Going into this fight, people were debating just how many world titles Vic Darchinyan would win and in how many weights he would win them. However, this talk was soon halted as Joseph Agbeko slipped under the radar and defeated Vic by unanimous decision.
As per usual, before the fight, Darchinyan did his fair share of trash talking. However, Agbeko held his own well in the press conferences, seemingly getting under the skin of the Armenian.
Despite this, Darchinyan was the massive favourite. Since his performance against Nonito Donaire where he was knocked out by a cracking left hook, he had proved his critics wrong with very good performances against the likes of Jorge Arce and Christian Mijares, and to boot he had mixed in much better company than the Ghanaian.
However, Agbeko, despite not having fought at the true top level before, was on form, and was naturally the bigger man. The size difference was particularly evident in the fight.
How Darchinyan vs. Agbeko Played Out
Vic Darchinyan rushed out of his corner to meet Joseph Agbeko and lived up to his 'Raging Bull' nickname, being relentless in his assault. He mixed up his punches well, but he let his hands drift very low and much like the pre-Donaire Darchinyan, he was walking onto unneccessary shots.
In the second round, Agbeko made him pay for his haste. He began to zone in with his straight right hand, and one overhand right looked to have rocked Darchinyan. This round belonged to the reigning IBF Bantamweight Champion.
Unfortunately for Darchinyan, the next four rounds went much the same way, and he just couldn't get out of the way of the fantastic right hand of Agbeko. This punch became the story of the fight, and this was stopping Darchinyan imposing himself on the Ghanaian.
Round seven was filled with controversy though. In this round, Darchinyan knocked Agbeko down, or so it seemed. In actual fact, the punch that knocked Agbeko down was to the back of the head meaning it shouldn't really have counted. In addition, the timekeepers made a huge error, by accidentally letting the round go a minute too long. This knockdown was in the extra minute, leading to much confusion.
This was an appauling mistake on behalf of the timekeepers. How can two people with stopwatches both make a mistake in counting three minutes? This could have cost Agbeko the fight, and he would have had grounds for appeal if it did do him that injustice. However, this was most likely a 9-9 round as Agbeko dominated proceedings in the time he wasn't on the floor.
Even if this wasn't a knockdown, it certainly gave Darchinyan confidence as he went on to win the next two rounds well. Vic was obviously working very hard but he lacked the size and strength to impose himself on Agbeko, who just wouldn't stop coming.
The next two sessions showed Agbeko's dominance though. Darchinyan was slowing down and unfortunately for him, Agbeko was in tremendous shape and still had plenty left. Darchinyan resorted to just wrestling Agbeko to the floor at one point, which showed his desperation. Through all this, the right hand of Agbeko was still landing with precision, and Darchinyan was baffled by it even at these late stages.
Vic pulled the last round out of the bag though. He put a massive effort in and never let Agbeko get too far away. For him though, this was the last chance he had to knock Agbeko out, as he probably knew he had lost on the scorecards.
The Judges Render Their Verdict On Darchinyan vs. Agbeko...
All three judges gave the bout to the Ghanaian, two by scores of 114-113 and one by a fairer verdict of 116-111, meaning Agbeko retained his IBF Bantamweight Championship.
Where Now For Darchinyan And Agbeko?
This was a fight Darchinyan really couldn't afford to lose, but by going in with the wrong gameplan, he destroyed his chances of moving into the top ten of the esteemed pound for pound list, and his only hope to redeem his reputation may be to fight the man who handed him his first defeat - flyweight king, Nonito Donaire.
As for Agbeko, many doors have opened for him. Yohnny Perez would be an excellent match for him, and maybe, he could be tempted to move up in weight and have a fight with Rafael Marquez. That could be a classic.
