Vic Darchinyan to move up to bantamweight for next fight

AUSTRALIA'S Vic Darchinyan is poised to become one of boxing's busiest world champions as he prepares to move up to bantamweight with titleholders from Asia, Africa and the Americas among his potential opponents.

Returning to Australia on Tuesday, Darchinyan confirmed he intended moving up to bantamweight after he retained his WBA, WBC and IBF super flyweight titles with an eleventh round stoppage of Mexican Jorge Arce in Los Angeles.

Formerly the IBF and IBO flyweight champion, Darchinyan is bidding to become only the second Australian after Jeff Fenech to win world titles in three divisions.

The belt-hungry 33-year-old had no intention of stopping at three weight divisions.

"I want to be (champion in) three weight divisions, four, five, I don't want to go to bantamweight and stop," Darchinyan said at Sydney Airport.

His win over Arce represented his third world title victory in just six months.

Most champions settle for three fights in a year, but Darchinyan will try and squeeze in four bouts before 2010.

However doctors have told Darchinyan he cannot box for 60 days after suffering a cut near his right eye in last weekend's contest.

Darchinyan's manager Elias Nassar revealed he was looking at matching his charge against either Japan's WBC bantamweight world champion Hozumi Hasegawa (25-2) or Ghana's IBF bantamweight king Joseph Agbeko (26-1).

Nassar said another potential opponent was Mexico's Fernando Montiel (38-2-1), who holds the WBO super flyweight title, but is moving up to bantamweight.

"Montiel actually got in the ring and challenged Vic after the (Arce) fight," Nassar said.

American cable television network Showtime is poised to broadcast Darchinyan's three scheduled fights this year.

They have expressed an interest in coming to Australia but Darchinyan said he enjoyed fighting in America.

Darchinyan was adamant his convincing victory over three-division champion Arce would consolidate his place among the world's best pound-for-pound fighters.

"I think I've got to be in the top ten pound-for-pound, but I don't want to be (just) top ten, I want to be closer to number one," Darchinyan said.

The Armenian-born Australian citizen still covets fights against two of the men universally regarded among the world's best pound-for-pound boxers, super bantamweight Israel Vazquez and junior welterweight Manny Pacquaio.

Vazquez has indicated he is set to move up another division but told Darchinyan at a press conference prior to the Arce fight he would be prepared to take on the Australian.

Big-hitting southpaw Darchinyan improved his professional record to 32-1-1 with 26 KOs with his win over Arce.