Saturday, October 20, 2007
Vic "The Raging Bull" Darchinyan
Sydney, Australia

RESULT: Darchinyan wins KO in the 12th Round!!!

AUSTRALIA'S Vic Darchinyan last night added the International Boxing Organization super-flyweight world title to his collection and demonstrated his new patient approach by carving out a 12th-round stoppage win over durable Filipino Federico Catubay at Auburn RSL in Sydney.

In his first fight in Australia for more than two years, 31-year-old Darchinyan methodically picked apart his courageous but outgunned opponent.

Darchinyan, who improved his record to 29-1, with 23 knockouts, dominated the bout, registering knockdowns in the seventh and 11th round. Catubay took enormous punishment in the 12th round and Australian referee Garry Dean stopped the bout with 57 seconds to go.

While the IBO title doesn't carry the clout or prestige of some of the more established boxing organizations, it will ensure Darchinyan remains in the upper echelons of the global scene.

Darchinyan was relatively circumspect for the first two rounds, throwing a few power punches in the first and some telling body shots in the second. His lunging and crouching opponent tried to exchange punches in the third, but the Australian was gradually asserting his superiority.

The Sydney boxer stepped up the pace in the fourth, pounding his opponent with several hurtful blows and the trend continued throughout the fifth.

The Filipino landed few significant blows, though in the sixth, he did appear to wobble Darchinyan with one punch. But it served only to trigger further assaults by the Australian. Darchinyan dropped the visiting fighter in the seventh and maintained his dominance in the closing rounds, putting Catubay down again in the 11th. Catubay's record dropped to 20-14, with 11 KOs.