Darchinyan stops Mijares to unify super flyweight title
Posted at 11/02/2008 4:48 PM | Updated as of 11/02/2008 4:48 PM
LOS ANGELES - Australian Vic Darchinyan knocked out Cristian Mijares in the ninth round here Saturday to unify the super flyweight world title in dominant style.
Darchinyan, the International Boxing Federation champion, knocked Mijares down in the first round and finished him off late in the ninth with a big left that put the Mexican fighter flat on his back.
Referee Lou Moret began to count, but when he saw Mijares was barely moving he waved the fight over at three minutes of the ninth.
Darchinyan added Mijares's World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association 115-pound (52.1kg) titles to his IBF belt, becoming the first fighter to hold all three in the class.
Armenian-born Darchinyan improved to 31-1-1, with 25 knockouts.
The 32-year-old southpaw went into the bout as an underdog, but had vowed to knock Mijares out. To that end he started aggressively and displayed power that Mijares was unable to find an answer for.
Mijares fell to 36-4-2, with 15 wins inside the distance, suffering his first defeat in 26 fights - a run stretching back to 2002.
Darchinyan was ahead on all three judges' cards when the fight ended.
"From the first round, I promised I would fight smart, would destroy him with the left," Darchinyan said. "I just thank God it wasn't like Burgos, because he took a lot of lefts, too."
In the same ring at the Home Depot Center in suburban Carson, on March 3, 2007, Darchinyan beat Victor Burgos in a bout that was stopped in the final round.
Burgos was hospitalized with brain injuries from which he is still recovering.
Mijares made his appearance at the post-fight press conference, and said simply "No excuses. He's a great champion."
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