Wednesday, April 28th 2010
Undefeated Contenders Martirosyan and Greene to Take Their Swings at Yankee Stadium
BRONX, NY (April 28, 2010) – Undefeated Top-10 contenders VANES “The Nightmare” MARTIROSYAN and “Mean” JOE GREENE will duke it out for Martirosyan’s NABF and NABO 154-pound titles in the co-main event of “Stadium Slugfest,” the inaugural brawl at Yankee Stadium. “Stadium Slugfest” will feature three-time world champion and the pride of Puerto Rico MIGUEL COTTO challenging undefeated WBA super welterweight champion and future rabbi YURI FOREMAN of Brooklyn in the main event, Saturday June 5. HBO World Championship Boxing will televise both fights live, beginning at10:15 p.m. ET / 7:15 p.m. PT.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MIGUEL COTTO Promotions and Yankee Stadium, remaining tickets to Cotto vs. Foreman are priced at $400, $300, $200, $100, $75 and $50, and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge by phone, 877-469-9849 or Tickemaster TTY 800-943-4327.
“I am thrilled, really honored to be one of the first fighters to go onto the field and fight at Yankee Stadium, said Martirosyan. “This will be an historic, exciting night.”
“Ever since I was a little kid I dreamed about fighting on HBO,” said Greene. “For me to be fighting on HBO in New York, man, it doesn’t get any better than this! I’m grateful for the opportunity and I will not disappoint my team or my fans. On June 5th, you will see Joe Greene at his best.”
“We are very proud of Vanes. He is a former U.S.A. Olympian and we have promoted all of his professional bouts,” said Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank, Martirosyan’s promoter. “Vanes is undefeated, a terrific fighter, and we are hoping he will soon become a world champion.”
“Being Bronx born, bred and based, I can’t wait to watch Mean Joe Greene at Yankee Stadium, ” said Joe DeGuardia, President and CEO of Star Boxing, Greene’s promoter. “It will be a fantastic night for Joe, boxing and the Bronx.”
Joe has worked very hard to get this opportunity. To fight at Yankee Stadium on HBO is every New York fighter’s dream,” said Greg Cohen, CEO of The Empire Sports & Entertainment, Greene’s co-promoter. “This will be his coming out party and the rest of the world will soon know what his team already does, that Mean Joe Greene is the best junior middleweight in the world.”
Martirosyan (27-0, 17 KOs), from Glendale, Calif., was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team. Trained by four-time BWAA Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, four of Martirosyan’s last six victories have been by knockout, including a third-round stoppage of NABF super welterweight champion Willie Lee in December, which also earned him the vacant NABO title. He returns to the ring off his best victory to date, a unanimous decision victory over former world junior middleweight champion Kassim Ouma in January. As his victory total has climbed so have his world rankings. Martirosyan, 23, is world-rated No. 3 by the WBO, No. 6 by the WBC and IBF and No. 8 by the WBA.
Greene (22-0, 14 KOs), a converted southpaw from Jamaica, Queens, NY, is a former amateur standout having won the gold medal at the 2004 National Golden Gloves and the New York Golden Gloves at 165 pounds and the silver medal at the World Under 19 Championships the same year, also at 165 pounds. After turning pro in 2005, Greene captured the NABA middleweight title in his 16th bout, knocking out Daryl Salmon in the first round of their July 2007 bout. After one successful title defense, knocking out Francisco Mora in the 10th round of their February 2008 battle, Greene vacated that title and moved down to 154 pounds where he captured the vacant NABA super welterweight title via a 12-round unanimous decision over Jose Torres in August of 2008. Greene, 24, returns to the ring fresh from an April 2 unanimous decision victory over Christopher Gray. Greene is currently world-rated No. 9 by the WBA and No. 13 by the WBC.
