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Whoever said Vic "The Raging Bull" Darchinyan (now 32-1, 26 KOs) was still a one-dimensional fighter even after the Mijares fight and nothing more than a wild swinging lefty should now re-assess that view. With his incredible late-fight stoppage win over iron-chinned Jorge "El Travieso" Arce (now 51-5, 39 KOs) by systematically breaking him down throughout eleven rounds of solid action with a combination of never-before seen ring savvy and his trademark left hammer, the Armenian has announced to the world his new self a fine craftsman in the making.
While the Armenian super flyweight three-belt holder could not yet be mistaken as an excellent blend of a sweet boxer and a heavy puncher, Darchinyan showed remarkable improvements in his style and overall ring craft on Saturday night. For one, Darchinyan can now combine his left mallet with refined footwork, improved mobility, greater concentration and lots of patience - something he needs to rule the very competitive division furthermore and deliver his much publicised payback goods to his flyweight conqueror Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire (20-1, 13 KOs).
The way he hammered the Mexican - himself a ferocious puncher who won his previous fight via a brutal fourth round stoppage - into complete submission demonstrated the serious skills Darchinyan is honing. The last five rounds of the fight were a beauty to watch for the fans of the hard hitting Armenian. He took Arce to school by pummelling him with power shots from the outside, countering effectively and slipping gracefully behind the shots to deliver his vicious uppercuts. It was easily the best rounds in Darchinyan's entire career as he looked to be virtually unstoppable with his new found sweet footwork. On the other hand, Arce, who tried to press on the fight from round three onwards in a bid to force Darchinyan to commit a mistake, was rendered ineffective by Darchinyan's skills, tightened defence upstairs, surprisingly better lateral movement and improved combinations of punches and counter-punches.
The first two rounds of the fight were easily Darchinyan's rounds as he literally bullied Arce with big shots that forced the Mexican to backpedal. Round three was the most brilliant round for El Travieso, perhaps his only round in the fight, as he was able to connect with cracking left hooks that visibly hurt the Armenian who withdrew momentarily and went on the defensive. Arce had now discovered he could gain some success by pressing it onwards rather than fighting Darchinyan from distance. Arce tried to work out some inside game on the next two rounds but the guy who had been chasing him for three years proved to be too much for him, even during the inside exchanges. Darchinyan got the better of the exchanges during these close rounds.
Of course, there was still that awkward act of changing stance while lowering his guards to taunt his opponent, funny antics that could easily be exploited by quick swingers. But overall, it was a Darchinyan incarnate that we saw performing in a first defence of his undisputed WBA, WBC and IBF super flyweight belts Saturday night. All the judges scored the fight 109-100 for Darchinyan at the time of the stoppage; the ringside physician stopped the fight at the end of round 11 due to cuts on Arce's eyes.
The next logical step for Darchinyan to cement his current status as the top dog of the division was to fight Donaire next, a fight the fans could not see in the near future as Gary Shaw, Darchinyan's promoter was against it. "You don't reward disloyal people" Shaw referring to Donaire who decided to move out of his ward last year after the longest pause of his career which was an almost year round of inactivity.
Donaire, for his part, was not impressed by the apparent improvements in Darchinyan's game. He said in interviews that Darchinyan still "looked the same, fought exactly the same" and that the result should they fight again would probably go the same way as their previous encounter. Donaire sports a big knockout win against the Armenian southpaw, which happen to be the only lost in his career.
But no. While the Raging Bull was still very open on most angles and still reckless when charging in, he has vastly improved since his humiliating KO defeat against the Filipino punisher in July 2007. He has now revised his over-reliance on his left hand. He's now throwing more combinations, real combinations from both hands (not just a long left, followed by a long left and another long left). His uppercuts now look crispier and his left hooks are now sharper than before. And more importantly, he can now use angles to deliver his deadly bombs to better effects. That should make the Donaire rematch all the more interesting as the flashy Filipino has that beautiful counter punches perfect for anybody who lunges in too tentatively. Donaire, who is now currently preparing in the high altitudes of Baguio City, the Philippines for his March 22 outing against undefeated Texan Raul "Cobra" Martinez (24-0, 14 KOs), has stated several times his interest in fighting Darchinyan again.
Bad news as Gary Shaw won't let it happen.
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