SYDNEY—Vic Darchinyan has the chance to silence one of his most famous critics and maintain his pristine record against Russian fighters with his July 5 challenge to IBF super flyweight boxing world champion Dimitri Kirilov.
The bout will be the main event on a promotion shown on American cable television network Showtime, with the host city to be determined in the next week. Las Vegas and New York's Madison Square Garden are among the options.
Kirilov, who hails from St Petersburg, will be making the second defence of the title.
He is trained by prominent American Freddie Roach, who knows all about 32-year-old Sydneysider Darchinyan, whose record stands at 29 wins (23 KOs) one loss and one draw.
He was in the corner when Darchinyan stopped his fighter Diosdado Gabi in March 2006 when the Australian held IBF and IBO flyweight world titles.
Virtually all of the five Filipino opponents Darchinyan has fought trained at Roach's wild card gym in Hollywood, Los Angeles and the high-profile trainer has made no secrets of his thoughts about Darchinyan.
"Freddie Roach has had a little bit to say about Vic, and Vic is keen to correct Freddie's thoughts on his career," Darchinyan's manager Elias Nassar said.
"He has been quoted on the way Vic fights that he is open and one-dimensional, so Vic is keen to correct his thoughts."
Darchinyan, who currently holds the IBO super flyweight world title and who is currently training in Armenia, the country of his birth, had a slightly surprising reaction to the news of the July 5 date.
"I thought he would have been excited once he found out a date and he's more upset that it wasn't sooner," Nassar said.
"He's very pumped for a big showing, in his words, he will never disappoint his fans again.
"He never lost to a Russian in the amateur ranks, he likes fighting them."
Nassar said Darchinyan would return to Australia on May 1 and would head to the United States between two and four weeks before the fight.
He said either Las Vegas or possibly Madison Square Garden in New York were in contention to stage the fight with Kirilov.
New York has a large Russian community, while Darchinyan's promoter Gary Shaw was also looking at California because of its sizeable Armenian community.
"With Las Vegas, everything is neutral under the Nevada Athletic Commission, but if we have to go to New York, we'll go to New York."
Kirilov, 29, has a record of 29 wins (9 KOs), three losses and one draw.
The draw came in his last fight and first defence against Mexican Cecilio Santos.
Nassar said Darchinyan's long-term stablemate Hussein Hussein would be one of his fighter's main sparring partners.
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