Vic Darchinyan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vic DarchinyanՎախթանգ Դարչինյան |
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Darchinyan in 2011
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| Real name | Vakhtang Darchinyan | |||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Raging Bull | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rated at |
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| Height | 1.66 m | |||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 164 cm | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 January 1976 Vanadzor, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union |
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| Stance | Southpaw | |||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 53 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 43 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Vakhtang "Vic" Darchinyan (Armenian: Վախթանգ Դարչինյան; born on January 7, 1976) is a famous Armenian former professional boxer. He competed from 2000 to 2017. Vic was known for his powerful punches and unique fighting style, as he fought with a southpaw stance (meaning he led with his right hand and foot).
He won many world championships in different weight classes. These included the International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight title from 2004 to 2007. He also held the unified super-flyweight championship from 2008 to 2010. In 2004, Vic Darchinyan became the first boxer from Armenia to win a world title.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Vic Darchinyan was born in Vanadzor, Armenia, on January 7, 1976. His father, Ruben Darchinyan, was an Olympic wrestling coach for Armenia. Sometimes, you could see Ruben's name on Vic's boxing shorts during fights. Vic also has a sister named Liana.
From a young age, Vic dreamed of becoming a world champion in professional boxing. When he was 5, he wanted to start boxing. However, his father told him that professional boxing didn't exist in Armenia at that time. His father wanted Vic to follow in his footsteps and become a wrestler. Vic did wrestle as a child, but he never gave up on his dream of becoming a boxing champion. Eventually, he left wrestling to focus on boxing.
Vic Darchinyan is married to Olga, who is an English teacher. They met in Sydney, Australia, in 2001 and got married a year later. In 2007, they had a son, whom they named Ruben II, after Vic's father.
Amateur Boxing Career
Vic started boxing when he was 8 years old in his hometown of Vanadzor, where boxing was very popular. He was trained by Vazgen Badalyan, a very experienced coach. Vic had a great amateur career, winning 158 fights and losing only 18, with 105 knockouts!
He traveled to many countries to compete and represented Armenia in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He reached the third round in the 112-pound division before losing to Bulat Jumadilov from Kazakhstan. After the Olympics, Darchinyan moved to Australia and became an Australian citizen later that year. He turned professional at the age of 24 on November 3, 2000.
During his amateur career, Vic Darchinyan won a bronze medal at the 1998 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Minsk. He also earned a bronze medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games and the 1998 Boxing World Cup.
Professional Boxing Journey
Vic Darchinyan's professional career began in November 2000. He quickly built an impressive record, winning his first 21 fights. He also won several regional titles, like the Australian, Oceanic, and Pan Pacific flyweight titles.
Becoming an IBF Champion
On December 16, 2004, Vic had his first fight in the United States. He fought and defeated the undefeated champion Irene Pacheco of Colombia in the 11th round. This win made Vic the IBF flyweight champion. Pacheco had held the title for over five years!
Vic successfully defended his IBF title five times. He fought tough opponents like Mzukisi Sikali, Jair Jimenez, Diosdado Gabi, Luis Maldonado, and Glenn Donaire. In one notable fight on March 3, 2007, he faced former champion Victor Burgos. Vic won in the 12th round.
However, on July 7, 2007, Vic suffered his first professional loss. He was defeated by Nonito Donaire, who is Glenn Donaire's younger brother. Nonito knocked Vic down in the fifth round, and the referee stopped the fight. Vic lost his IBF and IBO flyweight titles. This fight was later named "Knockout of the Year" and "Upset of the Year" by The Ring.
Moving to Super-Flyweight
After his first loss, Darchinyan moved up to the super-flyweight division. In October 2007, he won the vacant IBO super-flyweight title.
On August 2, 2008, Vic Darchinyan fought Dimitri Kirilov for the IBF super-flyweight championship. Vic showed amazing skill and speed, dominating the fight. He knocked Kirilov down twice in the fifth round to win the fight by knockout. This made him a two-division world champion!
Unifying the Titles
On November 1, 2008, Vic Darchinyan faced Cristian Mijares, who held the WBC and WBA super-flyweight titles. Vic was very aggressive from the start. He knocked Mijares down in the first round. In the ninth round, Vic landed a powerful left hand that knocked Mijares out. With this victory, Darchinyan became the first boxer in history to hold the unified (meaning he held multiple major titles at once) super-flyweight championship.
He successfully defended his unified WBC, WBA, and IBF titles against Jorge Arce on February 7, 2009. The fight was stopped in the 11th round because Arce had severe cuts around his eyes.
Vic continued to defend his unified WBC and WBA titles. On December 12, 2009, he knocked out Tomás Rojas in the second round. On March 6, 2010, he won a unanimous decision against Rodrigo Guerrero.
Challenges at Bantamweight
In 2009, Darchinyan decided to move up another weight class to bantamweight to challenge IBF champion Joseph Agbeko. He lost this fight by a unanimous decision. Even though he lost, he was still recognized as the super-flyweight champion by the WBC and WBA.
On May 20, 2010, Vic won the vacant IBO bantamweight title in Australia. Later that year, he participated in a special bantamweight tournament. On December 11, 2010, he fought Abner Mares and lost by a split decision. Many people felt Vic had won that fight.
In a later fight on April 23, 2011, Vic Darchinyan defeated Yonnhy Pérez. After this victory, Vic dedicated his win to the lives lost in the 1915 Armenian genocide and to the Australians who died on Anzac Day. He later joined a march in Los Angeles to remember the Genocide.
On December 3, 2011, Vic fought Anselmo Moreno for the WBA (Super) bantamweight title but lost by a unanimous decision. On April 6, 2012, he lost to WBC bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka in Japan.
Super-Bantamweight and Featherweight
Darchinyan then moved up to the super-bantamweight division. On September 29, 2012, he defeated Luis Del Valle to win the vacant NABF super-bantamweight title.
A rematch with Nonito Donaire happened on November 9, 2013. Even though Vic was 37 and Donaire was 30, Vic gave him a tough fight. Vic was ahead on the scorecards until he was knocked down in the ninth round, and the fight was stopped.
After that, Darchinyan moved up to the featherweight division. On May 31, 2014, he challenged Nicholas Walters for his WBA featherweight title but was knocked out in the fifth round. He won his next fight in Mexico in February 2015. On June 6, 2015, he lost to Jesús Cuellar. Vic finished 2015 by winning the vacant WBC–ABCO super-bantamweight title.
In 2016, he was knocked out in a fight and took some time off. On March 10, 2017, he had another fight in Australia, winning by knockout in the first round. This was his last fight in Australia. He has mentioned that his next fight would be his last, and he was interested in fighting Evgeny Gradovich or Carl Frampton.
Outside the Boxing Ring
On September 21, 2008, Vic Darchinyan and fellow boxer Arthur Abraham were honored by the Armenian President Serge Sargsyan. They received medals "For the great services for Armenia" during a celebration of the nation's 20th independence anniversary.
Professional Boxing Record Summary
| 53 fights | 43 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 32 | 5 |
| By decision | 11 | 4 |
| Draws | 1 | |
Titles Won in Boxing
Major World Titles
- IBF Flyweight Champion (112 pounds)
- WBA (Unified and Undisputed) Super-Flyweight Champion (115 pounds)
- WBC Super-Flyweight Champion (115 pounds)
- IBF Super-Flyweight Champion (115 pounds)
Other World Titles
- IBO Flyweight Champion (112 pounds)
- IBO Super-Flyweight Champion (115 pounds)
- IBO Bantamweight Champion (118 pounds) (won twice)
Regional and International Titles
- IBF Pan Pacific flyweight Champion (112 pounds)
- Australian Flyweight Champion (112 pounds)
- IBF Australasian super flyweight Champion (115 pounds)
- Oceanic Boxing Association bantamweight Champion (118 pounds)
- NABF super bantamweight Champion (122 pounds)
- ABCO Super-Bantamweight Champion (122 pounds)
Special Honors
- WBC Emeritus Champion
Images for kids
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Vic Darchinyan in 2011
See also
In Spanish: Vic Darchinyan para niños
