Don't miss all the action when two of the hardest hitting fighters in the sport face off as IBF bantamweight champion Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko defends his title against four-time world champion Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan at the BankAtlantic Center and televised LIVE on Showtime at 9PM ET/PT.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN...
The IBF bantamweight title is on the line and it doesn't hurt that the fighters actually like to engage. But there is more to this fight, at least from the side of Darchinyan. He is leaving the WBA, WBC and IBF super flyweight belts behind for a chance to move up, win another belt in a new weight division and, in all likelihood, move up again. Darchinyan says he will fight anyone at any weight and you'd be hard-pressed to find a reason to doubt the man. Since getting knocked out by Nonito Donaire, he has done nothing but seek out tough challenges and take care of them. A Donaire rematch would be nice, but for now, we will see what Darchinyan has planned should he beat Agbeko. There's a good chance it will be better.
This fight is Agbeko's coming out party. He is not well-known, nor has he had a great deal of exposure in the States, but that all can change on Saturday night. A win for Agbeko makes him an immediate big fight opponent for Fernando Montiel, which means another big television date in the States. In the end though, bantamweight is not where the biggest fights are and a move north to super bantamweight would change all of that. Rafael Marquez, Israel Vazquez, Celestine Caballero and Juan Manuel Lopez sit a mere 4 pounds up and provide the opportunity to make even more of a name for himself and of course more money. A loss for Agbeko sends him back to the drawing board, but with Darchinyan's likely departure as he moves up in weight again, it won't be long before he is fighting for his IBF title again.
In the mind of Vic Darchinyan, Agbeko is just another opponent he will knockout. It really is that simple to him. This fight is a stepping stone to another belt; repeat again and again until he cannot move up in weight anymore. A win is a foregone conclusion in his mind, as would be the case should he challenge any of the aforementioned fighters at bantamweight. A loss for The Raging Bull would not be as much of a setback as one might think either. Sure, his rep would take a hit, but he could still go back down to super flyweight and defend his undisputed title or go after a rematch with Nonito Donaire as was mentioned before. Showtime is behind Darchinyan because he is not only entertaining, but also because he doesn't care who he fights.
WHEN THE BELL RINGS...
Darchinyan's fights are always pretty interesting to try and breakdown. Vic is not only unorthodox and fights with a very odd style, but he is also very unpredictable. It's anyone's guess as to what he is going to do moment to moment. How he will react to a situation is a 20% shot at best, but so often it leads to his opponent being hurt. He seems to maintain his strength throughout the fight with no problem, his handspeed is very underrated, he knows where to be most of the time and he punches very hard with increasing accuracy as the fight moves along.
Agbeko is a very solid fighter and although he doesn't do anything spectacularly, he does a lot of things well. King Kong will be the bigger man in there and he likes imposing that size. Agbeko can punch well, has very good stamina, comes on as the fight progresses, has an excellent chin and likes to outwork his opponent. In short, Agbeko makes you fight with him and that is something Darchinyan is not going to mind doing in the least.
Early on, this fight is going to be about Vic's awkward style and power shots. Darchinyan will move in and fire and then back into range to find the next opening or to create the next opening, but Agbeko is game and he isn't going to disappear easily. Darchinyan can be hit, you just need to fill the void as he resets and be prepared to eat some serious return fire, unless you have Donaire-like skills, which Agbeko doesn't.
As the fight makes its way to the middle rounds, Vic will be up on the cards, but Agbeko will be getting some things done in there that many may not have expected to see. King Kong will be more active, he will begin to land his power shots and he will begin to get some respect from Darchinyan. Agbeko is not a guy who likes to set his shots up with a jab or anything. He wants to dig inside with you and close the distance. Certainly there are concerns on the way in, but his chin has allowed him to get there every time. What will be interesting to see is how Vic reacts to an opponent that does not respect his power, like all the others have, and is willing to walk into the lion's den in order to turn this into more a fight than a boxing match.
What might come as a big surprise to many is that this one will see that later rounds. In fact, if Agbeko is able to steal at least 1 or 2 of the early rounds, this could lead to a very interesting finish. As we have seen so often, the judges are really going to be key. The flow of the fight will likely start turning toward Agbeko as he uses his size and strength to show Darchinyan the difference between junior flyweight and bantamweight, but the scores may be tough to chip away at.
THE CALL...
It seems like we have grown accustomed to just expect Darchinyan to win by knockout, and if he doesn't, something just seems amiss. Well, expect something to be amiss in this one because Agbeko is a solid fighter that is very hungry, very tough and very willing.
For the better part of the night, Darchinyan is going to need to put in work. In the first few rounds, Vic will look very good and every bit the dominant fighter, but eventually, Agbeko is going to start settling this down and in turn, settling Darchinyan down. I do not see this fight as the lock that many do and I do not see this fight ending early. Based upon those early rounds, look for Darchinyan to hold off a late Agbeko surge to win a decision and the IBF bantamweight belt. Expect a highly competitive fight and don't be shocked in the least when the cards are close. I stop short of picking the upset here, but I anticipate a good one. Around 115–113 is my call here, though it should not be a shock if either man gets up off the canvas at some point in time. Joseph Agbeko will be a guy we want to see again and Vic Darchinyan will continue his march upward to bigger and better fights.