Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Nov 16 2009
Raging Bull’s low profile belies his remarkable achievements
Daniel Lewis
November 16, 2009
Once in a generation fighting machine ¦ Victor Darchinyan, after
defeating Mexico’s Cristian Mijares last year.
Photo: AP
HE GETS mobbed on the streets of Los Angeles and in his native
Armenia. Yet in his adopted homeland of Australia, he can walk down
the streets of Marrickville, where he owns Jeff Fenech’s famous old
gym, and not get so much as a knowing sideways glance. Welcome to the
weird world of Victor Darchinyan.
Unlike some other high-profile Australian boxers, Darchinyan’s level
of fame here seems to be in inverse proportion to the number of
quality opponents he sends to the canvas.
Pound for pound, Darchinyan is widely rated one of the world’s
toughest and most exciting fighters.
In his 35 professional bouts, he has lost just twice and drawn once,
while 26 of his 32 victories have come by knockout. It is a remarkable
achievement against other highly ranked boxers.
Aficionados of the sweet science have no doubt Darchinyan is special
and highly deserving of an accolade such as the Herald’s Sports
Performer of the Year award, presented by Colonial First State.
Jamie Pandaram, who covers boxing for the Herald, wrote in February
that Darchinyan was ”better than Jeff Fenech, more comprehensive than
Kostya Tszyu. When Vic Darchinyan finally hangs up the gloves, he will
be recognised as the greatest pugilist ever to fight for Australia.
”Darchinyan is a once in a generation fighting machine who glides
above the other two because he has the hunger of one and the smarts of
the other. When Darchinyan fights, never is it more evident that here
is a man attempting to break another’s will while showing
unquestionable loyalty to his own.
”He has stopped three former world champions in succession in the
lighter weight divisions, a feat as difficult as winning three
successive Melbourne Cups.”
Born in 1976, multilingual, university educated, a former soldier and
just 166 centimetres tall, Darchinyan is nicknamed ”Raging Bull”
because of his performance in the ring – a southpaw with a knockout
punch in both explosive hands. But he is also entitled to rage about
his lack of recognition in Australia.
As one magazine profile noted earlier this year: ”Despite the Raging
Bull nickname, world titles and fabulous knockout record, Darchinyan
gets fewer autograph requests here than Sydney FC’s second-choice
goalkeeper.”
Another reporter who strolled through Martin Place at lunchtime with
Darchinyan six months ago saw just one well-wisher come forward to
congratulate the super-flyweight titleholder: ”Despite recently
making the short list for the prestigious Laureus World Sportsman of
the Year Award, he is just another face lost in the hustle and bustle
of cafes, buskers and business people.”
As Darchinyan has acknowledged, his low profile locally is in large
part due to the fact he often fights overseas and his bouts are shown
on pay-per-view television.
His first professional fight was in 2000 at Sydney’s Star City Casino.
He took the Australian flyweight title the following year and in 2004
beat Columbian Irene Pacheco in Florida to claim his first world
title, the IBF flyweight belt. A year ago, in the super-flyweight
division, he unified the IBF, WBA, WBC belts by mauling glamour boy
Cristian Mijares of Mexico in a bout in California.
In Darchinyan’s most recent fight, in July, he suffered his second
defeat, beaten on points in Florida by Ghana’s Joseph Agbeko as he
tried to climb another weight division to claim the IBF bantamweight
title.
Despite lucrative offers to call the US and Armenia home, Darchinyan
has stayed loyal to Australia, saying he loves life here despite the
lack of public acclaim. His Australian romance began when he met
Fenech while representing Armenia at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He took
out citizenship in 2004.
Fenech, a three-division world champion and Darchinyan’s former
trainer, predicted years ago that the Raging Bull would be regarded as
an all-time great in the lower weight divisions. Even Australian Idol
star Guy Sebastian reckons he should win the Sports Performer of the
Year because: ”He is one of the great unsung legends of Australian
boxing.”
Australians recognised Sebastian as a talented young singer. An
honourable step in rightfully recognising Darchinyan as an Australian
sporting idol would be to ”Vote 1 Vic”.