CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Filipino star Nonito Donaire stopped Australian-based Armenian southpaw Vic Darchinyan in the ninth round of a 10-round non-title bout Saturday to boost his bid to return to boxing's elite. Donaire was trailing on two of three judges' scorecards when he snatched the victory in a rematch of former world champions trying to revive their careers. He felled Darchinyan with a left hook, and although Darchinyan rose and continued, he never looked steady. Donaire's punishing follow-up prompted referee Laurence Cole to call a halt at 2:06 of round nine. Donaire improved to 32-2 with 21 knockouts. He bounced back from a loss to Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux in a super bantamweight world title bout in April. Even in the glow of victory, Donaire said his thoughts were with people in his native Philippines, where more than 10,000 are feared dead in the wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan. “First and foremost, prayers to people in the Philippines who were hit by the typhoon,” he said. “Please have your prayers for people in the Philippines.” For Darchinyan, the fight was a grudge match, but he was ultimately unable to avenge his 2007 fifth-round knockout loss to Donaire — his first career defeat. Both fighters hurt each other with heavy blows in the second round. A furious exchange at the end of the fourth had to be broken up after the bell, and the toe-to-toe action continued in the fifth with Darchinyan seeming to have the edge. Donaire, who had right shoulder surgery after losing to Rigondeaux, looked tentative at times. He admitted there was a moment when he wasn't sure he could continue. “When he hit me in my cheek, I felt like he broke my cheek,” Donaire said. “Part of my mind was like, ‘Is this it for me? I'm losing the fight. Should I keep going?' “I put my heart into it,” he said. “I said, ‘You know what, I will never, ever quit.'“ His determination paid off and Darchinyan, 37, fell to 39-6-1. On the same card, unbeaten American Mikey Garcia survived a second-round knockdown to knock out Roman “Rocky” Martinez with a left hook to the body in the eighth round and take the Puerto Rican's World Boxing Organization super featherweight world title. Garcia improved to 33-0 with 28 wins inside the distance. Martinez fell to 27-2-2 with 16 knockouts. Yamanaka retains title WBC bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka defended his title for a fifth time with a ninth-round knockout of Mexican Alberto Guevara Sunday in Tokyo. Japanese southpaw Yamanaka hit the challenger with a left hand — dubbed “God's left” by his fans — 25 seconds into the ninth round to end the contest, improving his unbeaten record to 20 wins with two draws and 15 knockouts. “My opponent was moving a lot and making me sweat,” said the 31-year-old Yamanaka. “He didn't leave much space for me to get inside, but I could see that I was getting closer and closer and eventually I was able to get in there with a good punch.” Yamanaka floored Guevara four times in the eighth round at Ryogoku Kokugikan, the spiritual home of sumo in the Japanese capital, breaking open a cagey fight in which the champion had led on points. “If I have the chance to have a big fight at super bantamweight, I'd like to take it,” said Yamanaka. “I'd like to fight in Las Vegas next year or the year after.” It was Guevara's second career defeat and takes his record to 18 wins and two losses with six knockouts. — Agencies
