Mijares ready for his close-up
Vic Darchinyan fights like an octopus. Like an angry octopus. Maybe like an angry octopus with brass knuckles.
He's heavy handed, he's a nonstop puncher and he's bent on hurting Cristian Mijares when they meet Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., in a bout for the IBF-WBA-WBC super flyweight titles that will be televised nationally by Showtime.
It's easy to be overwhelmed by Darchinyan, who has knocked out 24 of his 32 opponents and has gotten nine of those knockouts in three rounds or less. Mijares, though, simply chuckles at the thought of being intimidated by Darchinyan. If it's possible, Darchinyan talks a better game than he fights, and he fights a pretty good one.
"I've got the power to do away with him with one punch, but my secret for this fight is that I don't have to do that," said Darchinyan, who holds the IBF title and is 30-1-1. "I'm going to use my head and fight intelligently. If I just fight a halfway smart fight, there's no way this guy can come close to beating me."
Mijares, who is No. 10 in the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound rankings, is one of the game's most cerebral fighters. And he, along with WBO light flyweight champion Ivan Calderon, No. 9 on the Yahoo! Sports list, may be the successor to Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the best defensive fighter in boxing.
Mijares has the unique skill that few possess of being able to stand stationary in front of an opponent and not get hit. He began boxing at 12 and was taught the game by his uncles. But he said that was something that always came naturally to him. He's perfected the craft as a professional.
With the wide-punching Darchinyan on the attack, Mijares is confident he won't be surprised.
"The way I have worked on my game and on my defense, I know if I can see a punch coming, it is not going to hit me," said Mijares, 36-3-2 with 15 knockouts and owner of the WBA and WBC belts. "He telegraphs his punches. Those are the kinds of punches I've been able to see and get away from my entire career."
Mijares, who would be among the leading contenders for 2008 Fighter of the Year with a victory, is one of the rare boxers who will concede he's no fan of getting hit.
Too many men, particularly those from his home country of Mexico where machismo is prized above all else, relish the take-three-to-give-one strategy. Mijares isn't as popular in his country, then, as men such as one of his previous victims, Jorge Arce, whom he systematically took apart in a one-sided 2007 bout.
"I know there are a lot of Mexican fans who don't like my style, who just love blood and knockdowns and brawls and that kind of a fight," said Mijares. "There are some who love speed and my style of fight, too, though. I'm not perfect and I know that. I'm not afraid to be hit. But I don't like to get hit. Honestly, who does? No one really does. They may tell you that, but they're just talking. No one wants to be hit, if they could help it. I have a gift to see the punches coming and have a way to avoid them and that's what I do."
Mijares said he appreciates fighters such as Mayweather, who focused on defense, and predicted that Bernard Hopkins would have few problems defeating Kelly Pavlik in their non-title bout on Sept. 18 in Atlantic City, N.J.
"This is no disrespect to Kelly, but Bernard Hopkins is one of the smartest fighters I have ever seen and intelligence beats power almost every time," Mijares said. "Boxing is a craft that has to be learned. It's not just something anyone can do. Anyone can go out and get hit in the face. But to know how to move in the ring, and know how to move your opponent into your punches and how to move away from your opponents' punches, that takes instincts and that takes dedication to the art of boxing."
Darchinyan isn't convinced Mijares will be able to avoid him for 12 full rounds.
"Let's see," he said, snarling. "Thirty-six minutes is a long time. I'm not just going to go in there and be stupid. I'm going in with a plan, because I know I have the power that even if I fight within myself, I can still hurt him."
Mijares already has wins this year over Jose Navarro, power-punching Alexander Muoz and Chatchai Sasakul and is eager to add Darchinyan to that list.
It will boost his profile in the U.S., a country where most fighters under 135 pounders are largely ignored.
"The fans never appreciated really how great (Ricardo) 'Finito' Lopez was when he was fighting and he was truly one of the greatest ever," Mijares said of the member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, who went 50-0-1 in a career whose only blemish was a technical draw. "I'm not saying I'm Finito Lopez, because I know I am not. But I want to fight every big fight I can fight so the people can appreciate the fighters in these weight classes and know what I am able to do in there. Vic is a terrific fighter and is no walkover. Beating him in a fight on Showtime in Los Angeles, that's going to be a big win for me."
