Mijares, Darchinyan aim to unify junior bantamweight titles
Unified junior bantamweight titleholder Cristian Mijares and titlist Vic Darchinyan are ready to meet to further unify the 115-pound division if they can secure a television deal for the fight, both of their promoters told ESPN.com.
Lou DiBella, who co-promotes Mijares with Mexico's Nacho Huizar, and Darchinyan promoter Gary Shaw said they have an outline of a deal for their fighters to meet. However, the television schedule is jammed in the fall. HBO isn't interested in the fight. Showtime has interest and may be able to find a date for the bout in November, DiBella said.
"Gary and I have talked a number of times," DiBella said. "In principle, we have a deal, but you need a TV outlet. In the lower weights, it might be the best fight among the small guys you can make. If we have a TV network, we can finish a deal in 15 minutes."
If Showtime can't spring a date this year, Mijares (36-3-2, 15 KOs) will defend his belts Nov. 29 in Mexico, possibly against Puerto Rico's Jose "Carita" Lopez (37-7-2, 31 KOs), in the main event of an Integrated Sports pay-per-view.
Darchinyan (30-1-1, 24 KOs) might also take an interim bout. Then they would meet on Showtime in early 2009. But both sides would like to put the fight on before the end of the year.
"Dates are a problem," Shaw said. "[The fight is] on the table for both to bite."
Mijares unified titles by outpointing Alexander Munoz on May 17. He defended them via third-round destruction of Chatchai Sasakul in Mexico on Aug. 30.
Darchinyan, a heavy-hitting former flyweight beltholder, won a junior bantamweight title Aug. 2 via dominant fifth-round knockout of Russia's Dimitri Kirilov.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
