look for a knockout. I am not going to be on a rush. I’ll take my time and will break him with my punches.”