Saturday, March 04, 2006
Davao pug gets shot at boxing greatness
By Charles Raymond A. Maxey
A LITTLE fighter with a big fighting heart is stepping into the ring today to challenge a powerful boxer and seek to fulfill his long-cherished dream of becoming a world champion.
Diosdado Gabi, a fisherman's son from Barangay Lasang, Davao City, takes on International Boxing Federation and Internatonal Boxing Organization flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan in a 12-round championship showdown at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.
The Filipino challenger is the clear underdog entering the fight, but is armed with so much determination as he is not only fighting for himself and his family, but for an entire country and the people of Davao who have long dreamed of having a world champion.
Gabi, 26, had long dreamed of taking a crack at the world title and this is one chance he does not want to slip away from his hands.
"I know the people of Davao are praying for me to win. I know they are behind me. I will give everything I got to win this fight," Gabi said.
"I will be fighting not only for myself and my family, but for the entire Filipino people, specially the people of Davao City. This fight is for all of them," Gabi added.
Gabi, who holds a record of 26-2-1 with 18 KOs, tipped the scales at 111 lbs. or just a pound under the limit during the official weigh-in Friday and is ready to wage war in the biggest fight of his life.
The 30-year-old Darchiyan, carrying an impressive record of 24-0 with 19 KOs, came around at 112. The Armenian-born Australian had earlier vowed to knock Gabi out.
Both Darchinyan and Gabi are southpaws. Darchinyan won his last fights by way of stoppages, while Gabi had won his last 13 fights, eight of them by KOs.
The Darchinyan-Gabi showdown will headline a seven-bout "ShoBox: The New Generation" card, which is presented by Gary Shaw Productions.
Gabi is coming off a fifth round technical decision victory over Jose Tirado of Mexico in September in Stockton, California.
Gabi took a lot of sacrifices just to earn this title shot. He left his wife and son in Davao City in August last year to look for big fights in America.
After saying goodbye to his family, Gabi promised to return to Davao a world champion.
The Filipino boxer has been training for the last three and a half months for this world title shot at LA Fitness in Los Angeles. Gabi has also been training at the famous Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.
Darchinyan took the IBF title from Irene Pacheco whom he dethroned by knockout in December 2004.
In 2005, Darchinyan made two title defenses in his homeland of Australia, both of which were knockout victories.
The Gabi-Darchinuan bout is also a clash between two talented trainers.
American Freddie Roach trains Gabi, while Darchinyan has guru Jeff Fenech in his corner.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (March 4, 2006 issue)
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