Fighter Profile: Vic Darchinyan – The Raging Bull
Vic “The Raging Bull” Darchinyan has steam rolled nearly everyone in the flyweight and super flyweight divisions, where he has won five different championship belts by the age of 33. Darchinyan carries a heavy left hook and is known for his crushing, highlight reel, knockouts.
Vic Darchinyan Amateur Career
The Armenian born fighter reportedly went 158-18 as an amateur with 105 knockouts. He fought in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia and made it to the third round of the 112-pound bracket, where he fell to Kazakhstan’s Bulat Jumadilov.
Early Pro Career
Darchinyan began his professional career with a unanimous decision win over Sande Kizito in 2000 at the age of 24. The victory began a 27 fight win streak in which The Raging Bull knocked out 22 opponents.
In December of 2004 Darchinyan won his first fight in the United States and simultaneously won his first championship belt, defeating Irene Pacheco by TKO in the 11th round.
The Armenian showcased his power by breaking Glenn Donaire’s jaw and sending Victor Burgos to the surgical table to remove a blood clot from his brain after their 2007 bout.
Darchinyan faced off with Nonito Donaire, Glenn Donaire’s brother, in July of 2007 and suffered his first professional loss by TKO in the fifth round.
Coming Back and Moving Up
Three months after losing his flyweight belts to Nonito, Darchinyan moved up to super flyweight and won the IBO and IBF belts by knocking out Federico Catubay. A bout with Z Gorres proved to be the most controversial bout of his career. The fight was set to serve as a title eliminator, where the winner would take on Dimitri Kirilov.
Early in the fight The Raging Bull scored a knockdown that appeared to be a slip by Gorres. When the replay aired, the Filipino crowd sailed water bottles and various other objects in to the ring. Throughout the bout, the referee made incorrect rulings of knockdowns and slips which caused the crowd to toss anything they could find in to the ring. When all was said and done the fight was ruled a draw but Darchinyan still earned the right to take on Kirilov.
In August, 2008 Darchinyan knocked Kirilov out in the fifth round in Tacoma, Washington. Three months later he demolished Cristian Mijares to win the WBA and WBC super flyweight belts and became the first boxer in history to unify the titles in the 115-pound weight class.
Darchinyan vs. Agbeko
After defending the titles against Jorge Arce, The Raging Bull attempted to move up in class again and challenged IBF bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko. Darchinyan lost a unanimous decision, spoiling his attempt to win a third world title in a third division. The scores were close with two judges seeing the fight 114-113 and the third having it 116-111, although it was clear that Agbeko was the deserving victor.
What’s Coming up Next For Vic Darchinyan?
Darchinyan moves back down to the super flyweight division where he will face interim Tomas Rojas in December. Look for the Armenian to continue to stay busy in 2010. He will most likely take another shot at a bantamweight title after reestablishing himself as the best fighter in his more natural super flyweight class.
