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Lem’s latest: Darchinyan plans to ‘demolish’ Donaire

Fighters Network
05
Nov

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During a recent airing of HBO’s Face Off With Max Kellerman, Brandon Rios bristled when Kellerman said, “There are those who think that (Manny) Pacquiao choosing you is because they want to look exciting, they want to look good, they want a guy that they can really beat up, and that’s Brandon Rios.”

A similar suggestion was made to Vic Darchinyan during a Tuesday conference call four days ahead of his featherweight matchup with Nonito Donaire.



“I think so, yes. I think so. That’s why he chose me after his loss to Rigo,” said Darchinyan, referring to Donaire’s last fight, a unanimous-decision loss to Guillermo Rigondeaux.

“I think, also, that Nonito was exposed. Nonito, you know, he had a good name last year. He was The Fighter of The Year. But, really, in my mind, it’s because of me, I know. It’s about skills, it’s about power. I’m going to show what I’m all about since what happened, six years ago, when I lost to Nonito.”

“Six years ago” was when Darchinyan, then an unbeaten IBF flyweight titleholder, met Donaire’s counter left hook and was knocked out in the fifth round of what became The Filipino’s signature win.

Darchinyan, 37, has won two straight since losing consecutive unanimous decisions to Anselmo Moreno and Shinsuke Yamanaka, and is coming off a fourth-round stoppage win over Javier Gallo in May.

“I’ve been training hard for Nonito. I will stop him. I’m going to demolish him. I’m going to prove to all of the world that it’s not about him, and that it’s all about me. I have more skills, I have more power. I have never been more motivated against someone like I am for this fight against Nonito. I’m prepared. I know everything that he’s going to do, and I know what I’m going to do,” said Darchinyan.

“I’m very calm, emotionally. Of course, he can say the same thing, that he’s ready for me. But I’m going to prove to all the world that I’m ready for this fight, and that I have been for a long time. I’m very motivated. I’m going to come and expose him and show to all of the world that I can beat him, and not only just beat him, but I can beat him easily. I’m going to show all of the world just how good I am.”

Meanwhile, Donaire, who turns 31 on Nov. 16, is very aware that he is in for a fight on Saturday.

“I don’t see this fight going the full 12 rounds,” said Donaire. “He’s going to go for the knockout, and I’m going to go for the knockout.”

TIM BRADLEY-JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ DOES NEARLY $3 MILLION GATE

Tim Bradley’s split-decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in defense of his WBO welterweight belt last month did a nearly $3 million gate, having sold 10,683 tickets at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Bradley-Marquez did a gate of $2,998,950, with 1,370 tickets being given away, and 5,649 going unsold.

On HBO Pay Per View, Bradley-Marquez sold 375,000 pay-per-view units, according to according to Yahoo!Sports and Top Rank President Todd duBoef. That number represented a profit considering the break-even point of 350,000 attributed to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum.

JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR.-BRYAN VERA II COULD HAPPEN ON FEB. 8

Arum said that a rematch between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Bryan Vera, is now is being targeted for Feb. 8 likely in Vera’s home state of Texas. Chavez-Vera I began with controversy when Chavez’s failure to make weight led to a 173-pound catchweight that was negotiated by Arum and Vera’s promoter, Artie Pelullo, and ended with a controversial unanimous decision in favor of Chavez. The return bout would happen at the super middleweight limit of 168, according to Arum.

Arum and Pelullo will be in Corpus Christi starting on Wednesday for Saturday’s Donaire-Darchinyan fight, which is happening on a card that includes RING featherweight champion Mikey Garcia challenging WBO junior lightweight beltholder Roman “Rocky” Martinez, as well as a junior middleweight clash between Vanes Martirosyan and Demetrius Andrade for the WBO’s vacant belt.

Arum said that Pelullo, who promotes Andrade, will be in Corpus Christi and that HBO executive Peter Nelson will be on hand as well.

“We have to have a date from HBO, which, hopefully, with Peter down in Texas tomorrow and Artie being there, too, we can work it all out. We’re looking for a date in February,” said Arum, then referred to the Feb. 7-through-Feb. 23 Winter Olympics in Russia. “They’re reluctant to program against the Winter Olympics, so we have to figure that out. Feb. 8 is really before the competition starts, so that could be a possibility.”

According to CompuBox, Vera had a 176-125 advantage in overall punches landed, as well as winning 109-98 in power shots compared to Chavez, who was awarded the decision by scores of 96-94, 97-93, and 98-92, by Carla Caiz, Marty Denkin and Gwen Adair, respectively.

Of a poll of 59 media members, 53 scored the bout in favor of Vera, with six draws. In its round-by-round, RingTV.com scored the fight for Vera, 97-93.

Click here for RingTV.com’s Chavez-Vera round-by-round.

IBF FLYWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER MORUTI MTHALANE TO FACE AMNAT RUENROENG

South African IBF flyweight titleholder Moruti Mthalane will face Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng in accordance with a purse bid won on Oct. 29 by Thailand’s Jimmy Chaichotchuang, according to an e-mail from IBF President Daryl Peoples.

“Moruti Mthalane’s mandatory must take place on or before January 29, 2014,” stated Peoples. “I don’t have the exact date for the fight yet.”

Photo by Chris Farina, Top Rank

Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]

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