By Chris Williams: Nonito Donaire (31-2, 20 KO’s) is facing Vic Darchinyan (39-5-1, 28 KO’s) tomorrow night in a fight that few boxing fans are interested in seeing at the American Bank Center, in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA. Darchinyan is 37, he’s lost two out of his last four fights, and he’s pretty much just a shot fighter now. On top of that, Donaire already knocked him out 6 years ago. Whether it was Donaire or his promoter Bob Arum’s idea for him to fight Darchinyan again, it’s seems like a really bad idea.
Donaire should be fighting the guy that just beat him in Guillermo Rigondeaux, because he really took Donaire to school last April in beating him by a 12 round decision. But by Donaire choosing to fight Darchinyan again at this stage in Darchinyan’s career, it makes Donaire look like a cherry picker and a ducker for making this move. You normally don’t see fighters getting easily beaten by someone and then turning around and deciding to fight someone that they easily beat years ago. That’s a backwards move and it doesn’t do anything to make people forget that you were badly beaten.
For Donaire not to look really bad in this fight on Saturday, he’s going to have to blow Darchinhyan out in less than 5 rounds, and it’s going to have to be a spectacular knockout. If the fight goes beyond 5 rounds then Donaire is going to look like a fighter that is slipping and no longer what he once was.
Darchinyan was in his prime when he faced Donaire years ago, but no longer the game. He’s now getting beaten left and right by his opponents. It’s literally to the point where Darchinyan is getting staggered by journeyman level opposition, which is what we saw in his last fight against Javier Gallo last May.
I think boxing fans would respect Donaire a lot more if he were to at least fight a featherweight instead of dragging a shot Darchinyan up from the super bantamweight division to fight him. Donaire moved up to featherweight, but for some reason he decided to fight a super bantamweight. What does that tell you? Is Donaire going to campaign at featherweight and drag super bantamweights up in weight to fight him. I don’t know, but he’s wasting his time at featherweight if he’s going to be still fighting super bantamweights. He needs immerse himself into the division to find out whether he has what it takes or not to fight at featherweight. I don’t think Donaire has the chin, the size or the power to compete against guys like Orlando Salido, Jhonny Gonzalez and Evgeny Gradovich. But if he’s going to keep fighting super bantamweights, then I guess Donaire will be okay, as long as he doesn’t fight Rigondeaux again. That guy has Donaire’s number and he likely always will.
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