Darchinyan inihalintulad kay Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines - Inihalintulad ni Gary Shaw ng Showtime Promotions si world super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan ng Armenia kay Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao.

Sa artikulo sa The Ring magazine, sinabi ni Shaw na puwedeng ikumpara ang kasikatan ng 33-anyos na si Darchinyan sa Armenia sa popularidad ng 30-anyos na si Pacquiao sa Pilipinas.

“There aren’t as many Armenian fighters as there are Mexican and Filipino fighters,” ani Shaw. “Everybody talks about how Manny (Pacquiao) has brought the Filipinos to boxing, but there were a lot of Filipino fight fans before Pacquiao was on the scene because really good Filipino fighters have been around for decades. That’s not the case with Armenians. I can’t think of any world-class Armenian fighters from the 1980s or the 1990s. Can you?”

Sa U.S. Census Bureau Report, halos 3 milyong Filipinos ang kasalukuyang naninirahan sa United States bukod pa ang 4 milyon na mga Fil-Americans, habang bumibilang naman sa 80,000 hanggang 200,000 ang mga Armenians sa US na matatagpuan sa Los Angeles, Fresno at Glendale, California.

Sa laban ni Darchinyan sa US sa Bridgeport, Connecticut noong Hulyo ng 2007, isang fifth-round TKO ang iniskor ni Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire, Jr. para agawin ang suot niyang International Boxing Federation (IBF) at International Boxing Organization (IBO) flyweight belts.

Matapos nito ay umakyat sa super flyweight division ang Olympic Games campaigner kung saan niya nakuha ang IBF, World Boxing Council (WBC) at World Boxing Association (WBA) titles.  

 “Vic is starting to catch fire with Armenian fans, especially in Southern California. But the number is growing elsewhere," ani Shaw. "The more he wins, the more are willing to drive in or fly in to support him." (Russell Cadayona)