By Jake Donovan
Slowly but surely, the presence of the Class of 2004 is being felt in the boxing world. A pair of Andres – Berto and Ward – both enjoyed dominant performances last weekend on HBO and Showtime, respectively.
On a smaller stage, 2004 US Olympian Vanes Martirosyan and former amateur standout Anthony Peterson look to take the biggest step of their respective careers, serving on both ends of a Versus doubleheader live from Las Vegas (Thursday, 8PM ET/PT).
Everything about tonight's fight is a debut for Anthony Peterson (26-0, 19KO). It's the first time as a pro he appears on VERSUS and in Las Vegas, while also fighting for the first time since he and brother Lamont (who fights next weekend on Showtime) signed with Top Rank.
His first opponent under the Top Rank banner is somewhat of step up in competition, depending on which version of Fernando Trejo shows up tonight. The Mexican trial horse splits his time between 130 and 135, more often than not coming up short when matched against notable opposition, but almost always proving to be a tough out on most nights.
Tonight, Trejo basically serves as a measuring stick for the direction in which Top Rank guide the younger Peterson's career. To date, there's been very little point of reference, with the talented boxer-puncher largely untested in the ring, therefore making his intangibles something of a question mark.
As amateurs, Anthony and Lamont were seen as can't miss prospects, both heavily favored to find a spot on the 2004 US Olympic roster. Both saw their dreams dashed at the Olympic Trials, losing against eventual Olympians, with Anthony's road to Athens hitting a dead end after falling short against Vicente Escobedo.
Considering his childhood, that he even made it that far in life, not just boxing, is a victory in and of itself. At times homeless and parent-less, Anthony and Lamont were often left to fend for themselves as kids. That changed when they met boxing trainer Barry Hunter, who would serve as a mentor in the ring and father figure outside of it.
Hunter has been with both Peterson brothers throughout their entire careers, and the strong bond in their relationship was proven earlier this year.
Also co-managed by Shelly Finkel, the Peterson's had their choice of big time promoters to sign with after having previously spent much of their pro careers fighting on cards promoted by Prize Fight Boxing, based just outside of Memphis. Finkel was angling to work out a deal with Golden Boy, while also fielding an offer from Top Rank. Hunter took the initiative to sign with Top Rank, much to Finkel's chagrin, as he planned for Anthony to fight in the co-feature slot for Oscar de la Hoya's homecoming last month.
Hunter won that battle.
Peterson has won all of his battles in the ring thus far since turning pro in Memphis in 2004, underneath Glen Johnson's shocking knockout of Roy Jones Jr. To date, none of Anthony's opponents were given even a remote chance of winning, even with several of his fights appearing on ESPN2 and ShoBox.
That most likely won't change tonight, though Trejo should at least make his presence felt, which is a step up from what Peterson's grown accustomed through four years as a pro.
If you've watched Telefutura's Solo Boxeo Tecate series at any point since its inception, chances are you've seen Fernando Trejo (30-13-4, 18KO) on the B-side of a junior lightweight fight, with an even greater chance that it came in a losing effort. It happened last November, when Trejo was getting the better of Bobby Pacquiao in their televised co-feature before being forced to concede in the fourth round after suffering a freak injury.
An equally heartbreaking loss came three years ago, when he fell just short against undefeated junior lightweight prospect Urbano Antillon. That loss came four months after the biggest win of Trejo's career, a come-from-behind 10th round stoppage of then-unbeaten Jose Armando Santa Cruz.
Despite the less-than-stellar record, Trejo has been matched tough throughout his entire career, to where it can be argued that he boasts a better resume than Peterson.
The theme of 2008 so far has been experienced journeyman exposing undefeated but overprotected fighters. Peterson is a bit more of a proven commodity than most that've fallen short in recent months, but at the very least will know he's been in a fight – always an important step as you begin to transition from prospect to contender, at which point Peterson presently stands in his career.
The aforementioned formula is perhaps more befitting of the co-feature slot, where the undefeated, hard-hitting Armenian transplant Vanes "Nightmare" Martirosyan steps up against resurgent junior middleweight Angel "Toro" Hernandez.
A 2004 Olympian, Martirosyan (19-0, 13KO) takes a significant step up in competition in a career that's been lights out to date, though against limited opposition. A regular on the Versus series, Martirosyan's last bout was also in the co-feature capacity, starching Michi Munoz in three rounds that far and away overshadowed the 10 rounds of stink that came in the evening's main event between Kendall Holt and Ben Tackie.
Not that Munoz was any great shakes going in, but he represented one of the better names to grace Vanes' resume since turning pro in 2005, a few months after the 2004 Summer Olympics. Tonight, he could find himself in a dogfight for the first time in his young career.
Previously unbeaten middleweight Louis Turner found out the hard way just how much Angel Hernandez (28-6, 16KO) has left in the tank. Hernandez delivered one of the better performances in his career last October, taking Turner into deep waters before drowning the untested prospect in their eight-round war on the non-televised portion of Juan Diaz' stoppage of Julio Diaz in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
The win put the old pro's career in a new light, after having previously been best known for the fights he lost – a split decision to Kassim Ouma and a failed title bid against Winky Wright in a bout that was much closer than the Vegas scorecards suggested.
For this fight, Hernandez returns to the junior middleweight division, after showing up out of his element – though still winning – at 161 lb. for the Turner fight. Hernandez is generally fleshy, but far more effective when closer to the junior middleweight limit (he officially weighed in at 155 for tonight's fight, Martirosyan a pound lighter).
If Martirosyan has shown any flaws through three years as a pro, it's that his defense isn't exactly stellar. Of course, in order to exploit it, you have to wade through a hell of a lot of incoming, as Vanes already boasts one of the best jabs in the division, if not all of boxing, and earns the "Nightmare" nickname on the strength of a right hand that has closed many a show.
It would be quite a statement for Martirosyan to score a knockout tonight; Hernandez boasts a granite chin, and has only been stopped once in his career, eight years ago against another former Olympian, Rhoshii Wells. But then, making statements is what tonight's telecast is supposed to be all about, with judgment day now upon a pair of potential thoroughbreds in Vanes Martirosyan and Anthony Peterson.
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com