Unbeaten, hard-hitting, enormously popular USA Olympian Vanes 'The Nightmare' Martirosyan of Glendale, Calif. will box on Top Rank's 'America's Last Line of Defense' PPV featuring World Champion Hasim Rahman vs. #1 mandatory challenger Oleg Maskaev on August 12 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Martirosyan, 9-0 with 6 knockouts in the super welterweight division, will fight on the HBO Pay Per View telecast announced Bob Arum today.

"Vanes is a very exciting young fighter, has terrific skills and we think he's a future world champion," said Arum. 

Martirosyan, 20, signed with Top Rank following the 2004 Olympic Games where he represented the USA team in the 152-pound weight division. Vanes is managed by Shelly Finkel, Nick Khan and Keith Davidson and is trained by Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif.

Martirosyan was born in Abozyan, Armenia.

"I have two brothers and a sister. My father worked at a company and was also in the army. My family moved to Glendale when I was four years ago.

"My Dad was an amateur fighter and I guess he saw something in me too. I started boxing when I was seven and had 130 amateur fights - winning 120 and losing 10. I speak Armenian, English and a little bit of Spanish. I know some words in Russian too," he said.

"I got the name 'Nightmare' during the US Western Trials," said Vanes. "I just started beating all the guys who were ranked. Nobody really knew me and I was winning so they called me 'Nightmare' everytime I stepped into the ring."

In the 2004 Olympics quarter-finals, Vanes - then 18 years old - took on two-time amateur world champion Lorenzo Aragon of Cuba. Aragon, 30 years old at the time, won a wild one by 20-11 and went on to win the silver medal.

Arum said he will soon announce two more PPV bouts for the Rahman vs. Maskaev championship event.  Rahman vs. Maskaev is promoted by Top Rank and Dennis Rappaport Productions in association with Caesars Palace and Wynn Las Vegas.