EACH NATION’S BEST: ARMENIA
World Boxing New
July 1, 2008
By Derek Bonnett: Armenia is a former republic of the Soviet Union
located between the Black and Caspian Seas. The Kingdom of Armenia
was the first state to adopt Christianity back in the fourth century
and it holds great significance in Judeo-Christian theology as the
final resting place of Noah’s Ark after the flood.
The Republic of Armenia holds a far less significance in the history
of professional boxing. To be more exact, the nation has only boasted
two world champions and to find them you have to go way, way back
to…2004. That’s right; Vic Darchinyan and Arthur Abraham are the
only two Armenian born fighters to hold world titles. Their respective
accomplishments will be detailed later on.
While there are no other world champions to speak of, Armenia has had a
few other professional prizefighters worth mentioning. Ted Levin (Ted
L. Abajian) is the first recorded boxer to come from Armenia. Between
the years of 1917-1921, Levin was hailed as the bantamweight champion
of California, Arizona, and Mexico. However, Levin does not match
the usual criteria of the fighters mentioned in Each Nation’s Best
as he finished his career with an unassuming dossier of 13-20-13
(1). William Abelyan is a former contender in the featherweight
division whom posted notable wins over Orlando Salido, Guty Espadas
Jr., Jesus Salud, and Martin Honorio; however, he failed in his only
world title shot against Scott Harrison. Artyom Simonyan achieved
contender status after defeating the capable Fahsan 3K Battery in a
2004 title eliminator. However, Israel Vazquez and the late Agapito
Sanchez stopped him in the most important bouts of his career.
Armenia’s current crop of fighters is responsible for this nation’s
first noticeable impact on the sport of boxing and, in the coming
years, just might continue to establish a memorable history for sports
fans. The following boxers are four of Armenia’s best.
4). Khoren Gevor is a fringe middleweight contender with a professional
ledger of 29-3 (15). The orthodox fighter is best known for his defeat
to fellow Armenian Arthur Abraham in what could be considered the most
underrated KO of 2007. Gevor acquitted himself well enough against
the IBF middleweight champion, but was stopped in the eleventh round
in chilling fashion. Gevor’s previous two defeats came to the then
undefeated Lukas Konecny.
Outside of the Abraham fight, Gevor is largely inexperienced at
the world-class level. However, Gevor scored an eight round decision
victory over the respectable Sergey Tatevosyan when he was 21-4. Gevor
also handed five European prospects and contenders their first
defeats. A second world title attempt is possible for Gevor since he
holds the #7 spot in the eyes of the IBF and the #17 slot for the WBC.
Gevor, 29, has posted one victory in 2008, but needs to remain active
and begin testing himself against a higher caliber of opposition if
he is to make a serious impact on the Armenian boxing scene. He could
gain some valuable experience by sharing the ring with a veteran like
Howard Eastman.
3). Vanes "The Nightmare" Martirosyan is a very promising twenty-two
year old junior middleweight prospect. So far in his four-year
professional campaign, Vanes is 20-0 (13). He has a solid amateur
background and represented the United States, where he now resides,
in the 2004 Olympics as a welterweight. Top Rank has been taking
their time with Martirosyan bringing him up with steadily increasing
opposition.
The orthodox prospect’s best victory came against Michi Munoz, who
came into the bout with a record of 20-1 (13). The Nightmare proved be
just that for Munoz as he finished his man in the third round. Still,
the young prospect barely registers in the world rankings holding
a #32 spot by the WBC. Martirosyan’s ranking will likely rise after
his impressive decision victory over the seasoned Angel Hernandez on
June 26. Hernandez had fought Winky Wright, Kassim Ouma, and Wilfredo
Riviera earlier in his career.
Martirosyan needs to stay busy in 2008 and add to the three victories
he’s already posted this year. He took a big step up against Angel
Hernandez and fought with a small cut over his eye to win. Vanes
needs more late-round adventures against tough veterans with greater
experience. Former world title challenger Alfonso Mosquera could
provide Vanes with a stern test.
2). Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan is vastly more experienced in
comparison to the last two Armenian fighters and holds a record of
29-1-1 (23). Darchinyan held the IBF flyweight title for roughly a
two and a half year stint. However, he has gone 1-1-1 in his last
three contests. Like Gevor, the "Raging Bull" was victim to one of
the best KO’s in 2007 in which he lost his title to Nonito Donaire. In
his most recent effort, Darchinyan had to settle for a controversial
draw against Z Gorres.
Darchinyan, 32, may be on the slide, but he has amassed an impressive
dossier of victories. His much-revered power from the southpaw stance
has humbled the likes of Wandee Singwacha (2), Irene Pacheco, Diosdado
Gabi, Luis Maldonado, and Victor Burgos. He is still a knockout threat
to any man between 112 and 115 and he is currently ranked No.4 at
115 pounds by the IBF.
Darchinyan will be fighting for the second time in 2008 on August 2
in an attempt to claim the IBF super flyweight title from Dimitri
Kirilov, who also struggled in his most recent outing. A victory
against Kirilov will help re-establish Darchinyan among the lighter
weights, but he’ll be hard pressed to regain his former status as an
unbeaten flyweight champion.
1) "King" Arthur Abraham, 28, is the unbeaten IBF middleweight champion
of the world and only second to Kelly Pavlik in the division. He holds
a stalwart professional resume of 27-0 (22) and has seven defenses
of his championship. After his June 21 rematch KO of Edison Miranda
in the United States, Abraham seems to be on the verge of his first
super-fight
Abraham erased any questions about his controversial 2006 victory over
Edison Miranda with a crushing fourth round KO in their rematch. As
a champion Abraham has handled a variety of B level contenders with
relative ease and dispatched most of them inside of the distance. His
best victories as a professional are Kingsley Ikeke (KO5), Kofi Jantuah
(W12), Howard Eastman (W12), and Miranda (W12, KO4).
A showdown with Kelly Pavlik is among the hottest match-ups in the
sport, but it is not likely to happen soon. On the Abraham-Miranda
II undercard, old warhorse Raul Marquez defeated Giovanni Lorenzo in
a title eliminator and could be next for the champion. The Miranda
victory marked Abraham’s second in 2008.
It’s unclear whether or not Noah walked off of his ark into Armenia
with a pair of boxing world champions in tow, but the former Soviet
Nation is showing the beginnings of a proud history. For Armenian
boxing, the present is already far brighter than the past. The future
could be even brighter.