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Boxing: Hurricane's KO blow

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  • Boxing: Hurricane's KO blow

    Advertiser, Australia
    Brisbane Courier Mail, Australia
    The Australian, Australia
    Fox Sports, Australia
    Sept 3, 2004


    Hurricane's KO blow
    By Grantlee Kieza

    THE world title shot of Sydney Olympian Vic Darchinyan was blown out
    of the water yesterday as Hurricane Frances loomed over the coast of
    Florida with wind gusts topping 220km/h.

    Darchinyan, 28, was supremely confident of taking the IBF flyweight
    crown from Colombian world champ Irene Pacheco at the Seminole Casino
    in Hollywood, Florida tomorrow afternoon (Australian time).

    But promoters were forced to cancel the big event yesterday as half a
    million people were urged to evacuate the area.

    Trainer Jeff Fenech said the cancellation of the fight had

    left him $35,000 out of pocket after he paid for two weeks of
    training expenses in Los Angeles for his boxer and their support team
    before arriving in Florida last week.

    "Vic is shattered," Fenech said from Los Angeles last night as he
    headed back to Sydney.

    "We were certain he was going to overpower Pacheco and to have the
    bout cancelled just 48 hours from fight time is a real knockout blow.


    "Vic has spent his whole life in Australia and before that in Armenia
    training and dreaming of a shot at the world title and who knows when
    he will get another chance."

    Fenech said the fight could not be rescheduled this year because it
    was the last boxing date booked for 2004 by the American telecasters
    ESPN.

    "I spoke to Pacheco and his manager this morning and we may be able
    to bring the fight to Australia but we'll have to wait and see,"
    Fenech said.

    "Our first priority was just to get everyone on flights out of
    Florida as quickly as we could. The whole area is in a panic."

    Another Aussie, Kali Meehan, enlivened the press conference yesterday
    for his WBO heavyweight title fight with Lamon Brewster in Las Vegas
    on Sunday by releasing a spirited kangaroo at the Mandalay Bay
    casino.

    Meehan is a huge underdog against the hard-hitting American but
    believes he has the boxing skills to get the jump on Brewster for the
    upset of the year.
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