Only 22 years old, Vanes Martirosyan is an undefeated contender in todays tough and highly popular 154 pound Junior Middleweight division.
After returning from the 2004 Olympics where he represented the USA in Athens, Greece, Vanes signed a professional contract with Top Rank. Promoter Bob Arum said, "This is a major signing for us. We think Vanes is a tremendous talent and a future star, and we have big plans for him." The deal was inked at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and another star was born for Top Rank and the boxing world.
Vanes also signed with highly regarded boxing manager Shelly Finkel, who also manages the Klitschko brothers, former world champions Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Manny Pacquiao and Fernando Vargas.
Martirosyan started his professional boxing career with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, who also trains the likes of Oscar De la Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Manny Pacquaio, James Toney and many more. His pro debut came on April 8, 2005 where he would outclass his opponent Jesse Orta to a 4 round unanimous decision victory igniting a promising career.
Still undefeated but in need of change in his training regime, Vanes made a move to Houston, Texas in late 2007 to continue his training with another legendary trainer in Ronnie Shields. Shields also boasts a strong resume training Evander Holyfield, Juan Diaz, and Rocky Juarez to name a few in his current stable of fighters.
Regarding his nickname, when Vanes was fighting his way through the Olympic Trials, that's what everybody was calling him, 'Nightmare.' As he fought in the Western Trials, Vanes started beating all the guys that were highly ranked nationwide. The young Nightmare underdog came in and beat all the favorites to eventually make the 2004 US Olympic 13 man boxing team. He would then go into the history books as the first ever Armenian to represent the United States in the Olympics as well as the first ever US Olympian from his hometown of Glendale, California.
After returning from the 2004 Olympics where he represented the USA in Athens, Greece, Vanes signed a professional contract with Top Rank. Promoter Bob Arum said, "This is a major signing for us. We think Vanes is a tremendous talent and a future star, and we have big plans for him." The deal was inked at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and another star was born for Top Rank and the boxing world.
Vanes also signed with highly regarded boxing manager Shelly Finkel, who also manages the Klitschko brothers, former world champions Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Manny Pacquiao and Fernando Vargas.
Martirosyan started his professional boxing career with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, who also trains the likes of Oscar De la Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Manny Pacquaio, James Toney and many more. His pro debut came on April 8, 2005 where he would outclass his opponent Jesse Orta to a 4 round unanimous decision victory igniting a promising career.
Still undefeated but in need of change in his training regime, Vanes made a move to Houston, Texas in late 2007 to continue his training with another legendary trainer in Ronnie Shields. Shields also boasts a strong resume training Evander Holyfield, Juan Diaz, and Rocky Juarez to name a few in his current stable of fighters.
Regarding his nickname, when Vanes was fighting his way through the Olympic Trials, that's what everybody was calling him, 'Nightmare.' As he fought in the Western Trials, Vanes started beating all the guys that were highly ranked nationwide. The young Nightmare underdog came in and beat all the favorites to eventually make the 2004 US Olympic 13 man boxing team. He would then go into the history books as the first ever Armenian to represent the United States in the Olympics as well as the first ever US Olympian from his hometown of Glendale, California.
411mania.com
Earlier on the card, former Olympic junior middleweight Vanes Martirosyan (19-0, 13 KOs), made quick work of Jorge Munoz (20-2, 13 KOs) by stopping him in the 3rd round. Martirosyan dropped Munoz in round 1 and round 3 before a barrage of punishing shots forced a stoppage at 2:20 of round 3.
February 7 , 2008
Yahoo Sports
Albert Hammond and Tony! Toni! Tone! were wrong, it does indeed rain in Southern California. And last Friday, on a wet, windy, cold evening underneath a much-too-small tent that was erected a night before at the Alameda Swap Meet in Los Angeles, a large throng of Armenian-Americans braved the elements to show their support of jr. middleweight prospect Vanes Martirosyan, who improved to 18-0 with a six round decision over journeyman Clarence Taylor.
Martirosyan wasn't even part of the Telefutura broadcast last week, but to these rabid partisans, he was their main event. And as their man did his thing, they vociferously showed their support throughout. As Terrell Owens would say - they love themselves some Vanes.
There are some notable fighters of Armenian descent today, from Arthur Abraham to Vic Darchinyan and many others who perform regularly in California. But it's evident that Martirosyan, who represented the United States in the 2004 Olympic Games, has an opportunity to become the first one to develop as a ticket seller and have some crossover appeal in the States.
But ironically, that same adulation he is showered with locally is the exact reason why he made the switch from training with Freddie Roach in Hollywood to Ronnie Shields in Houston, Texas.
"Freddie's a great coach, everybody knows that; I can't complain about Freddie and I'm not because I know he's a good coach. It was more about being focused and I needed a change because I wasn't feeling that my boxing skills were improving, and it had nothing to do with Freddie," Martirosyan would explain a few days after his latest fight. "I think it was more of me getting to it and learning. I told my uncle, 'I need to be more focused and we talked to Shelly (Finkel), and Shelly recommended Ronnie Shields and then we also had a talk with Freddie...
January 11, 2008
