By: Jonathan M King The Clinch Report • Photos By: John Walsh The Clinch Report
When Karen Darabedyan entered the Sportsmens Lodge Ballroom, he appeared completely relaxed. A rather disconcerting smile from ear to ear showed, as he approached the cage to engage in hand to hand combat. Inside the cage a very seasoned Joe Condon was waiting for him. Pacing back and forth, a stoic Condon appeared extremely ready for a fight. Yet, Darabedyan seemed perfectly relaxed, almost reveling in the crowd support. Was he over confident? Or, perhaps he just knew something the rest of us were about to find out.
The fight itself started out rather slowly. Something you can expect when two savvy veterans face off. Darabedyan started with some nasty leg kicks that wobbled Condon but never stopped his advance. Each time he entered range, Darabedyan would attack the legs before looking to land with the hands. The leg kicks kept coming, and after faking low Darabedyan buried a kick to the body of Condon that for a second doubled him over.
That second was all Karen Darabedyan needed. As Condon absorbed the shot, Darabedyan jumped on his neck. Darabedyan than flattened out his opponent with a sprawl while maintaining the hold, before pulling guard and cinching in the guillotine. Condon defend at first, but he was unable to clear his head. The more he tried the tighter the hold became, and he was forced to tap just over a minute into the round.
Like most of the fighters who compete under the Lights Out Promotions and Bash Boxing banner, Karen Darabedyan is a top prospect in his division. With the doubt and injuries no longer in the picture it appears that Karen Darabedyan is back in full force. It is only a matter of time before Darabedyan’s management team have him fighting in a big show. If not, he may have a hard time finding opponents on the regional level. After all, would you fight a lion for anything less than six figures? I certainly would not!
The win was important on many different levels. First of all Joe Condon is the best opponent Darabedyan has fought in 4 years. The fact that he was able to dominate a former World Series of Fighting Lightweight Contender adds some sweetness to an already ripe and seasoned fighter. Secondly the win earned Darabedyan the CXF Jr Welterweight Tile (160 lbs), which will only add to his confidence making him that much more dangerous. Lastly and most importantly, the win came before Darabedyan’s home town Armenian crowd. With the 101 year anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 as the backdrop, the win served as inspiration to an entire nation who collectively have endured so much. The struggle continues, and will continue until justice has been served!
All of us at The Clinch Report stand together with our Armenian brothers and sisters. #WeAreOne
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