By Steve Kkim
Earlier this year the World Boxing Council mandated a rematch between Vanes Martirosyan and Ishe Smith (who met in September of 2015 with Martirosyan winning a ten-round majority decision) to determine the number two mandatory challenger to Jermell Charlo, who current holds the WBC junior middleweight title.
On Friday afternoon, Martirosyan (36-3-1, 21 KO's) was at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, getting in some sparring.
When asked about the status of that match-up, he told BoxingScene.com - "Just waiting on a date, Don King said he got a venue. He's waiting for a date."
So will this fight take place in the summer months?
"I hope it happens this year," Martirosyan said with a chuckle. "Hopefully it'll happen the next couple of months. I'm sure it will."
Asked what the delay has been, Martirosyan explained - "Just between Mayweather (Promotions) and Don King coming to an agreement while negotiations were going back-and-forth for awhile. They cancelled a couple of purse bids and I don't know what's going on - but it's from the Mayweather side."
As for who might televise this bout - "Don King is talking to Showtime, right now to get the date. So they already got the venue, they're just looking to Showtime to give the date,"said Martirosyan.
Smith has won two fights since the loss to Vanes, with decision wins over Tommy Rainone and Frank Galarza, which took place last September. Vanes was last seen in May of 2016, when he lost a twelve round decision in his rematch with WBA, IBO 154-pound champion Erislandy Lara at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
Frustrated with his inability to get fights and a claimed lack of communication, Vanes then parted ways with adviser Al Haymon and promoter Tom Brown, and signed up with King.
Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com