Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire was losing in the scorecards to Vic Darchinyan when he unleashed a big left hook that knocked down his old nemesis in the ninth round of their featherweight fight last Saturday in Corpus Christi, Texas in a triple header aired over HBO.
Donaire was conspicuously tentative for most part of the contest, which made him trail Darchinyan going into the penultimate round. But last year's Fighter of the Year suddenly went berserk, shutting down the Armenian whom he also knocked out six years ago.
His first win over Darchinyan propelled Donaire to an impressive winning streak and made him a household name among boxing fans. This time, he hopes this repeat victory would kick off a resurrection of sorts after he was outpointed by Guillermo Rigondeaux in April.
"I wanted to fight, and they kept telling me to box, box and be smart," Donaire told Ring TV.com after the knockout victory. "I tried to work hard every day in the gym to get back."
The fight was close throughout, but Darchinyan built a small lead in the scorecards by pressuring Donaire and throwing more punches. The Filipino boxing star, on the other hand, seemed disinterested at times and looked for a single fight-changing blow.
"To be honest, when he hit me in my cheek, it felt like he broke my cheek, and I thought, 'Is this it?'" Donaire added. "But I would never, ever quit."
With the win, Donaire moved to 32-2 with 21 knockouts.
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