By Sevak Sarkisian: Unfortunately for us boxing fans we live in a day in age when having one champion per weight division is practically unheard of. To only add fuel to the fire, we rarely see the respective champions or (belt holders) fighting one another in unification bouts. Every time we hear of an upcoming unification fight us boxing fans tend to get excited, because it’s not something that happens quite often.
These days belt holders fighting other belt holders in an attempt to unify their respective divisions is not all that common in boxing now a days.
When I look at today’s Ring Magazine’s top ten pound for pound rankings I see many talented and deserving fighters but not a single undisputed world champion. Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez come close with each of them holding two alphabet world titles and being recognized as the best in their respective weight divisions. However, that means there are still other title holders in that same weight class. That is why every time I see a fighter attempting to do something great such as unifying a division, my respect for them as a fighter goes up. In many cases they can always opt to take an easier fight and avoid other title holders. (I’m not trying to imply that Marquez and Bradley are avoiding anyone). Fighters who always strive to prove themselves against the very best and at the same time end up being successful against the very best are usually the ones most appreciated.
Vic Darchinyan is one of those fighters who have always looked for the biggest challenges. In addition, managing to win and hold multiple titles in three weight divisions. First capturing the IBF flyweight world title in December of 2004 by knocking out then undefeated defending champ, Irene Pacheco. Vic Eventually goes on to defend his IBF title six times winning all of them via stoppage until losing to Nonito Donair. In what was considered a big upset at the time turned out to be an eye opener for Darchinyan. Seemingly fighting a bit more disciplined and fighting one weight class higher, Vic eventually takes on IBF super flyweight king Dmitry Kirillov.
Impressively finishing Kirillov in 5 rounds to become the new IBF super flyweight world champion. In his very next fight Vic takes on WBC and WBA super flyweight king Christian Mijares. Mijares at the time not only held two world titles in the 115lbs division but was also widely considered to be in the top ten pound for pound according to many critics. Vic goes on to dominate and stop Mijares within nine rounds to become the unified IBF, WBC, and WBA super flyweight champion. Immediately after his great accomplishment Vic takes on former world champion and popular Mexican fighter Jorge Arce. Despite a spirited effort by Arce, Vic managed to put a stop to the show in round eleven. Never being content with his accomplishments, Darchinyan decides to move up to bantamweight despite being seemingly comfortable fighting at 115 lbs. I believe the purpose of this move was to become a three weight division champion because his next fight would be against arguably one of the two best bantamweights in the world. Vic Darchinyan fights Joseph Agbeko for the IBF title coming up a little short in a spirited effort dropping a unanimous decision. Deciding to drop back down in weight he ends up successfully defending his titles against sup-par competition before getting another title shot at bantamweight, this time for the vacant IBO belt against tough competitor Eric Barcelona. Dominating the fight and dropping Barcelona multiple times, Vic wins an easy unanimous decision claiming the vacant IBO world bantamweight title and becoming a three weight world champion in the process. Wanting to further establish himself as a bantamweight, he agrees to take part in Showtime’s bantamweight tournament to possibly become a unified and undisputed champion once more in a second weight class. The tournament consisted of arguably the best four bantamweights in the world. I personally admired Vic’s decision to take part in the four man tournament. Being a small fighter at the advanced age of 35 and going up in weight for a third time to take on the best of the division is indeed admirable. Clearly he could have taken on easier competition and defend his IBO title against lesser opponents. Losing his first fight against young hungry undefeated 22 year old Mexican Abner Mares on December 11th of last year in a razor close split decision loss. The referee counted a controversial knockdown against Darchinyan in round seven in which many believe greatly influenced the outcome of the fight. However, joining the Showtime tournament didn’t turn out to be so bitter for Vic after all as he completely dominated and destroyed Former IBF Bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez in five rounds, reclaiming the vacant IBO trinket in the process.
Continuing to Displaying strong performances like the last one at the age of 35 against the best in the division is indeed impressive, especially when we consider the fact that he’s fighting in a bigger weight class were he doesn’t always enjoy the size and strength advantages he had in the smaller divisions. The fact that Vic is a smaller fighter and is still fighting at the world class level at the age of 35 is incredible because 35 is not considered old, but ancient for a fighter Vic’s size. Usually small guys are usually finished by 28 years of age because of the punishment absorbed throughout the years of prize fighting. This makes Vic’s career more impressive than it already is. He has managed to be a dominant force throughout his whole career regardless of weight class, fighting the best available opposition and becoming a titlist in every weight class he’s competed in. Always putting his titles on the line against the best available fighters. Winning most of his “big” fights his record stands at 36-3 with 27 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Unfortunately for Vic, when it comes to the question of him being a potential hall of famer there are a few things that can work against him. First off, the fact that he has fought in small weight classes can very well work against him because boxing’s little guys just don’t seem to get as much exposure to the public as the others. There have been many great fighters that have gone under the radar because of lack of exposure, do to fighting at small weights. It is a shame, but I do believe things are changing for the better regarding this matter in our beloved sport. The other aspect that can possibly affect him in regards to him being a future hall of famer is the unfinished business with Donaire. Though not as highly demanded as it once was, this rematch will indeed be Darchinyan’s biggest fight especially considering Nonito’s current pound for pound status. With all things considered I believe Darchinyan deserves to be inducted in the hall of fame once he decides to hang up the gloves, just my humble opinion.