Darchinyan Dominates Mijares

The first super flyweight, unification bout in history was supposed to be Cristian Mijares’ coming out party. This was the fight where he finally got a chance to showcase his reputed top 10, pound for pound skills on a national stage.

Instead, the normally wild Vic Darchinyan fought a disciplined, perfect fight and pounded Mijares over 9 mostly one-sided rounds before a merciful TKO stoppage.

The raucous, mostly Mexican crowd at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA gave Mijares a grand reception as he made his way to the ring. At the stare down he retained a cocky smirk, perhaps feeling Darchinyan had no boxing skills to contend with his superb counter-punching.

Mijares’ smile was wiped off within the first 30 seconds, as Darchinyan repeatedly beat him to the punch with lead straight and overhand lefts. The clean shots were heavily due to Darchinyan not rushing in and utilizing a sharp jab.

Mijares also showed early sluggishness, leaning forward with his punches which resulted in Darchinyan dropping him hard with a perfect counter uppercut. Showing his usual cockiness, Darchinyan goaded him to get up just as the bell saved the WBA/WBC champ for an early knockout.

In round 2 Mijares still struggled to establish any offense, realizing that Darchinyan’s hand-speed and jab had taken away his chances to counterpunch. After eating a series of thudding overhand lefts, Mijares attempted to make it brawl, and fared better catching Vic with two nice counter hooks to the temple. However, the light-punching Mijares could gain no respect and Darchinyan fired right back to close an exciting round.

Mijares started to get more comfortable in rounds three and four, finally showing decent glove blocking and lateral movement away from Darchinyan’s powerful left hand. Unfortunately, these defensive adjustments didn’t translate into good offense, and Darchinyan continued to dominate the exchanges, now adding in wincing, round-house left hooks to the body.

It wasn’t until round 5 where Mijares finally landed a head combination, punctuated by a hard hook. Darchinyan responded in kind as Mijares waved him in. Despite his machismo for fans, Mijares was falling further and further behind on the scorecards.

Darchinyan continued his work in round six, blistering Mijares with punishing combinations, most ending with his powerful left hand. Mijares, touted as the one of the most technically skilled fighters at the lower weights, could do nothing but continue waving Vic in, hoping he’d make a mistake.

Round 7 saw Mijares finally gather some sustained offense, clipping Darchinyan with a sneaky uppercut and a counter hook as the IBF champ briefly went back to his old ways of lunging in. However, Darchinyan kept Mijares honest by ripping him with another left uppercut as the round ended.

By round nine, Mijares had no choice but to continue coming forward in hopes of scoring a KO. But it was Darchinyan who would succeed, driving Mijares back with a hard jab before nearly knocking him through the ropes with a laser-sharp straight left.

Mijares spun on the canvas, and his fans watched in shocked dismay as the referee waved the fight off with just a few seconds remaining in the round.

With the win, Vic Darchinyan now becomes the first man in history to unify the Super Flyweight division.

Remembering the writers who picked against him, Darchinyan made it a point in the post-fight interview to ask about his new pound for pound standing.

“All writers, did I keep my promise [to knock out Mijares]?” Darchinyan quipped. “Where am I now pound for pound? I knocked him out!”

Indeed, many writers will now have to consider Vic’s placement now that he’s moved up from flyweight to super flyweight and unified the division in just two fights. In addition, those two unification bouts came courtesy of devastating highlight-reel knockouts.

What made this fight so impressive was the way Darchinyan, thought of as just an awkward brawler, outboxed Mijares thoroughly in every round. Vic’s speed and stinging jab left Mijares confused, and a fish out of water when he abandoned his normal counter-punching style to press the action.

But, the most significant change to Vic’s style last night was he rarely lunged in with wild hooks. This flaw left him KTFO last year against Donaire, but tonight whenever Darchinyan did rush in, it was preceded by a hard jab followed by a straight shot. This drastically lowered his chances of eating anything big in return.

Darchinyan should at minimum be in everyone’s top 15, but many will be reluctant to place him higher until he rematches Nontio Donaire, the man who knocked him cold last year and briefly derailed his career.

If that fight cannot be made, look for Darchinyan to seek out Fernando Monteil or Jorge Arce (who scored a 4^th roundKO this weekend over Isidro Garcia).

Whomever he fights, the lighter weights just got a little more exciting with Vic Darchinyan back on top.

Roy Jones Confirms Hopkins Main Option After Calzaghe

Roy Jones, Jr. is already looking past his November 8 fight with undefeated light-heavyweight champ Joe Calzaghe, verifying that he’s open to facing bitter rival Bernard Hopkins.

The change of heart comes seven years after a highly-anticipated rematch fell through when both men stubbornly refused to compromise on their contract negotiations.

“People want to see me and Bernard do it again after I beat Joe,” Jones wrote in a column for ESPN.com. “I beat Bernard 15 years ago and I will do it again if we fight. I’d like that fight and if it makes sense and we come up with a good deal, for sure I will do it. People want to see if Bernard can get revenge… But first I need to take off Joe, which I will do.”

Calzaghe Dimisses Hopkins, Executioner Rules Out Dawson, Promises “Hell” for Jones-Calzaghe Winner

In the wake of Hopkins’ stunning win over Kelly Pavlik, Joe Calzaghe rebuffed rumblings of a rematch with the Executioner.

Since winning a split decision in an ugly April bout, Calzaghe has not had a kind word to say about his last dance partner.

“Screw Hopkins, I’m not fighting again for any amount of money, I’ve been doing this for too long,” he spat to WalesOnline.co.uk. “Hopkins beating Pavlik in the style he did gives my victory over Hopkins more credibility. When I beat Hopkins, people say he was just a washed up old man, a shadow of the fighter of years gone by. But he just annihilated the so-called next big thing in boxing in a fight he called the fight of his life.”

Dismissing these words and young lion Chad Dawson, Bernard Hopkins made a promise that the winner of Jones-Calzaghe will have no option but to face him.

“Scratch Chad Dawson off, I’ve got bigger fish to fry,” Hopkins countered. “I listened to everything and I heard what Joe said the other day, that I won’t get a rematch. Joe knows in his heart the judges beat Bernard Hopkins. I’ll be ringside on November 8 and all hell is going to break out in the media and with the fans. I set the bar so high. With Joe Calzaghe, I won’t worry about a decision this time. I will knock him out. But my next fight will be no later than February, no earlier than March.”

Hopkins’ words show that he leans towards Calzaghe picking up the win. We’ll see if Roy can turn back the clock as Hopkins-Jones II is far more appealing and likely to happen than a Calzaghe rewind.

Jones-Calzaghe, Who Wins?

Conventional wisdom has Jones as the big underdog in this bout. After 3 consecutive losses, Jones, Jr. launched a low-key comeback in 2006 which culminated with an easy decision win over an undersized Felix Trinidad.

On the other hand, 2006 marked the year of Calzaghe’s official recognition as a top pound for pound fighter. He effectively ruined Jeff Lacy’s career with one of the most dominating performances ever seen in a superfight. Later, he beat another undefeated young lion in Mikkel Kessler before gutting out a rough win against Bernard Hopkins in April.

Jones has not scored a knockout in six years, so to win he’d have to outbox Calzaghe. And with Jones now relying on his shell defense to mask his decreased stamina, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be able to score enough to override the massive amount of punches Calzaghe will throw.

Plus, Calzaghe will look much better facing a more stationary Jones as opposed to the crafty, always moving Bernard Hopkins.

Still, Jones has shown flashes of his once renowned hand-speed, and possibly might be able to turn back the clock for one fight.

Smart money should be on a Calzaghe decision or possible stoppage. Whatever the outcome, it’ll be an entertaining bout where both guys deliver the showmanship boxing is missing these days.

Throwback Fighter of the Week: Wilfred Benitez

Coming from a celebrated boxing family, Wilfred Benitez amazingly turned pro in 1973 as the young age of 14!

His exceptional defense and aggressive counter-punching lead him to a title shot in 1976 against legend Antonio Cervantes, and Benitez outpointed the WBA, 140 pound champ to became the youngest person ever to win a title at age 17.

Benitez made 3 successful defenses but was lured to the big money that awaited him at welterweight. In 1979, Benitez narrowly outpointed Carlos Palomino before facing Sugar Ray Leonard to end the year.

Benitez fought a highly technical contest and gave Leonard his toughest fight up to that point. But Leonard’s greater physical strength and edge in speed proved decisive, and Leonard handed Wilfred his first loss via a 15^th round TKO.

Although undersized, Benitez continued to move up in weight to secure big money fights. He won the WBC 154 pound strap with a 12^th round TKO over Maurice Hope, and outpointed Roberto Duran in his second defense.

In 1982, Benitez ran into his worst nightmare in Tommy Hearns.  Too small to get inside, Benitez was forced to stay on the outside and eat repeated jabs and occasional rights in route to a decision loss.

That fight would be Benitez’s last title shot, and his career spiraled down after losses to Mustafa Hamsho and Davey Moore in 1983 and 1984.

A 1990 comeback under Emanuel Steward proved no better, and Benitez retired for good in September of that year.

Back in his native Puerto Rico, Benitez suffers from a degenerative brain condition from his years of boxing and diabetes. He lives on a $200 a month stipend from the WBA.

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