Vic Darchinyan

Vic Darchinyan and his camp didn’t expect a long night. Yes, it’s boxing. And yes, boxing often entails 12 grueling round of action. But not when you’re fighting a guy with only 13 wins. But that’s exactly what Mexico’s Rodrigo Guerrero managed to give Vic – a long night.

Darchinyan retained his WBC and WBA super flyweight titles by earning a unanimous decision over young Guerrero. He pounded Guerrero around the ring, battered him, inflicting constant damage. But he was unable to stop Rodrigo and get the 28th knockout everyone expected him to get early on. “This kid, I respect how he took punches,” Darchinyan said. “I couldn’t believe how he took punches. He kept coming back. I respect him. He’s good. I thought I was going to stop him. I gave him good punches but I couldn’t.”

For his part, Rodrigo said that he knew he lost after the fight (the judges scored it 120-108, 118-110 and 117-111), but that he felt he had performed well. He said that Vic’s headbutts did most of the damage and that now he will be known as a fighter who won’t be an easy, or short, night for anyone. Of course, the reality of the fight is that the only damage Guerrero managed to inflict on Vic was by continually blocking punches with his face. He did it so much that he tore the skin from Vic’s knuckles, according to the trainer. Not exactly a top resume point, is it?

Darchinyan is 34 years old and Rodrigo is 12 years younger, at 22. Maybe it’s youth that kept the kid on his feet, or maybe heart. Or maybe, as far as Nonito Donaire is concerned, Vic just doesn’t quite have it anymore – if he ever did. Donaire knocked out Vic in 2007 in the Knockout of the Year and after this Guerrero fight, Vic stated that Nonito was scared to rematch him. Donaire has laughed it off considering how Vic couldn’t even KO this kid with only 13 wins, but he may still come calling for Darchinyan’s two belts. Either that or both men might move up in weight, possibly settling their differences there.

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