In what will be a brutal battle of pure power punchers, Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan will attempt to become a world champion in a third weight class when he challenges International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight champion Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko on Saturday, July 11, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
The event is being co-promoted by Don King Productions and Gary Shaw Productions, LLC.
Agbeko (26-1,22 KOs), of New York by way of Ghana, will be making the second defense of the 118-pound crown he won with a seventh-round TKO over Luis Perez in August 2007. A winner of five in a row, Agbeko is coming off a 12-round decision over William Gonzalez on Dec, 11, 2008.
Darchinyan (32-1, 26 KOs) solidified his status as the No. 1 super flyweight in the world – and one of the top boxers pound-for-pound – with back-to-back impressive victories over Jorge Arce last Feb. 7 on SHOWTIME and Christian Mijares on Nov. 1, 2008, on SHOWTIME.
An Australia-based Armenian, Darchinyan exited his signature victory over Mijares with the IBF, World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA) 115-pound belts. A former IBF flyweight champion, Darchinyan is appearing on SHOWTIME for a ninth time.
Agbeko, a relentless, aggressive-minded slugger, will be making his third start in the United States and second on SHOWTIME. His nickname is not really a nickname. “My name is Joseph King Kong Agbeko. That’s my real name,” he said. “It’s on my birth certificate and my passport.”
By any name, this figures to be a dangerous assignment for Darchinyan, who’s talked about moving up in weight for a long time. “I’ll be ready and I’ll be stronger at 118,” he said. “Agbeko will feel my power, I promise you.”