Vic Darchinyan vs Glenn Donaire

All three judges had awarded every completed round to the champion when an unusual injury brought the contest to an unsatisfactory close. The identical scores of 60-53 told the story plainly: Glenn Donaire had been outboxed, knocked down and placed under steady pressure before referee Tony Weeks stopped the IBF and IBO flyweight championship bout at 1 minute 27 seconds of the sixth round. Vic Darchinyan retained his titles by unanimous technical decision at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on October 7, 2006.

The bout was staged beneath the third meeting between Joel Casamayor and Diego Corrales. Darchinyan, the unbeaten Armenian-born Australian southpaw, entered at 26-0 and was making the fifth defence of the IBF championship he had taken from Irene Pacheco in December 2004. He had subsequently added the IBO belt and stopped Mzukisi Sikali, Jair Jimenez, Diosdado Gabi and Luis Maldonado. Donaire, a Filipino-American challenger with a record of 16-2-1, had earned his opportunity by outpointing Cesar Lopez five months earlier. He was a capable boxer with useful movement, but he faced a champion whose awkward stance, physical strength and heavy left hand made him difficult to read.

Darchinyan took command from the opening round. He advanced behind a probing lead right and threw his left hand from unusual angles, often without the conventional preparation expected from a southpaw. Donaire tried to box from the outside, circling and looking for counters, but he was repeatedly forced backwards. The challenger could not establish his jab with sufficient authority, and Darchinyan’s forward movement denied him the time required to build combinations. Burt Clements, Glenn Trowbridge and Ces Perkins each gave the first three rounds to the champion.

The pressure produced a knockdown in the fourth. Darchinyan drove Donaire back with a sustained attack and sent him to the canvas, earning a 10-8 round on every official card. Donaire rose and continued, but thereafter became still more reluctant to exchange at close quarters. Darchinyan stalked him through the fifth, using the lead hand to locate the target before releasing his overhand left. The challenger remained competitive enough to defend himself, though little he landed caused the champion to alter his advance.

The end arrived midway through the sixth in confused circumstances. As Darchinyan pressed forward, Donaire turned away and indicated that something was wrong with his jaw. Weeks halted the action and called for the ringside physician, who advised that the challenger should not continue. Donaire maintained that the injury had resulted from an illegal elbow, while the official ruling attributed it to an accidental collision of heads. Replays did not clearly support the allegation of an elbow, and Darchinyan insisted that a legal punch had caused the damage. Because the contest had passed four rounds and the injury was ruled accidental, the result was determined from the scorecards rather than recorded as a stoppage victory.

The verdict contained no suspense. Clements, Trowbridge and Perkins each returned 60-53 for Darchinyan, who advanced to 27-0. Donaire had shown courage in rising from the fourth-round knockdown, but he had not won a round and was being comprehensively controlled when the injury intervened. The official technical decision was correct under the ruling made at ringside, although the precise cause of the damaged jaw remained disputed. There was a notable sequel nine months later, when Donaire’s younger brother, Nonito, challenged Darchinyan for the same IBF title and knocked him out with a counter left hook in the fifth round.

I remember Vic Darchinyan at flyweight as a horrible puzzle. He stood square, carried his hands awkwardly and threw that left from positions no textbook would recommend. Yet his balance suited him, his timing was deceptive, and every mistake brought a heavy shot. Glenn Donaire had decent amateur schooling and had earned his chance by beating Cesar Lopez, but he never found the rhythm needed to control the champion.

Donaire tried moving outside, but he was backing up in straight lines and allowing Darchinyan to measure him with the lead right before driving over the left. Once Vic had the range, Glenn became too concerned with avoiding the power to establish his own jab. The fourth-round knockdown confirmed the direction of the fight. Every judge had Darchinyan winning every round.

The finish was messy. Donaire turned away in the sixth with a damaged jaw and claimed an elbow had caused it. The official ruling was an accidental collision, while Darchinyan insisted a punch did the damage. I saw no convincing evidence of an illegal elbow. Whatever caused the injury, Donaire was being comprehensively beaten, and the technical decision was fair.

The real historical sting came nine months later. Glenn’s younger brother Nonito challenged Darchinyan and knocked him senseless with one counter left hook. Glenn could not solve Vic’s awkwardness, but Nonito used that aggression against him perfectly. Few pieces of family revenge in boxing have been cleaner.