Boxing: Darchinyan becomes world champion

* Darchinyan wins IBF flyweight title with TKO of Pacheco
* Box: Darchinyan becomes Australia’s newest world champ
* Vic hooks a world crown
* ARMENIAN BOXER WINS IBF FLYWEIGHT TITLE
* Darchinyan destroys Pacheco, wins flyweight world title
* Goodnight, Irene: Darchinyan victorious in title bid
* Vic’s a knock-out
* Armenian takes IBF flyweight title
* Darchinyan wins IBF flyweight title with TKO of Pacheco
* Darchinyan stops Pacheco to win IBF flyweight title

***************************************************************************
Darchinyan wins IBF flyweight title with TKO of Pacheco

Jacksonville.com
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Story last updated at 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 16, 2004

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Vic Darchinyan scored an 11th-round technical knockout of
defending champion Irene Pacheco to win the IBF flyweight title Thursday
night.

Darchinyan, a native of Armenia now living in Australia, controlled the pace
for most of the bout fought outdoors at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and
Casino in Hollywood.

Darchinyan’s gradual dominance began to take its toll on Pacheco in the 10th
round, when Darchinyan sent him to the canvas with a right to the head.

With a weary Pacheco returning to his corner at the end of the round,
Darchinyan didn’t let up his assault at the beginning of the 11th. He
unloaded a series of unanswered shots near the ropes and then dropped
Pacheco a second time with another right to the head.

Pacheco’s cornermen had seen enough, asking referee Jorge Alonso to stop the
fight at 44 seconds of the round.

For Pacheco, of Colombia, it was his first career loss in 31 professional
fights and seventh title defense.

Darchinyan (22-0, 17 KOs) was the busier fighter from the opening round and
didn’t let Pacheco build much of an offense. Pacheco’s frustrations prompted
repeated warnings from Alonso for hitting below the belt.

The low blows eventually cost Pacheco a point deduction in the ninth and
another two points removed in the 10th.

To add to Pacheco’s miseries, he suffered a deep gash to his right eyebrow
after colliding heads with Darchinyan in the fifth.

The fight was delayed seven minutes before the ninth round because of a loud
fireworks display during a festival adjacent to the fight facility.

Darchinyan weighed 111 pounds for the bout, while Pacheco weighed 112.

Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved.

***************************************************************************
Box: Darchinyan becomes Australia’s newest world champ
By Adrian Warren

AAP NEWSFEED, Australia
December 17, 2004, Friday 7:30 AM Eastern Time

SYDNEY, Dec 17

Vic Darchinyan turned on the punching pyrotechnics after the real
life fireworks had finished in Florida today, to give Australia
another eastern European-bred boxing world champion.

Darchinyan, who represented his birth country of Armenia at the
Sydney 2000 Olympics, maintained his own unbeaten record and
shattered the one belonging to International Boxing Federation
flyweight champion Irene Pacheco stopping the champ in the eleventh
round of their championship bout at the Hard Rock Casino in
Hollywood.

He moved alongside Australia’s only other currently universally
recognised world champion, IBF super lightweight title holder Kostya
Tszyu, who was born in Russia.

He knocked Pacheco down in the tenth and eleventh rounds before the
out-going champion’s corner stepped in to save their stricken fighter
from further punishment.

Darchinyan won despite an interruption of several minutes caused by
fireworks exploding nearby and numerous low blows from a desperate
Pacheco, who was deducted a point in both the ninth and tenth rounds.

“They had to stop the fight for several minutes and we were going
crazy because we knew Vic was getting on top and when the tenth round
started, Vic just jumped on him,” Darchinyan’s trainer Jeff Fenech
said from Florida.

“He was hitting Vic in the balls because he was getting beaten.”

It was 28-year-old Darchinyan’s 22nd straight win and Pacheco’s first
defeat in 31 bouts.

The victory also gave three-division world champion Fenech his first
fully-fledged world titleholder as a trainer.

“The monkey is finally off my back,” yelled a jubilant Fenech.

The threat of a hurricane moving toward Florida forced the fight to
be delayed three months, but it was Darchinyan’s force of will rather
than a force of nature which terminated Pacheco’s reign.

“I think I destroyed him because I stopped him,” said Darchinyan, who
registered his 17th KO win.

He had vowed before the fight to destroy 33-year-old Pacheco, who had
made six successful defences since 1999 but had not fought for 15
months.

Darchinyan followed the advice offered by Fenech when the fight
resumed following the break, between the eighth and ninth rounds,
ordered by referee Hoge Alonso.

“Jeff asked me to throw more punches and miss his right jab and throw
my straight left and I did exactly what Jeff told me,” Darchinyan
said.

“I started the fight good, but in a few of the middle rounds, I
started waiting for him because I just wanted to catch him with one
big punch and it wasn’t the right way, Jeff reminded me to throw more
punches.

“Jeff started pushing me and reminded me about Nedal Hussein, because
Nedal waited.”

Darchinyan was referring to his stablemate’s unsuccessful challenge
last month for the World Boxing Council super bantamweight world
title when the Sydneysider failed to force the issue and dropped an
unanimous points decision to Mexican Oscar Larios.

Fenech was determined not to see another of his fighters squander a
precious world title opportunity and made it clear in no uncertain
terms what he wanted from Darchinyan.

“After three rounds he was so tired because he’s had such a long
preparation and I was pushing him hard. I got stuck in between a
couple of rounds and said to him if you don’t listen to me, I’m going
to walk out’,” Fenech said.

“There was some close rounds. Vic hit him with many better punches, I
thought Vic was just in front, but I didn’t want to say to him.

“I kept telling him C’mon Vic, we’re behind’. I just wanted him to
finish all over Pacheco because I know what happens in these places.”

Fenech was probably thinking back to his controversial draw with
Azumah Nelson in Las Vegas where many good judges felt he was robbed
of a victory, while some of his other fighters have also suffered
from controversial officiating in overseas fights.

***************************************************************************
Vic hooks a world crown
by Grantlee Kieza

Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia)
December 18, 2004 Saturday

VIC Darchinyan, the mighty atom of Australian boxing, unleashed some
big blows to win the IBF world flyweight title in Hollywood, Florida,
yesterday.

The Sydney Olympian, who stands just 166cm tall, knocked out
Colombia’s previously unbeaten Irene Pacheco in the 11th round before
a stunned crowd at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel.

The 51kg Darchinyan, whose father ran a petrol station in Armenia,
fought as though propelled by rocket fuel, decking the world
titleholder with a left hook in round 10 and finishing him off with a
similar punch in the next round.

The 28-year-old joins interim WBC super-middleweight champ Danny
Green as world titleholders trained by all-time great Jeff Fenech.

The fight had been halted for 10 minutes between rounds eight and
nine because of exploding fireworks near the venue and the bout was a
cracker from round one.

“This is the greatest moment of my life,” said Darchinyan, who had
dreamed of becoming world champion since he started boxing in Armenia
at the age of eight when he still went by his real first name,
Vakhtang.

“I always believed I could beat Pacheco and now I plan to be world
champion for many years.

“My plan is to unify the title and beat the WBC and WBA champions.”

Darchinyan, who became an Australian citizen in July, is unbeaten in
22 fights with 17 knockouts.

Pacheco, 33, the world champion since 1999, lost for the first time
in 31 fights.

***************************************************************************
ARMENIAN BOXER WINS IBF FLYWEIGHT TITLE

ArmenPress
Dec 17 2004

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS: Vic Darchinyan scored an
11th-round technical knockout of defending champion Irene Pacheco to
win the IBF flyweight title Thursday night. Darchinyan (22-0, 17
KOs), a native of Armenia now living in Australia, controlled the
pace for most of the bout and finally knocked down Pacheco in the
10th round with a right to the head.
Darchinyan didn’t let up in the 11th. He unloaded a series of
unanswered shots near the ropes and then dropped Pacheco a second
time with another right to the head 44 seconds into the round.
Pacheco’s cornermen had seen enough, asking referee Jorge Alonso
to stop the fight. For Pacheco, of Colombia, it was his first career
loss in 31 professional fights and seventh title defense.

***************************************************************************
Darchinyan destroys Pacheco, wins flyweight world title
By Anthony Cocks, DHB Site Editor (December 17, 2004)

Doghouse Boxing, Canada
Dec 18 2004

Vic ‘Raging Bull’ Darchinyan

Australian-based Armenian Vic ‘Raging Bull’ Darchinyan became the
first Jeff Fenech trained fighter to win a world title when he
knocked out long reigning champion Irene ‘Mambaco’ Pacheco in the
11th round to annex the IBF flyweight title on Thursday night at the
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

The 33-year-old Columbian southpaw was knocked down twice in the
fight, once in the tenth and again in the fatal eleventh round. Both
times right hooks did the damage. Pacheco was also deducted a point
for a low blow in round nine and another two points in round ten for
the same infraction.

Darchinyan, an accomplished amateur who relocated to Australia after
competing in the Sydney Olympics, took the fight to Pacheco from the
opening bell and never took his foot off the gas.

Pacheco, who was making the 7th defense of the title he won in 1999
with a 9th round stoppage of Luis Cox Coronado, enjoyed some success
with a body attack in the middle rounds but overall had little answer
to the 28-year-old’s relentless pressure.

Referee Jorge Alonso called a halt to the bout at 0:44 of round 11
after Pacheco was knocked down for a second time.

The fight was originally scheduled to take place on September 3 in
Florida before Hurricane Frances scuttled those plans.

The win is of particular significance to former three division
champion and Hall of Famer Fenech, who despite having trained some of
Australia’s best fighters to world title shots has until today been
unable to win the big one.

With the win Darchinyan moves to 22-0 (17) and joins the illustrious
ranks of Jimmy Carruthers, Rocky Mattioli, Lionel Rose, Johnny
Famechon, Lester Ellis, Barry Michael, Jeff Fenech, Jeff Harding,
Kostya Tszyu and Anthony Mundine as Australians who have won world
titles.

Pacheco suffers his first loss and falls to 30-1 (23).

Australian fight fans can watch a replay of the fight on Fox Sports 2
on Christmas Eve, 24th December 2004 from 7:30pm AEDT.

***************************************************************************
Goodnight, Irene: Darchinyan victorious in title bid
December 18, 2004

Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Dec 18 2004

Vic Darchinyan turned on the pugilistic pyrotechnics after the real
life fireworks had finished to give Australia another eastern
European-bred boxing world champion in Florida on Thursday.

Darchinyan, who represented Armenia at the Sydney Olympics,
maintained his own unbeaten record and shattered the one belonging to
International Boxing Federation flyweight champion Irene Pacheco,
stopping the champion in the 11th round of their championship bout at
the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa.

Darchinyan knocked Pacheco down in the 10th and 11th rounds before
the Colombian’s corner stepped in.

The Australian won the encounter despite an interruption of several
minutes caused by fireworks exploding nearby and numerous low blows
from a desperate Pacheco, who was deducted a point in both the ninth
and 10th rounds.

“They had to stop the fight for several minutes and we were going
crazy because we knew Vic was getting on top. And when the 10th round
started, Vic just jumped on him,” Darchinyan’s trainer, Jeff Fenech,
said from Florida. “He was hitting Vic in the balls because he was
getting beaten.”

It was 28-year-old Darchinyan’s 22nd consecutive win and Pacheco’s
first defeat in 31 bouts.

The victory also gave three-division world champion Fenech his first
world titleholder as a trainer. “The monkey is finally off my back,”
yelled a jubilant Fenech.

Darchinyan, who registered his 17th KO win, joins IBF
super-lightweight titleholder Kostya Tszyu as Australia’s only
top-level world champions.

“I think I destroyed him because I stopped him,” said Darchinyan, who
registered his 17th KO win. He had vowed before the fight to destroy
33-year-old Pacheco, who had made six successful defences since 1999
but had not fought for 15 months.

Darchinyan followed the advice of Fenech when the fight resumed
following the break between the eighth and ninth rounds.

“Jeff asked me to throw more punches and miss his right jab and throw
my straight left, and I did exactly what Jeff told me,” Darchinyan
said. “I started the fight good, but in a few of the middle rounds, I
started waiting for him because I just wanted to catch him with one
big punch. It wasn’t the right way. Jeff reminded me to throw more
punches.”

Fenech had made it clear what he wanted from Darchinyan.

“After three rounds he was so tired because he’s had such a long
preparation and I was pushing him hard. I got stuck in between a
couple of rounds and said to him: ‘If you don’t listen to me, I’m
going to walk out’,” Fenech said.

“There was some close rounds. Vic hit him with many better punches, I
thought Vic was just in front, but I didn’t want to say to him. I
kept telling him ‘C’mon Vic, we’re behind’.”

***************************************************************************
Vic’s a knock-out
By GRANTLEE KIEZA

Daily Telegraph, Australia
Dec 18 2004

VIC Darchinyan, the mighty atom of Australian boxing, unleashed some
furious fission to win the IBF world flyweight title in Hollywood,
Florida yesterday.

The Sydney Olympian knocked out Colombia’s previously unbeaten Irene
Pacheco in the 11th round before a stunned crowd at the Seminole Hard
Rock Hotel.

The 51kg Darchinyan, 28, whose father ran a petrol station in
Armenia, fought as though propelled by rocket fuel, decking the world
titleholder with a southpaw left hook in round 10 and then finishing
him off with the same punch in the 11th.

He now joins interim WBC super-middleweight champ Danny Green as two
world titleholders trained by all-time great Jeff Fenech.

The fight had been halted for 10 minutes between rounds eight and
nine because of exploding fireworks near the venue and the bout was a
cracker from round one.

“This is the greatest moment of my life,” said Darchinyan, who had
dreamed of becoming world champion since he started boxing in Armenia
at the age of eight when he still went by his real first name,
Vakhtang.

“I always believed I could beat Pacheco and now I plan to be world
champion for many years.

“My plan is to unify the title and beat the WBC and WBA champions.”

Darchinyan, who became an Australian citizen in July, is now unbeaten
in 22 fights with 17 knockouts. Pacheco, 33, the world champ since
1999, lost for the first time in 31 fights.

Darchinyan started the bout between the two left-handers in whirlwind
style but the lanky Pacheco, enjoying a 5cm height advantage, fought
back in the middle rounds using long-armed body shots.

Referee Jorge Alonso took a point off Pacheco in round nine for a low
blow and penalised him two more points in round 10 for the same
offence.

But Darchinyan had no intention of winning on points.

The bout, postponed from September 3 as Hurricane Frances struck the
Florida coast, will be telecast on Fox Sports on Christmas Eve.

***************************************************************************
Armenian takes IBF flyweight title

ESPN
Dec 17 2004

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Vic Darchinyan scored an 11th-round technical
knockout of defending champion Irene Pacheco to win the IBF flyweight
title Thursday night.

Darchinyan (22-0, 17 KOs), a native of Armenia now living in
Australia, controlled the pace for most of the bout and finally
knocked down Pacheco in the 10th round with a right to the head.

Darchinyan didn’t let up in the 11th. He unloaded a series of
unanswered shots near the ropes and then dropped Pacheco a second
time with another right to the head 44 seconds into the round.

Pacheco’s cornermen had seen enough, asking referee Jorge Alonso to
stop the fight.

For Pacheco, of Colombia, it was his first career loss in 31
professional fights and seventh title defense.

***************************************************************************
Darchinyan wins IBF flyweight title with TKO of Pacheco

Associated Press
Dec 17 2004

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Vic Darchinyan scored an 11th-round technical
knockout of defending champion Irene Pacheco to win the IBF flyweight
title Thursday night.

Darchinyan, a native of Armenia now living in Australia, controlled
the pace for most of the bout fought outdoors at the Seminole Hard
Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood.

Darchinyan’s gradual dominance began to take its toll on Pacheco in
the 10th round, when Darchinyan sent him to the canvas with a right
to the head.

With a weary Pacheco returning to his corner at the end of the round,
Darchinyan didn’t let up his assault at the beginning of the 11th. He
unloaded a series of unanswered shots near the ropes and then dropped
Pacheco a second time with another right to the head.

Pacheco’s cornermen had seen enough, asking referee Jorge Alonso to
stop the fight at 44 seconds of the round.

For Pacheco, of Colombia, it was his first career loss in 31
professional fights and seventh title defense.

Darchinyan (22-0, 17 KOs) was the busier fighter from the opening
round and didn’t let Pacheco build much of an offense. Pacheco’s
frustrations prompted repeated warnings from Alonso for hitting below
the belt.

The low blows eventually cost Pacheco a point deduction in the ninth
and another two points removed in the 10th.

To add to Pacheco’s miseries, he suffered a deep gash to his right
eyebrow after colliding heads with Darchinyan in the fifth.

The fight was delayed seven minutes before the ninth round because of
a loud fireworks display during a festival adjacent to the fight
facility.

Darchinyan weighed 111 pounds for the bout, while Pacheco weighed
112.

***************************************************************************
Darchinyan stops Pacheco to win IBF flyweight title
by Paul Upham:

SecondsOut
Dec 17 2004

Australian based Armenian “Raging Bull” Vic Darchinyan
22-0 (17) won the IBF flyweight title on Thursday night at the Hard
Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, USA with an 11th round
knockout over Colombian Irene Pacheco 30-1 (23). Darchinyan dropped
Pacheco with a left hand in round 10 and again in round 11, before
the corner of 33 year-old Pacheco stopped the fight.

“I am very happy,” Darchinyan told SecondsOut. “Jeff (Fenech) came
into the ring when they stopped the fight and he picked me up. After
much hard work, finally I have become world champion.”

28 year-old Darchinyan first joined Jeff Fenech’s Team Fenech in 2000
after representing his native Armenia at the Sydney Olympic Games.
The three-time world champion and Hall of Famer was very impressed
with what he saw and encouraged him to stay in Australia and turn
professional.

“He went exactly how I thought he would go,” said Fenech. “I thought
that he was going to be a little off. He had been training for so
long. I knew he would go through this tired period and then he just
came back strong as ever.”

The first six rounds of the fight were very close and Fenech reminded
Darchinyan between rounds of what was at stake.

“I thought it was close,” said Fenech. “I thought Vic might have been
in front by one round after nine. It was close and afterwards they
told me that after nine rounds it was even. I had some serious words
to Vic at the end of round eight and nine. I told him a few home
truths and he went out and did the job.”

“It was my fault,” admitted Darchinyan, in describing some slow work
from himself in the middle rounds. “I stopped a bit and Jeff reminded
me to keep punching again.”

In rounds 9 and 10 Pacheco was twice penalised for intentional low
blows. “When he knew that Vic was going to finishing him, he was
punching low on purpose,” said Fenech.

“Pacheco was a good champion,” said Darchinyan. “He had some good
punches to the body. But he was a dirty fighter too. He hit me low
when we were in close.”

After the 9th round, there was an unusual ten-minute delay for safety
reasons due to a large fireworks display next door at the Hard Rock
Hotel.
“It was crazy,” said Fenech. “We weren’t worried about the fireworks.
I told the referee to just let them fight. We were there to win.”

Darchinyan, who arrives back home in Sydney at 8am on Sunday morning,
has no promotional options on him and will not have to make a
mandatory defence until September 2005. Unification bouts with WBC
flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam and WBA champion Lorenzo
Parra are a priority.

“I want to stay at flyweight and win the WBC and WBA titles,” said
Darchinyan. “I’ll talk to Jeff and after that, we may move up in
weight.”

If those fights are not possible straight away, Darchinyan has his
eyes fixed on a USA 2000 Olympian.

“I want to fight Brian Viloria,” he said. “I have sparred him before.
I win, no problem.”

***************************************************************************
This compilation was contributed to by:
Sebouh Tashjian
Katia Peltekian

–Boundary_(ID_e1UYdSa7m+2P9t0ydWqZMw)–

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Sport/Goodnight-Irene-Darchinyan-victorious-in-title-bid/2004/12/17/1102787280252.html?oneclick=true