DARCHINYAN BEATS BARCELONA, WINS VACANT IBO BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 21 May 2010
WBC/WBA super flyweight champion Vic ?The Raging Bull? Darchinyan has won the vacant IBO bantamweight title with a twelve round unanimous decision over veteran Filipino Eric ?The Maverick? Barcelona in a battle of southpaws in New South Wales, Australia.
The hard-hitting Darchinyan dropped Barcelona twice in the fifth round and once in the eleventh en route to a comfortable victory while Barcelona was deducted two points for low blows.
All three judges had Darchinyan a comfortable winner turning in scorecards of 120-103, 118-105 and 116-108.
Darchinyan was coming off a successful defense of his super flyweight titles last March 6, 2010 with a comfortable decision over a game young Mexican Rodrigo Guerrero.
Darchiyan who was supposed to face WBA interim champion Noni ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire in an eagerly awaited rematch saw that fight fall apart over the television rights fees particularly in the Philippines.
Darchinyan?s promoter Gary Shaw claimed Top Rank was offering too little for the TV rights and because of that Darchinyan was pulling out of the planned rematch. However, Top Rank as well as Donaire claimed that Darchinyan simply didn?t wish to face Donaire who knocked him out in the 5th round and captured Darchinyan?s IBF and IBO flyweight belts on July 7, 2007.
Donaire?s KO was chosen the ?Knockout of the Year? even as Darchinyan said the Filipino got lucky.
Shaw told us some time ago that Darchinyan would have a tine-up fight before defending his titles against someone other than Donaire while Donaire himself is being groomed to see action on the Juan Manuel ?Juanma? Lopez-Bernabe Concepcion WBO featherweight title fight in Puerto Rico on July 10.
Barcelona, a southpaw had previously lost a twelve round unanimous decision to South Africa?s Simpiwe Vetyeka in an IBO title fight on July 11, 2009 and then dropped a ten round decision to Japan?s Kohei Oba in Nagoya on March 7, 2010.
With the loss the 28 year old Barcelona dropped to 51-18-4 with 19 knockouts while the 34 year old Darchinayan improved to 35-2-1 with 27 knockouts.
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