VANES MARTIROSYAN has found a key ally ahead of his biggest fight yet ? Britain?s WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan. The pair have shared history in that they both appeared at the 2004 Athens Olympics ? Khan winning silver for Great Britain at lightweight, while US welter Martirosyan crashed out to the eventual silver medallist in the second stage ? and are currently training partners at Freddie Roach?s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. Now, as the Armenian-born light-middle, 27-0 (17), touches off his preparations for a clash with fellow unbeaten ?Mean? Joe Greene of New York, on this Saturday?s huge Yankee Stadium bill, he and Wild Card conditioning coach Alex Ariza revealed the closeness of the fighter?s relationship with Khan.
?Alex has me and Amir running in the mornings together ? we do our conditioning stuff together,? Martirosyan, based in Glendale, revealed at the pre-fight press conference. ?We never spar, though he?s a great fighter and a really good friend of mine.
?Amir, from what I hear is the fastest runner but Alex says I?m the only one that can keep up with him. Alex had us running together thinking we?re going to race each other but we kind of started talking to each other and Alex got mad. He said, ?Whoever finishes last has to do another lap?. I don?t remember who that was [laughs].?
Ariza chuckled when recalling how his plan to have Khan inspire Vanes back-fired as the two forged an alliance.
?Vanes came from an old-school type of environment in Texas so there was a lot of the stuff we do he?d never done,? Ariza explains. ?He is very strong and very competitive which is why we put him with Amir straight away. Amir is the same way and they got along well, maybe a little too well at times which wasn?t in my plan, because I want them to push each other, challenge each other.
?Amir was the only one who could run with Manny Pacquiao and I used to keep him with Manny because Amir?s a tremendous athlete and he would push Manny. I expected the same thing that Amir would do for Vanes and he has ? they?re the only three guys that can run with each other now and so it?s worked out pretty well. On the flip-side, they?ve become friends and when they start talking??
The conditioning work the unbeaten ?Nightmare? has done with Ariza is clearly paying dividends, with wins over the likes of former IBF king Kassim Ouma (last time out) and Andrey Tsurkan bolstering Martirosyan?s status. Next up is Greene who is also undefeated ? 22-0 (14) ? and fighting before an estimated 25,000-strong home crowd. But Top Rank contender Vanes does not mind being the ?away? fighter on his own promoter?s show.
?I actually like that, that?s actually how I got the name ?Nightmare? when I was coming up as an amateur because I was fighting guys in their hometown and nobody knew who I was,? he stated. ?I?ve got a good team in Freddie Roach and Alex Ariza in my corner and they teach me those things with the pressure ? what to expect, what not to expect ? so we?re good to go. Having a trainer that knows what?s going to happen and what environment you?re in, it?s a blessing.
?This is a dream come true. Being here? when you?re running and you?ve got the headphones on you dream about this moment and now you?re here.
?Green?s a young fighter, he?s hungry and it?s hard to beat a guy who?s not used to losing. But with all the work I?ve been doing, it?s going to be easy for me.?
Ariza was quick to temper Martirosyan?s enthusiasm with a cautionary note.
?He?s got a really great gameplan, Freddie?s spent more time with him than ever in this camp,? Ariza pointed out. ?But sometimes Vanes fights to the level of his opponents and sometimes the opponent isn?t pushing him and Vanes gets complacent, so it?s really up to him. He can go in there and do whatever he wants.?
That said, local man Greene intends to use his biggest fight to make his own name. Joe is admittedly not much of a talker but the southpaw insists he can rise to the occasion.
?One June 5 my hands will talk for me,? he promised. ?It?s the biggest occasion in my career so far. It?s Yankee Stadium, in my hometown, on a very big card. I?ve worked very hard and I will prove to people that I?m the best guy at 154. I?m feeling very strong.?
