Vanes Martirosyan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vanes Martirosyan Վանես Մարտիրոսյան
Martirosyan celebrating his victory against Joe Greene, 2010
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Nightmare
Rated at	Light middleweight Middleweight
Height	6 ft 0 in
Reach	70 in
Nationality	American
Born	(1986-05-01) May 1, 1986 (age 39) Abovyan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	41
Wins	36
Wins by KO	21
Losses	4
Draws	1

Vanes Norikovich Martirosyan (/ˈvɑːnɛs/ Armenian: Վանես Մարտիրոսյան; born May 1, 1986) is an Armenian-American former professional boxer. He competed from 2005 to 2018. Vanes challenged for a world title in the light middleweight division twice. He also fought for unified middleweight world titles once.

Early Life and Boxing Start

Vanes Martirosyan was born on May 1, 1986, in Abovyan, Armenia. His father, Norik Martirosyan, was an amateur boxer. Vanes has two brothers and one sister.

When Vanes was four years old, his family moved to Glendale, California. He started boxing at age seven. His father found a boxing gym in Glendale, which led Vanes to the sport. Later, Vanes was homeschooled. This helped him focus on boxing.

Amateur Boxing Career

Vanes had a very successful amateur career. He won the National Champion title eight times. He also became a Golden Gloves Champion.

In 2004, Vanes earned a spot on the US Olympic Team. He won a match against Andre Berto in Mexico. At 18, he represented the United States at the 2004 Olympics as a Welterweight. He was on the same team as famous boxers Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell.

At the Olympics, his results were:

• Defeated Benamar Meskine (Algeria) 45–20
• Lost to Lorenzo Aragón Armenteros (Cuba) 11–20

Vanes lost in the second round to Aragon Armenteros. Aragon was 12 years older than Vanes. Vanes defeated other notable boxers as an amateur. These included Austin Trout (three times), Andre Berto, and Timothy Bradley. He finished his amateur career with 120 wins and only 10 losses.

Professional Boxing Journey

Starting as a Pro Boxer

Martirosyan (left) vs. Taronze Washington, 2007

Vanes Martirosyan became a professional boxer at age 20. He fought in the 154-pound division. He joined Bob Arum's company, Top Rank. His uncle, Serge Martirosyan, managed him. Shelly Finkel also helped manage him. Finkel worked with many world champions.

Vanes was trained by Freddie Roach. Roach was named Trainer of the Year in 2003 and 2006. Vanes trained alongside other top boxers. These included Manny Pacquiao and Julio César Chávez, Jr.. He also worked with Ronnie Shields. Vanes won his first fight with Shields. He knocked out Dan Wallace in the first round.

Vanes continued to win his early fights. He beat Clarence Taylor by a unanimous decision. He also won against Billy Lyell, Harrison Cuello, Andrey Tsurkan, and Willie Lee.

Big Fights and Challenges

Vanes made his HBO debut on June 5, 2010. This was at Yankee Stadium. He fought Joe Greene, who was also undefeated. Vanes won by unanimous decision. This gave Greene his first loss. Vanes' record became 28 wins and no losses.

On March 19, 2011, Vanes fought Bladimir Hernandez. He won easily by knockout in the second round. His next big fight was against Saúl Román. This was for the vacant WBC Silver Light Middleweight Championship. Román knocked Vanes down early. But Vanes fought back strongly. He knocked Román down in the seventh round. Vanes then landed many punches. The fight was stopped, and Vanes won.

On October 29, 2011, Vanes fought Richard Gutierrez. Vanes won every round. The judges gave him a unanimous decision victory. He then fought Troy Lowry on February 4, 2012. Vanes knocked Lowry down in the first round. He stopped him in the third round. This helped Vanes keep his WBC Silver title.

On November 9, 2013, Vanes faced Demetrius Andrade. This fight was for the vacant World Boxing Organization light middleweight title. Vanes lost by a split decision. On March 21, 2014, he won the vacant WBO Inter-Continental light middleweight title. He defeated Mario Antonio Lozano by unanimous decision.

Key Matchups

On March 28, 2015, Vanes fought Jermell Charlo. Vanes lost by a unanimous decision. Many thought Vanes was the more aggressive fighter. The scores were very close.

On September 12, 2015, Vanes fought Ishe Smith. Vanes won by a majority decision. Two judges scored it for Vanes. One judge scored it a draw.

In his next fight, Vanes challenged Erislandy Lara. This was for the WBA world super welterweight championship. Lara outboxed Vanes. Vanes lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Martirosyan vs. Golovkin

On May 5, 2018, Vanes fought Gennady Golovkin. Golovkin was the unified Middleweight champion. Vanes was a last-minute replacement for another boxer. He had only three weeks to prepare. He also had not fought professionally for almost two years.

Vanes faced a tough challenge against the undefeated champion. He did well in the first round. But Golovkin's power was too much. Vanes was knocked out in the second round. After the fight, Vanes said Golovkin's punches felt like "being hit by a train." Golovkin praised Vanes. He said Vanes was a good fighter. Vanes received $225,000 for the fight. This fight was the most-watched boxing match on cable TV in 2018.

Professional Boxing Record

See Also

• List of Armenian Americans