02.06.06 – By Flavio Alvarez: While a lot of analysts and fans are touting Vic Darchinyan as a rising superstar in the flyweight division, I’m not ready to jump on the bandwagon just yet. Half of the punches thrown at him he blocks with his face, the other half with his ribs, and the ones he throws back are often too wide. And being already 30 years old, it’s unlikely we will ever see vast improvement in any of these two flaws.
Also, in the couple of fights I’ve seen him, while he has won, he has hardly coasted to victory. In his title winning performance against then champ Irene Pacheco he was behind going into the 11th round before winning by KO, and a couple of times he was ready to go home early. Even a much undersized (if that is even possible) Diosdado Gabi gave him hell for about 5
rounds before Darchinyan ran him over like a squirrel.
Yet all of these flaws, along with a never back down attitude, are precisely what make him an entertaining fighter to watch, and a sturdy chin and heavy hands make up nicely for bad defense and lack of technique. Nicknamed “Little Raging Bull”, Darchinyan physically looks, and fights, more like a mongoose bringing down a snake, walking through venom until he can sink his teeth into it.
His next opponent, Luis Maldonado seems, at least on paper, the perfect victim to build Vic up for bigger and better things (read Jorge Arce). Maldonado is a counter puncher that doesn’t run or hit particularly hard, and a couple of fights ago did not look great against Tomás Rojas (Who? Exactly). Maldonado’s only apparent advantage is that he has been a 115 pounder for most of his career, making him the naturally bigger man.
Should Darchinyan pass the test, a confrontation with Jorge Arce seems the obvious next step for both. The tough Mexican has not lost in 6 years and is considered the top dog in the division. If he can successfully upset “El Travieso”, he will have to
overcome an even bigger obstacle to become a superstar, being a Flyweight.