Darchinyan vows to make bookies - and Mares - pay

By Daniel Lane
December 11, 2010

AUSTRALIAN boxing champion Vic Darchinyan has received extra motivation to destroy Mexico's Abner Mares in Washington today from the most unusual of sources - the hard-nosed American bookies.

Darchinyan, the IBO's super-flyweight champion, has moved up a weight division to fight the highly rated Mares for the IBO's bantamweight crown and the WBC's silver title, a new belt that replaces "interim" world titles.

However, Armenian-born Darchinyan was incensed to realise the US bookies had no faith in him when the betting market opened earlier in the week and they'd installed him as the underdog.

"Can you believe?" the devastating southpaw fumed down the phone. "I cannot believe it. I could not believe it. I fought for the world title 16 times, Mares has fought for it once. You know how it works, the Mexicans have Mexican money placed on him, but this I cannot believe. The bookies have no idea."

Darchinyan and Mares are competing in a Showtime bantamweight tournament which also features Ghanaian warrior Joseph Agbeko and Columbia's Yonnhy Perez. Between them the quartet has a combined total of 76 KO victories from their 109 bouts, and Darchinyan vowed to improve his 71.05 per cent KO rate by flooring Mares.

"It will be an early Christmas present for Australia," said Darchinyan, who is known internationally as the Raging Bull. "He is a good kid, very good. He drew with [Yonnhy] Perez in his last fight but that has only made me focus more on the job.

"They [Mares's supporters] see him as fast and a big puncher but I will punish him. I will make him look silly and I will then knock him out. The bookies will look silly, too."

Darchinyan, who until only recently included 1000 sit-ups, as many push-ups and 1½ hours of skipping in his daily training routine, said those who expected him to falter had placed too much of an emphasis on his age. At 34, the Sydneysider is nine years older than Mares.

"They count my age," he said. "They think I am too old for him, but boxing is not about age. My speed is good, and he will feel my power."

While Mares is assured of vocal support at the Emerald Queen Casino from the local Mexican community, Darchinyan was buoyed by the thought many Armenian-born Americans, and a healthy contingent of Australian supporters, would be present to cheer him. However, he's promised to convert Mares's supporters by brute force.

"After a couple of rounds the [Mares] crowd will change, they will turn to me," he said. "They will see I have come to fight, and they will respect that."

Darchinyan said he was as "pumped" for this bout in much the same as he was in 2004 when he was granted his first shot at the world title against Irene Pacheco. The Columbian was battered into submission over 11 brutal rounds.

"I was the underdog then too, but I knocked him out," he said. "My preparation for this fight has been very good. I am excited by this fight."