Vanes "The Nightmare" Martirosyan: From Wrestling in Maple Park to Undefeated Olympian

By: Lara Kuyumjian
Lara88.Bruin@ucla.edu

Think back to when you were 16 years old… What was your biggest accomplishment that year? Most of you might answer something along the lines of passing Pre-Calculus with an A, or getting a score of about 1900 on the SATs.

Vanes Martirosyan’s response? “Being the first Armenian ever to represent the United States in the Olympics in any given sport.”

I met Vanes Martirosyan on a cool Spring day in Sidewalk Café on glorious Glenoaks Boulevard. I had continuously heard about this Glendale boxing Olympian and how amazing he is in a ring from countless of my Armenian peers who are only too proud of his accomplishments. So, when I met him, I had to ask if there was ever a time when he was nervous about a match while entering the ring. To my surprise he went on to explain that feeling nervous is something foreign to him because he believes that “the fight is already won and lost; you just step into the ring and see the results.”

Sixteen year old Vanes Norik Martirosyan, or as his opponents call him “The Nightmare,” defeated nationally ranked athletes and eventually made it to the 2004 U.S. Olympic boxing team. “Nobody knew who I was when I came to the Olympics at such a young age. I beat men who were in their 30s. I was the underdog.”

I call it sheer talent; Martirosyan calls it destiny. He recalls a dream he had before making it to the U.S. Olympic boxing team. In this dream, he was at the Olympics, training while listening to the vibrant Greek music of Antique. Months later, he was in Athens, Greece for the 2004 Olympics. Coincidently, the opening ceremony that year was highlighted by none other than Antique herself. “It was such a surreal moment. I mean, I thought I was having the same dream all over again, except this time, I was awake,” Martirosyan remembers.

The Young Years
While he was born in Abovyan, Armenia, “The Nightmare” grew up in Glendale after his family immigrated to the States. As a kid, Martirosyan remembers himself as overly energetic, always running around in the house, and wrestling with older kids at the Maple Park in Glendale. It wasn’t long before his father, who used to be a boxer as well, took him to the boxing gym in Glendale, where he thought would be the perfect place for his son to use up all that energy.

Luck was with Vanes, at such a tender age, he was trained by David Torosyan, an Armenian Bronze medalist in the 1976 Olympics. “He had told my dad that he sees something in me that he’s never seen before in anyone he has trained” Martirosyan stated. “And that’s basically how it all started. They saw something in me and never let me quit.”

And now, sixteen years later, he is ranked #11 in the world by the International Boxing Federation and #19 by the World Boxing Council. He’s had 23 wins, 0 losses, and 14 wins by Knock-Out. He’s even had lunch at the White House with President Bush and the first lady alongside his 2004 U.S. Olympic Team.

The Roots
Martirosyan holds Armenian values such as getting married and forming a family very dear to his heart; this comes straight from his upbringing. The family-oriented “The Nightmare” told me that he owes it all to his family, whom he regards as his sole inspiration and motivation. “My dad has attended every fight. He’s my good luck charm,” he said. His mother, on the other hand, has decided not to attend any of her son’s matches. “She came this one time and almost fainted when I dropped my opponent in the first round…”

It’s not only his family that supports him at his matches, but also the Armenian community. They are in the audience at each and every single match, cheering Vanes Martirosyan on from within the arena, always hoisting the Armenian flag.

“The Armenian community shows me a lot of love and respect. They’re always yelling things in Armenian like ‘Vanes khpi’! The Armenian community is very important and plays a big role in my boxing career because at the end of the day, you are fighting for your people,” Martirosyan gladly stated. Vanes also plans to attend many events this April to protest for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. This has always been a cause most dear to his heart and he hopes to bring more light and awareness to the Genocide through his own craft of boxing.

Although representing the United States in the global arena, Martirosyan’s roots run very deep. The 22-year-old has big goals to achieve. He aspires to stay undefeated on his quest to becoming world champion in the near future. His aspirations are even further motivated by Armenia. He proclaims that he wants to make his beloved motherland proud. And above all, he wants his fellow Armenians to cheer him on to victory. Being Armenian from Glendale seems very important to the young boxer.

In fact, he noted, “One of my main plans after retiring is to open a good community center here in Glendale. You know, help take kids off the street and become a better person in the process.”

What’s Next?
Vanes had a very simple answer.

“I believe that life is just like a movie – it has a beginning, middle, and an end. The script is already written, and I’m just learning things as life goes on.”

“The Nightmare” Facts
Manager: Shelly Finkel – also manages Mike Tyson and the Klitschko brothers

Trainer: Freddie Roach – also trains recently retired Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquaio

Upcoming Fights: May 16 in Las Vegas
June 27 in Atlantic City, NJ against Andrey Tsurkan (the match will be aired on HBO as part of the Kelly Pavlik vs. Sergio Mora undercard)