Author: Jidarian Alex

Ringsidereport.com, VA
April 8 2006

Boxing: Super Welterweight Prospect Vanes `The Nightmare’ Martirosyan
stops by RSR

By Geno McGahee – April 7, 2006

With many superstars reaching the end of their career road, such as
Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, and Fernando Vargas, a new boxer on
the scene hopes to fill the gap. Vanes `The Nightmare’ Martirosyan
was born in Abovyan, Armenia, but now resides in Glendale, California
and sports a record of, 7-0, 4 KO’s. As an amateur, he compiled a
record of, 120 wins, 10 losses, and went on to represent the United
States in the 2004 Olympics. He made it all the way to the
quarterfinals, before losing to Cuba’s Lorenzo Aragon, who would go
on to capture the Silver Medal. Martirosyan is managed by Shelly
Finkel, and is promoted by Top Rank. His trainer is the legendary
Freddie Roach, who was honored by the Boxing Writer’s Association of
America as the `2003 Trainer of the Year.’ He has worked with James
Toney, Mike Tyson, and Manny Pacquiao. He has a proven track record
of working with championship level boxers and will certainly be an
asset to the camp of this young fighter. At this point in his career,
`The Nightmare’ has a lot going for him and he has a very powerful
team to increase his chances of success.

On April 8th, on the under card of `Sworn Enemies’ Judah Vs.
Mayweather, JR., Martirosyan continues his quest for a championship
as he faces the undefeated: Teefo Seetso. It’s a testament to the
confidence that the team has in their fighter as they consistently
match him with boxers that have winning records. I have seen many
other prospects put in constantly with boxers that either have losing
records or are making their professional debut and have never put on
a pair of gloves before. RSR was able to catch up with `The
Nightmare’ as he goes into his upcoming bout with Teefo Seetso and
talked about his aspirations and his career as a boxer.

GM: You have a very interesting nickname. Where did the `Nightmare’
nickname come from?

During my Olympic Trials in 2004 and the U.S. Championships, I was
just coming out of nowhere and beating highly ranked opponents like
Timothy Bradley and Rondel Mason. Opposing teams eventually started
saying I was something out of a bad dream, hence the name
`Nightmare.’ My fellow Armenian fans picked up on this fast and would
always scream out-loud: `Armenian Nightmare’ when I would enter the
ring.

GM: You are currently being trained by Freddie Roach. How is your
relationship working out and how has he improved your game?

I feel very blessed to have Freddie Roach in my corner. Freddie, to
me, is now more than just a trainer. He is a great friend and mentor
that is showing me the right path to success and possible world
championships. It gives me strength knowing I have one of the best
trainers in the world on my back. He always points out where I need
improvement after each fight and makes sure that we work in that
area.

GM: On April 8th, you are fighting on the under card of
Judah-Mayweather, JR. What can you tell us about your opponent, Tefo
Seetso, and how does it feel to box on the under card of a card that
features so many important bouts?

It is quite an honor for me to be on such a terrific card at my young
age of 19. I, myself, was a 2004 U.S. Olympian, and its nice to be on
the under card of a fellow former U.S. Olympian, the Bronze
Medallist, Floyd Mayweather, JR. As for my opponent, I have watched a
video of one of Tefo Seetso’s fights and must say he is an aggressive
boxer. It will definitely be an exciting fight. I have put countless
hours at the gym with Freddie and Justin Fortune, my physical
trainer. I am in great shape and ready for my April 8 bout.

GM: What got you into the sport of boxing?

My father, Norik Martirosyan got me into boxing at the young age of
seven. My elder and younger brother also got me into boxing, but I
guess they weren’t as passionate toward it as I turned out to be. My
father saw it in me the most and never let me quit. He has always
pushed me hard to get the best out of me and still does. I owe
everything to him for his encouragement and support.

GM: You had an outstanding amateur career. Can you tell us about
your time as an amateur and your memorable experiences?

The highlight of my amateur career was, of course, the 2004 Olympics
in Athens, Greece. It was an amazing feeling to represent the United
States of America and quite a confidence builder. Our U.S. Olympic
boxing team fought the best in the world and never shied down. After
winning my first round against the Algerian, Benamar Meskine, I was a
local hero in my hometown of Glendale, CA. Altogether, it was an
incredible experience and I will never forget it for the rest of my
life. Aside from the Athens Olympics, I also have extensive amateur
boxing experience here in the U.S. My record was something like
120-10, with more than 80 of my wins by stoppage. All this experience
definitely helped jumpstart a professional career that is looking
real good for me so far at, 7-0, 4 KO’s.

GM: Who are your boxing idols and why?

One of my boxing idols has to be Oscar De La Hoya. I am in the same
super welterweight division as him and have always enjoyed his boxing
style. Oscar, to me, is the ideal image of a boxer because he is a
great fighter in the ring, a real gentleman outside of it, and on top
of all that, he is quite a businessman, which is important in the
boxing industry.

GM: What is your opinion of the Super Welterweight division and what
boxers are your gearing toward as future opponents?

I think that the super welterweight division is one of the most
exciting divisions right now in boxing. I am very lucky to be coming
up at such a great time for my division with the likes of Mosley,
Vargas, De La Hoya, Trinidad, and Mayorga, to name a few. As far as
my future opponents are concerned, it all really depends on my
management team, headed by Shelly Finkel, along with my promoters:
Top Rank and Bob Arum. Once they give me the go on an opponent, and
my father and uncle Serge approve, it’s on! I trust my team very
much, and who ever they want me to fight, Freddie and Justin will
make sure I’m well prepared.

GM: Why are you a future World Champion?

I simply believe in my abilities and strengths as a professional
boxer. I possess the qualities of a champion because I work very hard
and my determination is there. Everyone at the WildCard Gym reminds
me everyday that I have what it takes to be a world champion. It is
up to me to prove them right and I won’t stop until I do so.

GM: Should we expect to see you on national television anytime in the
near future?

It is expected that sometime by the end of this year, I will have a
fight that will be televised nationwide. I’m not sure when and where,
but I guarantee an exciting fight when my T.V. debut arrives.

GM: What do you want the boxing world to know about yourself and do
you have any message for the fans?

I want them to know that the Armenian-American, Vanes Martirosyan is
here to stay and that I am on a mission to be a world champion in my
division one day. As for my fans, I hear every encouraging remark
shouted during my fights when I am in the ring. So thank you for
believing in me and having my back. My Armenian fans from Glendale
have been amazing and have traveled everywhere with me to watch my
fights. Thank you and God bless you. When I bring home the
championship belt, it will be for you.

Writers Note:

I encourage everyone to check out his website: ,
for all the information on this prospect and his upcoming bouts.

Vanes Martirosyan
(Junior Middleweight)
Professional record l: 7 fights; 7+ (4 KO’s)
– 2005 –
+ (Apr-8-2005, Fountain Hills) Jesse ORTA 4
+ (May-28-2005, Los Angeles) Giovanni RUBIO kot 1
+ (Aug-26-2005, Houston) Fernando VELA 4
+ (Sep-10-2005, Los Angeles) Gerardo Cesar PRIETO 6
+ (Oct-8-2005, Las Vegas) Antonio Tony MORALES kot 1
+ (Nov-12-2005, Las Vegas) Abdias CASTILLO kot 5
+ (Feb-18-2006, Las Vegas) Juan Pablo Montes de Oca kot3
Bottom of Form

ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH CELEBRATES ANNUNCIATION DAY ON APRIL 7

Yerevan, April 7. ArmInfo. The Armenian Apostolic Church is
celebrating today one of the most significant holidays in the church
calendar – Annunciation Day.

The press-service of Mother See of Etchmiadzin told ArmInfo that
Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II declared Annunciation Day a Day
of Maternity and Beauty in Armenia. The Annunciation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary is the best example of maternity and the role of women in
society. This day, the Armenian Apostolic Church is christening
mothers at all the Armenian churches.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN STORM CONGRESS
Story by: Matt Pullman

CMJ.com
ay_article.php?id=11047242
April 6 2006

System Of A Down members Serj Tankian and John Dolmayan will travel
to DC for a three-day campaign for the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. The members, whose families have been personally affected
by the genocide, will urge Speaker Of The House Dennis Hastert and
other members of Congress to pass a vote on the legislation needed
for recognition. The campaign begins on the evening of April 24,
where the band will lead a demonstration outside the Turkish Embassy.

The following day the band members will be conducting interviews and
will host a Congressional screening of Screamers, a documentary about
the band’s worldwide campaign. On their final day in DC, Tankian and
Dolmayan will meet with members of Congress directly, and then will
participate in the annual Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide commemoration
event, now in its 11th year. The event brings together diplomats,
community leaders, human rights activists, Armenian Americans and 30
members of Congress.

“It’s important for people to be aware of the Armenian Genocide,”
Tankian states in a press release. “Those actions continue to
be covered up by the Turkish government, the US State Department,
Turkey’s allies in the defense and oil industries, and by our present
US Administration. Had the Armenian Genocide been acknowledged as
a Crime Against Humanity as it was, Hitler might not have thought
he could get away with the Jewish Holocaust. History does and will
repeat itself, unless we stop that cycle.”

Both Tankian and Dolmayan campaigned in Hastert’s hometown of Batavia,
Illinois last year to allow the vote on the legislation.

Hassert has the power to allow the recognition of the 1.5 million
Armenians murdered by Turkey between 1915 and 1923. The campaign has
seen its fair share of controversy over the years, with Hassert taking
the bill off the floor minutes before a vote in 2000, rejecting it
again in 2004 and also denying accusations of accepting bribes from
the Turkish government in 2005.

THE CHIEF COACH WAS DISMISSED

A1+
[03:57 pm] 06 April, 2006

The chief coach of the Armenian football team and “Pjunik” club Henk
Visman was dismissed. He came to Armenia in 2005 and he will leave for
his homeland Holland one of these days. His functions in “Fjunik” are
now being implemented by the chief coach of the Armenian Youth team
Samvel Petrosyan. The position of the chief coach of the national
team is vacant at present. The Football Federation will soon start
negotiations with the new coaches; “Euro – 2008” selecting stage will
start in 5 months.

The deadline of the contract between Visman and the Federation will
expire in June of 2006, but Visman assured that he was going to extend
the term for 2 years. But as it turned out it was only his intention.

In the years when Visman was the coach of the team it held 8
meetings 6 of which it lost, one ended in a draw and won only the
semi-professional team of Andora.

The Armenian team held the worst meetings at the head of the Dutch
expert and had no achievement. The same can be said about “Fjunik”
which at the head of Visman remained outside the first stage of
Champion League meetings and didn’t play properly in Armenian
Championship.

Visman was the 4th foreign coach of the Armenian team and likewise
the previous coaches he leaves Armenia before the expiration of
the deadline.

ARMENIAN CLERGYMEN NEEDED IN JAVAKHK

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 05 2006

AKHALKALAK, APRIL 5, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Bishop Vazgen
Mirzakhanian, the primate of the Virahayots Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, considers lack of clergymen to be the greatest
problem of the spiritual life of Javakhk. According to the “A-Info”
agency, His Holiness presented the necessity of appoiting new clergymen
in Javakhk to the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Mother See of
Holy Etchmiadzin. His Holiness Vazgen also informed the SSC, that the
diocese has finally got a possibility to restore the Surb Gevorg and
Surb Etchmiadzin two Armenian churches functioning in Tbilisi which
are in unsafe state. The restoration works will be finished this year.

AZERI LEADER, RED CROSS COMMITTEE HEAD FOCUS ON PLIGHT OF REFUGEES

Azartac news agency, Baku
3 Apr 06

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the visiting president of
the International Committee of the Red Cross, Jacob Kellenberger,
have focused on the plight of Azerbaijani refugees and internally
displaced persons who were uprooted following the conflict with
Armenia, state news agency Azartac reported on 3 April.

The Azerbaijani president said that the government was doing its best
to resolve the problems of the displaced, while Kellenberger stressed
the importance of the measures of the Azerbaijani government to move
internally displaced persons to new settlements, Azartac said.

MONUMENT TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS INAUGURATED IN FRENCH TOWN OF GAP

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.04.2006 02:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 2 Armenian Ambassador to France Edward
Nalbandian in Gap took part in the opening ceremony of a khachkar
erected in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide victims. In
Nalbandian’s words, it’s essential to remember and condemn this crime
against humanity. “A human being has no future, people have no history
and the humanity will lose face without memory,” he said. During the
unveiling ceremony Edward Nalbandian was decorated with the order of
Gap’s Honorary Citizen.

Parliamentarians, representatives of the Armenian Diaspora also
attended the event, reported the RA MFA press office.

BOLSHEVIKS SACRIFICED PART OF ARMENIA FOR BAKU SAKE IN 1921

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.04.2006 22:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The initial draft of Moscow Treaty provided for far
less concessions to Turkey in the segment of Armenia, specialist on
Turkic peoples, Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies,
Moscow State University Professor Mikhail Mayer stated in an interview
with a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words, People’s Commissar on
Foreign Affairs of Soviet Russia Georgi Chicherin proposed to leave
the territory of Western Armenia, including Mush and Kars, to Armenia.

“However, the oil factor interfered with the matter.

Bolsheviks resorted to everything to keep the Baku-Astrakhan
crossing. The union with Kemalist Turkey against Western-leaning
Armenia was favorable both to Bolsheviks and Turks, who got huge
arms and gold. Unfortunately, Armenia became a change card in a big
oil game. Bolsheviks were guided by the principle: anything can be
sacrificed for Baku’s sake,” Mayer underscored.

The Russian specialist on Turkic peoples remarked that the genuine
date of singing the Moscow Treaty is not 16, but 18 March. “Just on
March 18 the parties arrived at a final wording of the Treaty items,
according to which most of Armenia was cut off,” he said.

AZG Armenian Daily #059, 01/04/2006

Home

ARMENIAN CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTION IS QUITE COMPETITIVE IN MARKET

One needs to produce high quality raw materials and goods, to establish
long-term business relations to contribute to the development of
construction sphere.

Gagik Galstian, head of RA Builders’ Union, stated this
during “Construction and Renovation Expo 2006” exhibition. The
production of the Armenian construction materials include stone
and concrete proceeding mainly, while the rest of the materials
are imported. According to Galstian the local production is quite
competitive in the market. He advices the local companies to purchase
high quality equipment to secure production of high quality goods.

The exhibition will last till April 1. Over 60 local and foreign
companies participate in the exhibition.

Their representatives stated that the exhibition helps get familiarized
with the new achievements in the construction industry and to establish
business relations.

Arsen Ghazarian, chairman of Producers Union, stated that the growing
volume of construction in Armenia during the recent few years
contributed to the development of construction technologies. He
said that over 10 companies producing construction materials were
established during the last few years.

Though the participants of the exhibition were satisfied with the
initiative, they expressed discontent with the marketing level in
the sphere.

Particularly, Yuri Sahakian, head of “Poly Serve” company, stated
that the number of the local construction related companies is small
and this factor hinders cooperation. He said that unfortunately,
his company has to import raw materials from abroad, and as a result,
instead of developing the local construction market, they contribute
to the development of the relevant markets in Turkey and the Arabian
Emirates.

By Gohar Gevorgian

SERGE SARGSIAN: RUSSIAN GAS TARIFF WILL NOT MAKE 110 DOLARS STARTING
APRIL 1

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. Starting April 1, the tariff of
the gas supplied by Russia to Armenia will not make 110 USD. RA
Minister of Defence, Armenian Co-Chairman of the Armenian-Russian
Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation Serge Sargsian
stated this in response to a question of NT correspondent.