Aussie boxer Darchinyan arrives in Cebu

Australian Vic Darchinyan immediately trained and workout after arriving in the country and checking in at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino on Saturday. Darchinyan, according to a report from organizers of his match against Z Gorres on February 2 in Cebu City, trained even at the wee hour of the night in the hotel's gym. The former International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight champion arrived at the Mactan International Airport around 10 p.m. Saturday and was welcomed by ALA gym director for marketing Dennis Canete. The 31-year-old Darchinyan, originally from Armenia, planed in exactly a week before he battles Filipino ring prospect Z Gorres in a 12-round title eliminator fight for the right to face IBF super-flyweight champion Dmitro Kirilov of Russia. Dubbed `Now or Never', the highly anticipated slugfest put up by Solar Sports, ALA Promotions and Gary Shaw Promotions, is set at the ballroom of the Waterfront Hotel and Casino. The fight will be telecast over Solar Sports and ABC-5 starting at 8 p.m. Nasser, Darchinyan's brash-talking manager, guaranteed a victory by his fearsome boxer. "He is gearing up for a very big win over Gorres," said Nasser. The Gorres camp remains unperturbed, knowing fully well how Darchinyan's seeming invincibility was destroyed just five months ago also by Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire Jr. "We know what's the strength and weaknesses of him. We've studied previous fights of Darchinyan and I know Gorres had him all figured out," said ALA stable official Michael Aldeguer. Donaire inflicted Darchinyan (29-1, with 23 KOs) his first professional loss last year when he scored a stunning fifth round technical knockout to wrest the IBF 115-pound belt. The Australian warrior dubbed ‘Raging Bull' is scheduled to hold a public workout at the ALA gym later in the afternoon Monday and then will have a private training at the other ALA gym branch in Talamban on Tuesday, organizers added in the statement. On Wednesday, Darchinyan and Gorres get to meet face-to-face during the final press conference of the fight to be held at the Caspian Room of the Waterfront Hotel. The official weigh-in is on Friday night. - GMANews.TV