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The Raging Bull Is Raging
Again
Former flyweight and super flyweight champion Vic "Raging
Bull" Darchinyanof Sydney, Australia, by way of Vanadzok,
Armenia, 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!"
Fighting in the co-feature of "The Bantamweight Tournament
Final: Winner Takes All" event on Saturday, April 23, and
live on SHOWTIME® (10:30 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West
Coast), at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles,
Darchinyan will be looking to rebound from a split decision
loss to WBC Silver Champion Abner Mares by taking on former
IBF Bantamweight Champion Yonnhy Perez.
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."
Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25 are on sale
now and available for purchase online at Ticketmaster.com
and via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800)
745-3000. Tickets are also available at STAPLES Center Box
Office.
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