Armenian boxer Vic Darchinyan, currently 0-2 in bantamweight world title bouts, will try to reverse his 118-pound fortunes in a third crack at a world title. Darchinyan, who turned 36 last week, will challenge Shinsuke Yamanaka in Tokyo on April 1, Gary Shaw, Darchinyan's promoter said.

Darchinyan's promoter Gary Shaw said there was a chance the fight might be moved back one week into late March. "I am very happy I was able to make a world title fight for Vic," Shaw said. "He wanted another opportunity so badly that we took this fight for short money to do it."

Yamanaka (15-0-2, 11 KOs), of Japan, is very inexperienced compared to Darchinyan, but he won a vacant belt on Nov. 6 by knocking out Mexico's Christian Esquivel in the 11th round, although Yamanaka, 29, was knocked down in the fight,

"I haven't seen any film on him but I was able to make the fight for VicI'll get some film and have a better feeling of what we are up against after I look at it. I give credit to Vic for wanting to always fight the best and being willing to travel around the world to fight wherever the opportunity is," Shaw said, ESPN reported.