Thursday, March 4, 2010,
Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa,
Rancho Mirage, California
“SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION’’
This Saturday, March 6, 2010;
Live on SHOWTIME®
at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Photos: Tom Casino - SHOWTIME
RANCHO MIRAGE,
Calif. (March 4, 2010) – Popular, hard-hitting Vic
“The Raging Bull’’ Darchinyan
(33-2-1, 27 KOs) will
defend his World Boxing Council/World Boxing Association
(WBC/WBA) super flyweight crowns against streaking
Rodrigo “Gato’’ Guerrero (13-1-1, 9 KOs) in the main
event on a special edition of ShoBox: The
New Generation on SHOWTIME® this
Saturday, March 6 (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on
the West Coast) at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino
Resort Spa here.
In the 12-round
co-feature, unbeaten Lenny “Lenny Zappa’’ Zappavigna
(22-0, 15 KOs) of Australia and Fernando “La Fiera”
Angulo (22-6, 14 KOs) of Venezuela will clash for
the International Boxing Organization (IBO) lightweight
title. Angulo was in Los Angeles taking his medical
examination and was not at Thursday’s press conference.
An Australian-based
Armenian, the exciting Darchinyan will be making his
fifth consecutive appearance on SHOWTIME and 11th
overall. He has scored
knockouts in 14 of his last 15 victories.
The switching-hitting
Guerrero, of Ciudad
Neza, Mexico, has won 11 in a
row. This will be his first start on SHOWTIME and in the
United States.
The promising
Zappavigna, an Italian, fights out of Sydney, Australia.
He also will be making his SHOWTIME debut, and his
second stateside start.
VIC DARCHINYAN
“SHOWTIME is like my
home and I look forward to defending my title again on
SHOWTIME and fighting in front of my fans at Agua
Caliente.
“This is a good fight
for me and a fight where I will showcase all my skills –
not just a punch. I feel really good and had a great
training camp. I plan to do everything -- box, think and
stay calm.
“Guerrero is a good
kid and he’s fought a couple good fighters and done very
well. There’s no way I’m going to underestimate him.
“I think he has a
future in boxing, but it won’t begin until after I beat
him on Saturday.
“I don’t want to talk
about any possible fights for me in the future. My main
focus is on Guerrero and defeating a determined, young
opponent. I am here and ready to do my job.
“If the knockout
comes, it comes. But it is going to come. He will
feel my power.’’
RODRIGO GUERRERO
“I am really happy and
excited for this opportunity – my chance of a lifetime.
This is what I have waited for my whole life and I am
confident of doing well.
“When they first told
me I was fighting for a world title, it was such a huge
surprise, I couldn’t believe it. I still didn’t believe
it for a little while. But, finally, after about two
weeks of sparring, it sunk in. I’d been promised major
fights before, but they never happened. Now, this one is
here, and I am ready.
“I know a lot of
people may not have heard of me, but I guarantee I am
not here to fall down in the first or 12th
round – or any round, for that matter. People and fans
who have never seen me fight are saying I’m no good. I
believe they are all in for a surprise, a really big
surprise.
“Everyone has an
opinion, but the negative talk has only given me more
motivation. And I didn’t need any more motivation.
Fighting for two world titles was enough. Darchinyan is
a great fighter with a lot of power. But, watch and see,
I can fight and I have power, too. This is going to be a
great fight.’’
LENNY “LITTLE
ZAPPA’’ ZAPPAVIGNA
“I’ve had great
sparring, great training and am 100 percent excited
about fighting on SHOWTIME and showing the whole world
what I can do.
“I definitely want to
win very impressively, but my goal, my destiny, is to
win the belt. That is why I’m here and I am not leaving
without that belt. I would fight a Mike Tyson if
there was a belt on the line.
“After the fight, I
am not going to look back and think to myself, ‘I should
have done this, I should have done that.’ I am going to
do it all on Saturday. I have my own style and I know
the fans will like it.’’
