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Junior middleweight Vanes Martirosyan, a 2004 United States Olympian and one of the top prospects in boxing, has been brought along slowly and steadily by Top Rank, which has promoted every one of his bouts since he turned professional in early 2005.
Now, Top Rank, along with manager Shelly Finkel and trainer Freddie Roach, feel that Martirosyan is ready to take the next step, so the Glendale, Calif., fighter will face former titlist Kassim Ouma on Jan. 16 at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas.
The bout will headline the debut card of Top Rank's new series with Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports en Espanol, which is scheduled for 36 shows in 2010.
When former welterweight titlist Joshua Clottey declined to headline the opener of the new series against Michel Rosales, Top Rank elected to bring back Martirosyan (26-0, 17 KOs) quickly after he looked so impressive knocking out Willie Lee in the third round on the undercard of last week's Kelly Pavlik-Miguel Espino-headlined pay-per-view card.
"Vanes is ready for a world title shot," Roach said after the fight. "He's 26-0, done his homework. He is ready for the big fight."
Martirosyan is not getting a title shot yet, but he's getting the biggest fight of his career against Ouma (26-6-1, 16 KOs), one which could lead to a title bout before the end of 2010.
"It's definitely a step up, but Vanes is ready to go to that next level," Top Rank matchmaker Brad "Abdul" Goodman told ESPN.com. "This will be his second southpaw opponent in a row so he can get ready to maybe face a Paul Williams or [titleholder] Sergio Martinez. We're not taking Ouma for granted. He's a capable guy and we're expecting a very solid fight. Vanes knows how important it is. He has to beat an Ouma if he wants to go that next level."
Said Finkel, "I think it's a great opportunity for Vanes. He's in shape, he just fought last week. This will test him to see if he's ready to go for the top 5 guys by the end of 2010. Freddie says these are the type of fighters he has to fight. If he can't beat an Ouma now, he can't beat a top guy in six months."
ESPN.
Now, Top Rank, along with manager Shelly Finkel and trainer Freddie Roach, feel that Martirosyan is ready to take the next step, so the Glendale, Calif., fighter will face former titlist Kassim Ouma on Jan. 16 at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas.
The bout will headline the debut card of Top Rank's new series with Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports en Espanol, which is scheduled for 36 shows in 2010.
When former welterweight titlist Joshua Clottey declined to headline the opener of the new series against Michel Rosales, Top Rank elected to bring back Martirosyan (26-0, 17 KOs) quickly after he looked so impressive knocking out Willie Lee in the third round on the undercard of last week's Kelly Pavlik-Miguel Espino-headlined pay-per-view card.
"Vanes is ready for a world title shot," Roach said after the fight. "He's 26-0, done his homework. He is ready for the big fight."
Martirosyan is not getting a title shot yet, but he's getting the biggest fight of his career against Ouma (26-6-1, 16 KOs), one which could lead to a title bout before the end of 2010.
"It's definitely a step up, but Vanes is ready to go to that next level," Top Rank matchmaker Brad "Abdul" Goodman told ESPN.com. "This will be his second southpaw opponent in a row so he can get ready to maybe face a Paul Williams or [titleholder] Sergio Martinez. We're not taking Ouma for granted. He's a capable guy and we're expecting a very solid fight. Vanes knows how important it is. He has to beat an Ouma if he wants to go that next level."
Said Finkel, "I think it's a great opportunity for Vanes. He's in shape, he just fought last week. This will test him to see if he's ready to go for the top 5 guys by the end of 2010. Freddie says these are the type of fighters he has to fight. If he can't beat an Ouma now, he can't beat a top guy in six months."
ESPN.
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