(Sports Network) - Next time he fights in July, Vic Darchinyan probably heads west.

The trash-talking Armenian-turned-Australian lost his second midsummer fight in as many tries on the east coast of the U.S., dropping a unanimous decision to incumbent champion Joseph Agbeko in a failed attempt for the Ghanan fighters IBF bantamweight championship before 9,227 fans at the BankAtlantic Center.

Don King promoted the South Florida show, billing it the "Summer Sizzler" and turning it into a tribute to Michael Jackson, whom he'd promoted in a reunion tour with his Jackson 5 brothers in 1984.

And, to borrow a "King of Pop" phrase, it indeed turned out to be...a thriller.

Agbeko, making the second defense of a crown he won from Luis Alberto Perez in September 2007, swept ringside scorecards with counts of 116-111, 114-113 and 114-113 to win a competitive contest that matched a hard-charging, wide- swinging slugger against a more-skilled, straighter-punching boxer.

SportsNetwork.com had it even at 114.

"Darchinyan talked a lot before the fight and I turned him into 'The Raging Bull (expletive) like I said I would," said Agbeko, referring to a contentious pre-fight press tour in which Darchinyan - nicknamed "The Raging Bull" - often got the better of the verbal exchanges.

"I have always said I would carry the greatness of Ghana with me to the top and that's what I have done. I want to be considered among the top pound-for- pound fighters in the world. I think I have earned it."

The win lifts Agbeko to 27-1 in a career that began in 1998 and restarted in 2007 after a three-year hiatus. He's now won six straight since the break, including the seventh-round TKO of Perez in Sacramento, Calif., and a subsequent majority decision over William Gonzalez at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. last December.

"You saw a man fighting against all odds, but he still overcame because he had faith," said King, who promotes Agbeko. "And his faith got him through."

Darchinyan is now 32-2-1 and presumably will head back to the super featherweight division, where he holds the IBF, WBA and WBC championship belts, although his promoter, Gary Shaw, said that decision has not yet been made.

His only previous lost came in Bridgeport, Conn., where he was stopped in five rounds by Nonito Donaire and dropped his IBF and IBO titles in the flyweight division in July 2007.

He'd gone 4-0-1 in five fights since, including an impressive ninth-round KO of Cristian Mijares last November in Carson, Calif., which netted him the WBA and WBC belts at 115 pounds, in addition to the IBF title he'd walked in with.

"He was the better fighter tonight," Darchinyan said. "I will go back and watch the tape and correct my mistakes."

Each fighter had moments in the first round, with Darchinyan pressing forward and landing to the body, while Agbeko sent him briefly off balance with a straight right hand as his aggressive foe charged forward.

Hostilities settled slightly in the first half of the second, but picked up again in the back half - initially when Agbeko landed another straight left to a straight-forward Darchinyan, and later when the free-swinging ex-Olympian landed thudding shots to a retreating Agbekos body, including a bolo-like left just before the bell.

Agbeko asserted himself with straighter shots in the third, landing the more effective shots in a three-minute stretch that featured as much grappling as clean punching. A straight right hand and a grazing follow-up left hook from the Ghanan were the most effective punches.

He again threw better and straighter shots in the fourth, including a left at the halfway point and a counter right with about 20 seconds remaining in the session. Darchinyan put on a final charge, literally, when he drove Agbeko to the ropes with, what else, a looping left hand just before the bell.

Both men looked wearier for the struggle through the fifth, with Darchinyan continuing his charges and leaving Agbeko wincing along the ropes after some particularly effective bodywork midway through. Darchinyan, though, headed back to his corner with a similar wince following another sweeping hook from Agbeko in the late going.

Darchinyan responded to his corner's plea for more bodywork in the sixth, landing his best shot of the round - a wide left to the ribs - with about 20 seconds remaining.

Agbeko seemed on the verge of winning the seventh, but just as quickly lost the chance when he was sent to the canvas with a right hand in the final 30 seconds. The two men came together and Darchinyan threw a right that wound up being more of a cuff behind the neck that sent Agbeko to the floor.

He quickly rose, but was given the rest of the mandatory eight count, signifying an official knockdown.

Punches went on beyond the bell in the eighth, another rough-and-tumble round that saw Darchinyan displaying an ugly and worsening bruise under his left eye, and saw Agbeko grimace and fall backward to the ropes after he was struck with a low blow that drew a warning from referee Tommy Kimmons.

Darchinyan appeared the stronger and fresher fighter in the ninth while continuing to land thudding, albeit wide shots to Agbekos midriff, arms and shoulders.

The sight of his own blood was troublesome in the 10th for Darchinyan, who continually dabbed a cut over his right eye, and was later frustrated enough to fling Agbeko to the floor with his left arm while holding him with the right.

Frustration continued in the second-to-last session, which saw Darchinyan turn his back and walk away after being hit with a borderline low blow and later send Agbeko to the floor with another push. Agbeko landed consecutive straight shots at the bell, prompting Darchinyan's corner to tell him he needed a knockout to win.

"I took a different tactic into the ring tonight," Darchinyan said. "I went for the big punch and I lost and I can't say anything about that. I was repeating the same mistakes and I was getting upset. It's not an excuse. I took the bad tactic and I wasn't smart enough tonight."

In the co-featured bouts:

* Mexican lightweight Antonio DeMarco earned a shot at WBC champion Edwin Valero with a sudden ninth-round stoppage of tough Benin veteran Anges Adjaho in a title-eliminator scheduled for 12 rounds.

DeMarco landed a straight left hand that sent Adjaho reeling across the ring, and, as Adjaho began to drop to his knees to elude further punishment, DeMarco landed another left hand to the back of his head that sent him face-down for the 10 count from referee Tellis Assemenios.

Adjaho and his cornermen protested the result and claimed a foul should have been called, but video replays seemed to indicate that neither of Adjaho's knees has reached the canvas when DeMarco landed the final shot.

The official time was 2:59 of the ninth.

"He hit me after I took a knee. He hit me in the back of the head. Watch the replay," Adjaho said. "He hit me with a good shot and he cut me over my eye. I decided to take a knee to gather my thoughts. I thought I was winning the fight."

Assemenios held his ground in spite of the complaints from the Adjaho camp.

"He got hit in the face and tried to complain," the referee said. "He grazed the top of his head when he was dropping to his knee. The punch was before the knee went down and I was correct in my call."

Adjaho led on two cards, 77-75 (Alex Levin) and 78-74 (Michael Pernick), at the time of the stoppage, while judge Mike Ross had it 76-76.

SportsNetwork.com had DeMarco up, 77-75, at the time of the stoppage.

DeMarco entered the bout ranked as the No. 1 contender beneath Valero, while Adjaho was No. 2.

"He was hurt with the first punch and did not want to continue," DeMarco said. "The plan was to keep working. I knew the fight was close but I was beginning to get more power. I didn't think he was down when I hit him. When I hit him he was looking for someplace to hide. He looked like he didn't want to fight."

The sudden end curtailed the action in a bout that started with three rounds of rampant passivity.

The fourth presented the first thing approaching meaningful "action," with DeMarco beginning to score well with a long right jab and follow-up left hands to the body.

He initiated an exchange that saw Adjaho retreat to the ropes and drew the first smattering of applause from an anxious crowd, which had been periodically chanting "UFC" in derision.

The momentum continued in the fifth, with DeMarco again scoring well with long lefts following range-finding right jabs. Adjaho did show life, however, emerging from close quarters at one instance with five straight quick looping rights as the two men spun toward the ropes.

A countering overhand left that followed Adjaho's miss with a straight right was the best punch of the sixth, with DeMarco again driving his foe back toward the ropes to cover up. No further shots landed flush, however, and the Benin-born resident of Geneva, N.Y. was able to survive the round with no issue.

Adjaho rediscovered his countering accuracy in the seventh, sweeping DeMarco with pinpoint left hooks as he charged in and sticking him with solid jabs as well. The best punch of the round, though, a straight left from DeMarco, came in the final seconds before the bell.

The fight's best round came in the eighth, highlighted early by an Adjaho right hand that started a flurry later ended by a gritty DeMarco, who went from body to head and seemed to land the more impactful punches.

Adjaho looked tired in the round's later half and was noticeably breathing with his mouth open.

"I think it was an even fight up until the last round," DeMarco said. "I didn't feel like I was behind and I had to knock him out. I just had an opportunity to get a good shot in and I tried to do that."

* Former IBF cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham worked his way into another shot at that belt with a unanimous 12-round decision over fellow ex- champion Wayne Braithwaite in a title-elimination bout.

Cunningham, a native of Philadelphia, swept the scorecards with wide counts of 119-109, 117-111 and 118-110.

SportsNetwork.com agreed with the consensus but saw it a bit closer, giving Cunningham a narrow 115-113 nod.

Now 22-2, Cunningham becomes the mandatory challenger to IBF champion Tomasz Adamek, who took his title with a split 12-round decision in a fight-of-the- year candidate last December in Newark, N.J.

Adamek defended his title for the second time on Saturday, stopping Bobby Gunn in five rounds in Newark.

"Tonight I proved once again that I am still the best cruiserweight in the world," Cunningham said. "It's just a matter of time. I felt like I did enough to win. I matched him for speed and boxing strategy and I feel like I got the best shots in."

A pro since 2000, Cunningham controlled the early rounds Saturday with superior boxing technique and crisp combinations against Braithwaite, who moved forward but did little to impact his taller, quicker opponent.

Braithwaite, who held the WBC cruiserweight title from 2002-04 and later challenged unsuccessfully for the WBO title, seemed to narrow the gap in rounds 9, 10 and 11 but was curiously inactive in the 12th to the chagrin of his corner, which was imploring him with "there is no tomorrow" and similar exhortations.

Not that it mattered, however. Judge Bill Ray gave Cunningham all rounds but the third, judge Ged O'Connor gave him all but the third, fourth and ninth, and Rocky Young saw Braithwaite the winner in only the ninth and 10th.

"I fought a very hard fight," Braithwaite said. "In fact, I thought I might have won. I can't believe the judges didn't give me any more credit. Steve was a very skilled opponent and I was a little rusty, but you can ask Cunningham himself. I know I gave him a good fight."

Braithwaite is 23-4.

Elsewhere on the undercard:

* Russian welterweight Ivan Kirpa became the mandatory challenger to WBC champion Andre Berto with a punishing unanimous decision over recent title challenger Miguel Rodriguez in a 12-round title eliminator.

Kirpa, fighting at the venue for the second time this year, earned one-sided nods of 118-110, 120-108 and 119-109 from the three judges to improve to 24-1.

He controlled the action with plodding effectiveness throughout and consistently pressured the lankier Rodriguez (29-4), who was stopped in seven rounds by Berto while vying for the vacant WBC belt in June 2008.

Rodriguez fought the final two-thirds of the bout with an ugly bruise under his right eye and never was able to land anything of significance to slow Kirpas attack.

* Lanky Puerto Rican southpaw Victor Fonseca swept all eight rounds on all three scorecards in a unanimous decision defeat of former world champion Mauricio Pastrana in an eight-round bantamweight match.

Fonseca, who stands 5-foot-8, was given a trio of 80-71 nods to improve to 15-0 in a now four-year pro career.

Pastrana, a former IBF champion at 108 pounds and subsequent title challenger at 115, 118 and 122, is 35-11-2.

* World-ranked cruiserweight Francisco Palacios won his 20th straight and scored his 11th knockout with a first-round stoppage of Cameroons Manu Ntoh.

Unbeaten and slotted No. 3 by the WBA and WBC, Palacios pummeled Ntoh (17-18-1) in a neutral corner to prompt the stoppage at 2:59 of the first.

* Unbeaten Cuban-born lightweight Angelo Santana won his sixth straight as a pro with a unanimous four-round shutout of journeyman Jaime Rodriguez (4-5-3).

Santana won 40-36 counts on all three scorecards.

* Philadelphia-based welterweight Lanard Lane moved to 7-0 with a unanimous four-round nod over Carlos Garcia.

Lane won by counts of 40-36 on all three cards.

Garcia is 3-5-1.

* Unbeaten New Mexico product Archie Ray Marquez won his fifth in a row with a fourth-round stoppage of Jayson Hayward in a junior lightweight bout scheduled for six.

Marquez, who's won every bout by KO, ended this one at 1:56 of the fourth.

Hayward is 6-7-1.



Copyright 2009 The Sports Network
All rights reserved

 Email To Friend