Former flyweight and super flyweight champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan of says his experiment with being a boxer is now over. “I’m coming back to show everyone how strong I am,” he explains. “In my last fight, I wanted to prove I have skills by moving around and that’s not me. It was my first and last fight as a boxer. I’m back to show my aggression and destroy anyone in front of me!”
Darchinyan will be fighting Yonnhy Perez as part of the consolation round of Showtime’s Bantamweight tournament final. Both Perez and Darchinyan found themselves in this bout after both losing to Abner Mares and Joseph Agbeko, the tournament finalists. The bouts will take place at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles.
Fighting Perez, says Darchinyan, is exactly what he needed to get back on track. “I read an interview with him and he is saying he’s going to knock me out. I needed someone to talk about me like that. I’m going to knock him out badly. I will destroy him. Everyone thinks I’m not as powerful at bantamweight. After this fight, everyone will be talking about my power again.”
Darchinyan says he’s been in an especially foul mood in the run-up to this bout because of his experience in his last fight. While he holds no grudge against Mares who he says was just doing his job, referee Robert Howard is a different story.
“The referee let Mares hit me low over and over and didn’t take enough points. He should have been disqualified. I was very upset with the referee. I got so tired and I think everyone can see it wasn’t because I wasn’t fit. It was my frustration with all the low blows. If you listen to the tape of that fight, in the eighth round, you can hear the referee lean in and say ‘I can’t cover you anymore. Don’t do it again or I have to take a point.’ I couldn’t believe it. And meanwhile, every second he was telling me don’t measure him; don’t put your left hand in front of you. What did he mean? He took me out of my game plan. I should have knocked him out cold.”
35-year-old Darchinyan says if big fights aren’t forthcoming after his victory over Perez, he’s not afraid of moving up again. “I want to collect all belts in this division, but if I can’t get a fight with one of the champions, then I’ll move up a division and fight for a title there. In a couple years, I will get tired of training, but right now I’m a hungry and eager to win more belts.”
He tried to play it your way and be a nice boxer with good movement and smooth skills. But that’s not how Vic Darchinyan does thing. He’s a raging bull in a china shop, smashing everything to bits whenever possible. That’s his way. And on Saturday, April 23, Darchinyan is planning on having it his way again.
“I can’t say what round Perez will fall; I just know sooner or later I will destroy him. I don’t think he’s been down in his career, but many of my opponents have never been down and I knocked them out cold. I will do it again this time.”
