ATHENS, GREECE - Only nine months ago, welterweight (152 lbs/69 kg) Vanes Martirosyan (Glendale, Calif.) could not have dreamed of what he would be doing on Sunday, August 15. After winning four straight qualifying tournaments in the months of February and March, Martirosyan earned a spot on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team and his dream became a reality. The 18-year-old will step into the ring for the first time at the Olympic Games on Sunday to take on Benamar Meskine of Algeria.
He will be the second U.S. boxer to compete, following middleweight Andre Dirrell, who recorded a 25-18 victory over China’s Dabateer Ha on Saturday. Martirosyan will be facing Meskine for the first time on Sunday afternoon, but the young boxer is confident. He will be the only U.S. boxer competing on Sunday and will be followed by lightweight (132 lbs/60 kg) Vicente Escobedo (Woodland, Calif.) and flyweight (112 lbs/51 kg) Ron Siler (Cincinnati, Ohio) on Monday and Tuesday respectively.
Martirosyan should enjoy a large cheering section with several members of family traveling from Glendale to support him as well as one of his coaches Bobby Lee of Reno. Martirosyan was born in Armenia but his family moved to California when he was only four-years-old. He is hoping to use his opportunity to represent the United States in the Olympic Games to thank the nation for welcoming his family.
Although the bout is his first in the Olympic Games, Martirosyan has competed in the Peristeri Boxing Hall before, boxing in the Athens Test Event in May where he won a bronze medal.
Martirosyan will be compete in the sixth bout of the afternoon session, which will begin at 1:30 p.m. His bout is scheduled to begin at approximately 2:45 p.m.
