Is Vanes Martirosyan a Serious Title Contender?
On the undercard to the Miguel Cotto vs. Yuri Foreman fight on June 5, Vanes Martirosyan had a chance to make a statement and establish himself as someone who deserved a shot at a piece of the junior middleweight title – and soon. He fought Joe Greene in a 10-round fight that was the featured undercard bout on the HBO broadcast. A particularly impressive performance would help to solidify his place as a serious title contender and give him exposure with casual boxing fans.
So how did Martirosyan do? While he didn’t deliver the type of electric performance that would have left an indelible mark on boxing fans everywhere, he certainly didn’t hurt his career chances either. Both fighters wanted to establish their jab during the fight but only Martirosyan was able to back that up with combinations. Martirosyan never really hurt Greene (scoring a flash knockdown in the 10th round) but was never in trouble in the contest. The end result was a decisive unanimous decision victory over a previously unbeaten fighter.
Ultimately, Martirosyan did what he needed to do – look good in defeating an undefeated prospect who also has world title hopes. While it would have been better for him to get Greene out of there and not go the distance, Martirosyan stuck to his game plan and was able to take the wind out of Greene’s sails.
He also earned bonus points with many people within the fight game for being able to deal with adversity. His left eye began swelling in the fifth round (either due to a head butt or punches from Greene) and he was essentially fighting one-eyed for the majority of the contest. Despite this, he did not panic and maintained constant pressure on Greene while resisting the urge to rush things because of his injury and throw caution to the wind in search of a decisive knockout.
Martirosyan certainly passes the eyeball test in having the skills and pedigree to become an elite professional fighter. He was an outstanding amateur fighter, culminating in being a part of the United States Olympic boxing team. He’s rung up an impressive record of 28-0 with 17 knockouts since turning professional in 2005, using a sharp jab and busy hands that compliment his height and reach.
Along the way, Martirosyan has picked up some impressive victories against tough opposition. Along with beating Greene in his last contest, Martirosyan has defeated former world champion Kassim Ouma and former NABF junior middleweight champions Willie Lee and Andrey Tsurkan.
However, it hasn’t always been easy for Martirosyan. Despite beating Ouma in a 10-round unanimous decision when the two met on January 16, Martirosyan’s performance raised some significant red flags within the sport. He never could get comfortable against Ouma, who is several years past his world championship-winning prime. Ouma even managed to knock Martirosyan down in the ninth round, creating a fight that was much closer than it needed to be. Martirosyan eventually won the fight via unanimous decision, although many observers scoring the fight had it as a draw or even a win for Ouma.
So what should we read into Martirosyan’s last few performances? It’s easy to read too much into his looking sloppy against Ouma. The former champion is one of the craftiest and most unorthodox fighters in the sport, throwing punches from awkward and unusual angles and generally presenting opponents with a tough puzzle to crack. Martirosyan’s performance against Ouma showed his lack of experience (especially against southpaws) more than an innate lack of ability. Working with his trainer Freddie Roach, Martirosyan should be able to iron out the kinks and is likely ready to test his mettle against the best fighters in the junior middleweight division.
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