Vic Darchinyan's Vegas Experience

Vic Darchinyan says he'll skip his way to a win over Jorge Arce when the two meet for the 115-pound championship of the world.

Ask Vic Darchinyan how he flew to the top of the Super Flyweight division and he tells you it's all about one thing - his work in the gym.

"What got me to where I am is my training," says the Armenian-born, Australian resident who has a record of 31-1-1 (25)KO's. Darchinyan has been torturing himself at Johnny Tocco's Gym in Las Vegas as he pulls out all the stops to turn back the challenge of Mexico's Jorge Arce in defense of his IBF, WBA and WBC title belts.

Located just off South Main Street in downtown Las Vegas and housed in a non-descript, maroon colored building that is attached to the 'Llantas 24-hour Tire Repair' shop, the gym has been a second home to Darchinyan who has said in the past that he undergoes a training regimen that would make mortal men wilt.

"Once I get going in my training I can do 1,000 to 1,500 push-ups," says the southpaw who has a wild style and fires punches from all angles. "There are times that I spend almost two hours doing only push-ups and sit-ups."

To watch Darchinyan in training is like watching a 'Tasmanian Devil' as he skips rope, does exotic neck bridge exercises while standing on his head and then tears into sparring partners.

Darchinyan has only lost one time in 33 fights, a one-punch knockout loss at the hands of the 'Filipino Flash' Nonito Donaire, but Vic explains that loss was because of, "A mistake that I made in not being focused, not anything that he did to me."


Vic says all that he has accomplished in boxing has been achieved because of the way he sacrifices in the gym. He claims he can do 1,000 push-ups.

Darchinyan is coming off perhaps the biggest win of his career, a knockout win over Cristian Mijares and he says he will do the same thing to Arce on Saturday night.

"I promised a bunch of you guys that I would knock out Mijares and almost all of you boxing reporters had picked Mijares to beat me," said Vic. "I promise you again that I'll score another knockout and that I'll demolish Arce and I will punish him. You're gonna' see that I will demolish him badly. I'm not going to go for a quick knockout because I want to break him down slowly and destroy him and I'll prove it to you."

Vic is the betting favorite to win handily and as he prepares just a few blocks from the 'Fremont Street Experience' he says there is only one thing he can think of that he does like about his opponent.

"Well, I like his style and the way he fights," says Vic. "I like the Mexican style because they are warriors. When they go into the ring they want to be like Julio Cesar Chavez was. That's good for me because I want to show excitement in the ring. I want action and to show my toughness and to win over those Mexican fans. Other than that? I don't like him."


February 2009