Author: Khoyetsian Rose

U.S. Open Tennis: Agassi’s silent treatment pays off

International Herald Tribune

Chris Broussard NYT
Wednesday, September 8, 2004

NEW YORK Before facing an opponent, particularly a top-flight one,
Sargis Sargsian sometimes receives advice from Andre Agassi.

In a telephone conversation the night before the match, Agassi
will break down the opponent’s game and give Sargsian a blueprint
for victory.

On Sunday night, however, the two friends did not speak. Sargsian’s
opponent in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Monday was Agassi
himself, a two-time Open champion who did not want to take any chances.

Agassi, seeded sixth, came away with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory, advancing
to the quarterfinals for the 12th time in his 19 trips and setting
up a high-profile match on Wednesday with top-seeded Roger Federer.

“I’ll go out there with the intention of having to play my best
tennis,” said Agassi, whose last match against Federer was a 6-4,
3-6, 4-6 loss at Indian Wells, California, in March. “That’s the good
news playing him, if that is good news. There’s not a whole lot of
thinking. You better shoot for your best stuff right away, not take
your foot off the pedal. But if I can hit my shots aggressively and
play to the standard I know I can, I have every intention of winning
the match.”

Federer could be a bit rusty. He received a walkover on Monday when his
fourth-round opponent, Andrei Pavel, withdrew because of a herniated
disk in his lower back.

“I think not playing in four days is not ideal for him,” Agassi
said. “Going out there in a big environment is something that he has
proven to be the best at this year. I’m going to try to give something
for the crowd to cheer about.”

Fifth-seeded Tim Henman also advanced to the quarterfinals after
19th-seeded Nicolas Kiefer retired three games into the fifth set
with a wrist injury. Henman won, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 3-0.

Meanwhile the magical run is over for Olivier Rochus, the diminutive
– 5-foot-5, 130-pound, or 1.67-meter, 59-kilogram – unseeded Belgian
who had defied all odds by reaching the fourth round.

Despite taking the first two sets from 22nd-seeded Dominik Hrbaty of
Slovakia, Rochus fell, 2-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0, after being slowed
by leg cramps late in the match.

Rochus, 23, was ranked 100th in the world and had never won a match
in four previous appearances in the U.S. Open. In fact, he had won
only one set here.

Sargsian, 31, who was in the fourth round of a Grand Slam event on
Monday for only the second time in his career, simply could not figure
out – or carry out – a plan of attack.

“For me, it’s strange to play Andre, to be honest,” said Sargsian,
who is 0-6 against Agassi. “I really hope this is the last time I play
him. I don’t feel like I have a game plan against him, like I don’t
know how to win the points. You cannot serve and volley, you cannot
play him from the back, you cannot hustle because you know he’s not
going to miss. He’s going to make you run until tomorrow morning.”

Sargsian had seemingly been running all tournament long, logging 12
hours five minutes of court time – seven hours more than Agassi had
played – through the first three rounds. His second-round victory over
10th-seeded Nicolas Massu lasted 5:09 and was the second-longest match
in U.S. Open history. Two days later, he edged Paul-Henri Mathieu of
France, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), in a match that lasted 4:44.

Sargsian, who is Armenian, and Agassi, met seven years ago in
California. Agassi said he was a bundle of nerves while watching
Sargsian’s match with Mathieu on television.

“I’ve never been so nervous in my life,” he said. “It’s a lot easier
playing than watching when you really care about it. I was pulling
for him. It was a great display of tennis and heart, by both players.”

Against Agassi, who is 34 years old, Sargsian could not display the
same level of tennis acumen. He committed 43 unforced errors, more
than double the amount Agassi committed.

Although perhaps not at the top of his game, Agassi was sharp. Playing
at his typically torrid pace, he seemed to have Sargsian off
balance. Despite his feelings for Sargsian, he held nothing back.

“I don’t think it’s quite as comfortable playing against somebody that
you root for,” Agassi said. “I mean, if I were to lose, I probably
wouldn’t want to lose to anybody more than him, if that makes any
sense at all.

“But you have a lot of respect for each other personally –
professionally, too. In order to maintain that respect, both guys
have to go out there and lay it on the line and give a hug afterwards.”

But no advice beforehand.

The New York Times

Russian terror strike talk seen worrying Georgia
By Mark Trevelyan, Security Correspondent

Reuters
Sept 8 2004

BERLIN, Sept 8 (Reuters) – Comments from a top general that Russia will
pre-emptively strike “terrorist bases” anywhere in the world will send
a shiver of alarm through former Soviet republics, especially Georgia.

Western analysts said Wednesday’s remarks from Chief of Staff Yuri
Baluevsky carried echoes of the U.S. doctrine in the “war on terror”
of countering threats by launching first strikes, instead of waiting
to be attacked.

But they said Russia’s sharply limited global reach meant the general’s
warning — days after a bloody hostage siege by militants demanding
Chechen independence — would apply in practice to former Soviet
republics in the Caucasus and Central Asia which Moscow still regards
as its sphere of influence.

Beyond that zone, Russia could not launch full-scale military action,
although it might attempt hits on individual militants via operations
like February’s assassination of a prominent Chechen separatist
in Qatar.

“In practice this doctrine can only apply to the countries adjacent to
Russia which are not part of a global alliance,” said Jonathan Eyal,
Russia analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

GEORGIA IN FRONT LINE

Georgia would be in the front line, he said, but neighbouring Armenia,
Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian states could also be seen by
Moscow as legitimate theatres for military action.

Tensions between Georgia and Russia are already high over Tbilisi’s
efforts to reassert control of its breakaway region of South Ossetia,
where it recently accused Russian forces of being involved in attacks
on Georgians.

Russia, which maintains two military bases in Georgia, has periodically
accused Tbilisi of allowing Chechen rebels to operate from the Pankisi
Gorge, which borders Chechnya.

Analysts said Moscow might revive such charges in the climate of
heightened tension since last week’s bloodbath in which at least
326 people — around half of them children — were killed after a
three-day siege at a school in Beslan in Russia’s North Caucasus.

“To some extent the military here are looking to see what advantage
they can take from the mood following the attack down in Beslan,”
said Roy Allison of Chatham House, a London-based think-tank.

He said Baluevsky’s comments were “very provocative” and seemed out
of line with the views of President Vladimir Putin.

It was not clear whether Baluevsky was speaking with Putin’s backing
but such a senior general would rarely express such views without at
least the tacit approval of the president.

ISRAELI BACKING

But they met with understanding in Israel, which has its own long
history of pre-emptive and reprisal strikes against militants both
inside its borders and abroad.

“There is no other choice when dealing with terrorism. This is an
international threat that has to be tackled everywhere and anywhere,”
a senior official said.

Asked if Israel would help, he said: “Israel and Russia have strategic
agreements, which include intelligence-sharing, and I am sure this
issue will come up in our next bilateral meeting.”

According to Israeli intelligence, some Chechen separatists have
trained at camps in Lebanon and have ties with the militant Hizbollah
group there.

There are significant Chechen emigre communities in Jordan and Turkey,
and Russian officials say they have frequently intercepted and killed
Turkish fighters in Chechnya.

Eyal said not even the “most mad general in Moscow” would contemplate
a military strike in NATO-member Turkey.

But he said Russia might well attempt further operations abroad like
the assassination of former Chechen leader Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in
Qatar in February. A Qatari court convicted two Russian spies of the
murder, in which Moscow denied involvement.

(Additional reporting by Dan Williams in Jerusalem)

NGO Forum blames NATO for breaching principles

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 8 2004

Baku, September 7, AssA-Irada

The National NGO Forum held a news conference in protest against
Armenian officers’ planned visit to Baku to attend NATO military
training under the Partnership for Peace program.

The Forum President Azay Guliyev said the invitation of Armenian
officers to NATO command-staff training in Baku has sparked a
nationwide rage.

This contradicts NATO’s charter and principles saying that there
shouldn’t be any conflict among NATO member states, including partner
countries, Guliyev said.

The Forum states that the participation of the military men from an
invader country in any event organized in Azerbaijan is unacceptable
unless occupied Azerbaijani lands are liberated and about one million
refugees return home.

The Forum intends to hold a series of rallies in protest against
Armenian officers’ visit before September 13.*

Khatami meets with Supreme Leader before launching 3-nation tour

IRNA, Iran
Sept 7 2004

Tehran, Sept 7, IRNA — President Mohammad Khatami conferred here
on Tuesday with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei prior to his three-nation tour of Armenia, Belarus
and Tajikistan.

At the meeting, Khatami briefed the Supreme Leader on his programs
during his trips and the Leader wished him success. 1430/1412

Czechs without four stars for Dutch tie

The Star Online
Tuesday September 7, 2004

PRAGUE: The Czech Republic will take on Holland in their Group One
European Zone World Cup qualifying opener without four first-choice
midfielders, after Karel Poborsky joined captain Pavel Nedved, Vladimir
Smicer and Tomas Galasek on the sidelines due to a lower back injury.

The 32-year-old Poborsky, the country’s most capped player with 100
appearances for the national team, suffered the injury last Monday
when lifting his daughter and has been ruled out of tomorrow’s game
in Amsterdam.

Nedved, of Juventus, is focusing on club duties, while Galasek and
Smicer are unavailable due to knee injuries, leaving only Borussia
Dortmund’s Tomas Rosicky from the Czech Republic’s Euro 2004
first-choice midfield.

The Czechs have been drawn in Group 1 with Finland, Armenia, Macedonia,
Romania and Andorra and Holland. – AP

Foreign investment in Armenia climbs 41% in H1

Interfax
Sept 6 2004

Yerevan. (Interfax) – The volume of foreign investment in the economy
of Armenia increased 41.3% year-on-year to $106.3 million over the
first half of 2004, Armenian Trade and Economic Development Minister
Tigran Davtian announced at a Friday press conference.

Direct foreign investment increased 79.1% year-on-year to $64.7 million
over the first half. Davtian said the largest investments continue
to come companies in Russia, the United States and the European Union.

National communications operator Armentel attracted the largest
foreign investments for telecommunications network development.
Armentel attracted $41.5 million in the first half, a 40% year-on-year
increase, including $21 million in direct foreign investments

The Armenian National Statistics Service’s numbers indicate that
first-half investments from France increased 4871% year-on-year to
$13.7 million, from Georgia 255.3% to $41.5 million, from the United
States 101.3% to $15.2 million, from Argentina 80.3% to $16.1 million,
from Lebanon 60.4% to $1.6 million, from Luxembourg 69.1% to $763,000
and from Canada 34.6% to 1.3% million.

Azeri media protests against Armenian officers’ visit to Baku

BBC Monitoring research
4 Sep 04

Azerbaijan’s main broadcast and print media outlets protested on 4
September against a planned visit by several Armenian officers to
attend Baku-hosted NATO exercises.

The private ANS TV and ANS CM radio stations suspended broadcasts
between 0500-0600 gmt under the slogan “The Azerbaijani media protests
against Armenian officers’ visit to Baku” which was posted on ANS
TV’s screen. The stations are planning to suspend broadcasts between
1100-1200 and 1500-1600 gmt as well.

The country’s opposition Azadliq, Yeni Musavat, Muxalifat, Baki Xabar
dailies and private Ayna/Zerkalo, Ekho, Ekspress, Sarq, Xalq Cabhasi
and 525-ci Qazet daily newspapers published blank front pages under
the same slogan. Official and pro-government media organizations did
not join the protest.

The Cooperative Best Effort-2004 exercises organized under NATO’s
Partnership for Peace programme are planned to be held between 13-26
September.

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

CROSSROADS E-NEWSLETTER September 2, 2004

PASHALIAN FUND ANNOUNCES
2004 EDUCATIONAL GRANTS
The Pashalian Family Education Fund, which is part of the Prelacy
Endowment Fund, recently announced grants for 2004 totaling $12,750.00. The
awards were as follows:
St. Illuminator Armenian Day School, $2,500.00.
St. Stephen Armenian Elementary School (Massachusetts), $3,750.00.
St. Sarkis Suzanne & Hovsep Hagopian Saturday School, $1,500.00.
Armenian Sisters Academy (Pennsylvania), $1,000.00.
Siamanto Academy, $1,000.00.
St. Gregory of Datev Institute, $2,000.00.
The Pashalian Fund was created in 1992 in memory of John Pashalian by
his family and friends. Trustees of the Fund meet regularly to make the
disbursements from the Fund, which supports Armenian education in the United
States.

V. REV. FR. ANOUSHAVAN TANIELIAN
ATTENDS PRESIDENT BUSH PRAYER SERVICE
ON BEHALF OF THE PRELATE
Today, September 2, V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian, the Vicar General,
attended a Prayer Service at the Church of Our Savior, Park Avenue and 38th
Street in New York City. Archbishop Oshagan was invited to attend the
ecumenical gathering of religious leaders as an honored guest of President
and Mrs. Bush. His Eminence, who is returning from overseas tonight, asked
the Vicar General to attend on his behalf. Invited to the gathering were
representatives of various religious denominations and ethnic groups.
The Church of Our Savior is just a hop away from the Prelacy office,
which explains why the entire area was like an armed camp this morning,
including a bevy of helicopters overhead.

ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL OPEN
OLYMPIC GAMES IN CHICAGO
This weekend, His Eminence will be in the Midwest where on Monday, Labor
Day, he will officially open the Olympic games of the Armenian Youth
Federation. Beginning in the early 1930s, the AYF Olympics is now an
established tradition in Armenian American life. This year the weekend event
is being sponsored by the Chicago Ararat Chapter.
For those who are experiencing withdrawal symptoms after more than two
weeks of the International Olympics, we suggest heading to Chicago.

MID-WEST SEMINAR WILL TAKE PLACE
SEPTEMBER 18 IN DEARBORN, MICHIGAN
St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Dearborn, Michigan, is sponsoring a one-day
seminar on Critical Issues of Life & Faith: An Armenian Orthodox
Perspective, on Saturday, September 18, at the Church, 19300 Ford Road,
Dearborn, Michigan. The main speaker will be Dr. Vigen Guroian, Professor of
Theology and Ethics at Loyola College, Baltimore, Maryland. The program will
include the lecture, small group discussions, followed by group reports and
discussions. Topics to be discussed include Marriage, Reproductive
Technologies, Abortion, Suicide and Cremation.
This program is very similar to one that took place during the summer
at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, sponsored by the
Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) that was enthusiastically
received by the participants, who in their anonymous evaluation sheets
offered comments like: I really enjoyed the adult Christian education
program. The lectures were very insightful, thought provoking and even
controversial. Dr. Guroian is an exceptional lecturer and I learned a lot
from him.. It was a blessing to have such a prominent theologian lead the
seminar on contemporary moral and ethical issues. and [It] was fulfilling,
nourishing, and enlightening.
For information about the Midwest Seminar contact the Church office,
(313) 336-6200.

PILLARS OF THE PRELACY RECEPTIONS
IN RHODE ISLAND AND MASSACHUSETTS
The first two of several regional gatherings of the Pillars of the
Prelacy will take place next week.
On Friday, September 10, the Pastor and Board of Trustees of St.
Stephen Church in Watertown, Massachusetts, will host a reception and on
Sunday, September 12, the Pastor and Board of Trustees of Sts. Vartanantz
Church in Providence, Rhode Island, will host a reception.
The Pillars of the Prelacy is an annual giving program; all funds
raised support religious and educational programs.
For information about the Massachusetts gathering contact St. Stephen
Church, (617) 924-7562.
For information about the Rhode Island gathering contact Sts.
Vartanantz Church, (401) 831-6399.

V. REV. FR. SHAHE PANOSSIAN ARRIVES
TO SERVE NEW JERSEY PARISH
V. Rev. Fr. Shahe Panossian arrived in the United States early this week
to assume the pastorship of Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey,
where he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy this Sunday, September 8.
Hayr Shahe served parishes in the Eastern Prelacy for many years,
specifically in South Florida, Toronto and Glenview, Illinois.
For the past two years, at the behest of Catholicos Aram I, he has been
serving the Catholicate in Antelias, Lebanon. Most recently he was the
director of the Birds Nest Orphanage in Lebanon.
He was ordained a celibate priest in 1980. Besides his extensive
experience as a parish priest, Hayr Shahe has been a teacher and supervisor
at the Cilician Seminary in Antelias, as well as an administrator at the
Catholicate headquarters.

PRELACY BOOK FAIR IN OCTOBER
The Prelacy Bookstore will host its annual Book Fair on October 22, 23,
and 24, at Sts. Vartanantz Church, 461 Bergen Boulevard, Ridgefield, New
Jersey. Featured will be many new books as well as gift items some of which
are newly arrived from Armenia. We will be telling you more about this later
this month.

MANY PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS ARE OPEN;
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY SCHOOLS WILL OPEN SOON
Traditionally school has opened after Labor Day. But because Labor Day
is late this year, many public school districts have started the new term
this week.
There are several very good Armenian Day Schools here on the east coast
including: St. Stephens Elementary School, Watertown, Massachusetts; St.
Illuminators Day School in Woodside, New York; Holy Martyrs Day School in
Bayside, New York; Hovnanian School in New Milford, New Jersey; the Armenian
Sisters Academies in Lexington, Massachusetts and Radnor, Pennsylvania. They
all need and deserve our support.
The Saturday and Sunday schools in our parishes will be opening in the
coming weeks. Check with your local parish to find out the exact date and
time and make sure to enroll your children. It is a sacrifice of time and
effort, we know, but you will be happy and thankful you did.
Incidentally, as a side note, we use the term Saturday school
generically. Some of our parishes have their Armenian language schools on
other days of the week.

COUNCIL OF NICAEA
This Saturday, September 4, the Armenian Church remembers the Ecumenical
Council of Nicaea, the first such council. It was summoned by Emperor
Constantine in 325. Bishop Aristakes (son of Gregory the Illuminator)
attended as a representative of the Armenian Church. It was at this council
that the creed was first developed. The Nicene Creed (Havatamk) that we
recite in the Armenian Church during the Divine Liturgy after the reading of
the Gospel is the result of later development of the doctrine of the Holy
Trinity.

FAST OF THE EXHALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
This Sunday, September 5, ushers in the Fast leading to the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross (Khachveratz), which is on Sunday, September 12. Because
this is a Great or Tabernacle Feast, it is preceded by a week of abstinence.

BIRTH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
On Wednesday, September 8, the Armenian Church commemorates the birth of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her life is covered sparsely in the New Testament.
It is believed that she was the daughter of Anna and Joachim, a descendant
of David from the tribe of Judah.

LABOR DAY
And, of course, this Monday, September 6 is Labor Day, celebrated nation
wide in the United States and Canada. Labor Day, always the first Monday in
September, was created by the labor movement more than 120 years ago. It is
dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers and their
contributions to the strength, prosperity, and well being of their country.
Through the years it has evolved into the unofficial end of summer marked
with family gatherings, picnics, and a final long weekend before the start
of school and the normal routine of life.

THE REPUBLICANS
Finally, can we leave you this week without saying a word or two about
the Republican Convention in New York City? Today is the final day and the
convention will come to an end tonight when President Bush delivers his
acceptance address.
From our vantage point, commuting from New Jersey to New York, the four
days were quite smooth. In fact, most of the time we kept wondering where
everyone went. The streets and roads were empty. One morning it was almost
comical to see the heavy police presence on the George Washington Bridge
with just a few cars crossing the span.
We at Crossroads are political junkies and we confess that we watched
both conventions, the Democrats in Boston and Republicans in New York City.
Listening to all of the rhetoric (and there is a lot) we were reminded
of a statement made by Adlai Stevenson in Fresno, California, in June of
1956: I am not an old experienced hand at politics. But I am now seasoned
enough to have learned that the hardest thing about any political campaign
is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.
For all you youngsters out there, Adlai Stevenson was the Democratic
candidate for President in 1952 and 1956. His opponents labeled him an
Egghead, as though being intelligent was some sort of disease. His political
speeches were masterpieces in every way, content, thought, and syntax.

P.S. He lost.

Visit our website at

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
August 25, 2004 Wednesday 7:28 AM Eastern Time

Georgian policemen said to commit outrages in South Ossetia

By Sergei Ostanin, Alexander Kharchenko

TSKHINVALI

The command of collective peacekeeping forces has sent to the Joint
Control Commission a letter about “outrages of policemen of Georgia’s
units in the area of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict”

A member of the command’s staff told Itar-Tass on Wednesday that
“Georgian policemen engage in money extortion on the road
Kekhvi-Tskhinvali in residential areas Kurta and Eredvi, unlawfully
detain citizens of Russia, Armenia and other CIS countries travelling
on the territory of South Ossetia and beat taxi drivers”.

Fifteen people have sent complaints to the command of the
peacekeepers.

In particular, Georgian police stopped two residents of Tskhinvali at
the Kekhvi checkpost last night.

Seizing their documents, the policemen demanded 1,000 roubles from
each.

The detained people had no money, and the policemen began to beat
them.

Russian peacekeepers who were staying not far interfered and stopped
the beating.

Associated Press
Aug 20 2004

Two More Americans Fall in Olympic Boxing

GREG BEACHAM

ATHENS, Greece – While Rock Allen chased Boris Georgiev around the
ring in a futile attempt to slow the agile Bulgarian fighter, Allen’s
father shouted from the stands:

“Stop running and box! Stop running and box!”

No chance, Dad. The best amateur boxers know just how to move and
exactly when to pounce – and two Americans who failed to match that
style are out of the Olympics.

Allen was pounded 30-10 in his light welterweight bout and
welterweight Vanes Martirosyan was beaten 20-11 by Cuba’s Lorenzo
Aragon in second-round matches Thursday at Peristeri Olympic Boxing
Hall.

Light heavyweight Andre Ward advanced to the quarterfinals with a
17-9 win over Italy’s Clemente Russo, but he soon will have the same
problems as his teammates. Ward’s next fight is against Russia’s
Evgeny Makarenko, a two-time world champion who battered Cuba’s Yoan
Pablo Hernandez moments before Ward’s fight.

The U.S. sent eight fighters into the second round with six victories
and two byes, but coach Basheer Abdullah knows it will be tough to
improve on the four medals won by American boxers four years ago in
Sydney. Americans once dominated Olympic boxing, but scoring changes
and the lure of professional money have eviscerated the program.

“We have yet to prove as a team that we can compete against the best
in the world,” Abdullah said. “Those bouts that we won, we were
supposed to win those bouts. If we could have won against a Cuban or
a Bulgarian, that would have been a great start to the round for us.”

Lightweight Vicente Escobedo is the only American fighting Friday.
The Woodland, Calif., native is hoping for a victory over
Azerbaijan’s Rovshan Huseynov to move into the quarterfinals – where
he would probably face Cuban powerhouse Mario Kindelan.

In his only fight of the Olympics, Allen fell behind Georgiev early
and never caught up. Not in the ring, where Georgiev practically ran
circles around him, or on the scoreboard.

Allen, a Philadelphia native who will turn pro in a few weeks, knows
all about the problems with amateur boxing for fighters who share his
power-based, stand-and-punch style.

“Olympic-style boxing moves at a much faster pace for those short
four rounds,” Allen said. “In the pros, we’ve got all kinds of time.
The best guys at the Olympics are veteran guys, and this is all they
know. A lot of these guys, you’re going to see in 2008 or 2012. I
have a pro style, and it’s hard for me to adapt.”

Ward, an Oakland, Calif., native, was more successful in a sometimes
plodding victory. After a first-round bye, Ward was eager to get his
first Olympic action – but he knows his bout against Makarenko easily
is the biggest test of his six-year winning streak.

“I saw him walk out. He’s big,” said Ward, a natural middleweight who
bulked up several years ago in an effort to avoid fighting his
cousin. “He’s not the first big guy I’ve fought, though. I’ve been
fighting giants my whole life.”

Martirosyan had an entirely different set of problems against Aragon,
a master of the punching technique that generates the best Olympic
results. Aragon seemed to score points with any sort of punch, while
Martirosyan only scored for his best hits.

Martirosyan, who was born in Armenia, staggered Aragon twice with
quick shots to the head, but the Cuban piled up enough early points
to hang on in a fight much closer than the score.

“He tries to frustrate you with the holding,” Martirosyan said. “He
holds you, pulls you back and makes it look like you’re holding, and
you’re not. It frustrates you. I thought I scored more points, and I
thought I should have won.”

It’s a familiar refrain for fighters facing the Cuban team, which is
given a world of respect by amateur judges. Ditto for the Russians:
Welterweight Oleg Saitov, a two-time gold medalist, beat Egypt’s
Mohamed Hikal 18-17 Thursday night even though Hikal dominated the
first three rounds.