The have been a number of articles written in the media debating who is the No.1 boxer in Australian history, including The Roar.
One piece published earlier this year on this website tossed up the names Jeff Fenech and Kostya Tszyu as the top two, ahead of a long list of challengers.
Reading the comments in that article, it is clear that Armenian-born Aussie Vic Darchinyan was left out of the debate.
But looking at his record, no other Aussie fighter has achieved more in the ring.
After being raised in Armenia and building a decent amateur career, Darchinyan moved to Sydney shortly after the 2000 Sydney Olympics and debuted as a pro on November 3, 2000.
His 53-fight career contains 43 wins with 32 knockouts, nine losses and one draw.
Darchinyan won eight world titles across three divisions: flyweight in the IBF and IBO, bantamweight in the IBO, and super-flyweight in the IBO, IBF, WBC and WBA (where he’s also an undisputed champion).
Vic Darchinyan fights Glenn Donaire in 2006. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Darchinyan also holds the record for most titles won with the IBO, with four reigns across three divisions.
If that is not enough evidence, look at his title fights.
Darchinyan had 23 world title fights with 17 of those fights as defending champion.
Fenech only had 14 world title fights in total, while Tszyu had 17, both significantly less the Darchinyan.
So why is Darchinyan not named Australia’s greatest boxer?
Is it because he was not born here?
Well, neither was Kostya Tszyu and he returned to Russia shortly after his retirement. On the other hand, Darchinyan stills resides in Australia.
Darchinyan’s career was between 2000 and 2017 and was overshadowed by the careers of Anthony Mundine, Danny Green, Danny Geale and even Sam Soliman.
Another factor is that most of Darchinyan’s title fights were overseas, and on the undercard to other world title fights, as the smaller divisions rarely headline a Mainevent PPV.
There are also a number of Aussie fighters whose careers didn’t get the attention they deserved – Sakio Bika, Lovemore N’dou and Gairy St Clair, to name a few.
All world champs that had little to no media attention.
Darchinyan’s career didn’t get the mainstream Australian media attention that it clearly deserved, as easily he is the most successful boxer Australia has ever had.
TAZZ
Roar Rookie
That's a fair assessment considering that there is for major titles, (IBF, WBO, WBA, and WBA) and about half a dozen minor ones (IBO, IBA, WBU, WBF and a couple more) so at any one time you could have about 8 to 10 guys, claiming to be the world champ.
Paul Cupitt
Roar Rookie
Rating boxers purely on world titles won shows a lack of understanding of the history of boxing. Fighters like Les Darcy, Young Griffo, Jack Carroll, Dave Sands, Jimmy Carruthers and Lionel Rose reaches the top in mucb tougher eras and in eras with only one champion and far fewer weight classes. Comparing “world titles” won since 1990 to before 1960 is unfair because there were not only fewer world titles, but many more professionals competing. I wouldn’t put Vic over Kostya either.
TAZZ
Roar Rookie
That record of his us unmatched by any Aussie boxer or pretty much anybody, I would challenge you to find anybody that achieved as many titles in as many divisions, Manny Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather would be the only two off the top of my head that achieved more
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
His name came up in the comments to that article, the Australian media I think they called him Armenian a lot of the time ,maybe its because he was in the lighter classes. I don't see Tszyu as an Australian as he arrived as an adult, and Darchinian arrived even later.Tszyu didn;t have as many title fights but he lost less .
eddyboi
Roar Rookie
max bench of 140kgs, that is insane. but truly a great boxer. I read that we was a wrestler before he was a boxer as his home country did not have boxing as a sport available to him. But he certainly made the best of it and easily had the best career of any aussie boxer.
Ben
Roar Guru
More than a "decent" amatuer record of 158-18, with 105 knockouts. He could also max bench 140kg; which explains his ridiculous power. He was almost not human. Good article but.