LARA-MARTIROSYAN TICKETS ON SALE TODAY

Press Release: Vanes Martisosyan will face Erislandy Lara, with a featherweight co-feature of Mikey Garcia against Jonathan Barros. That card takes place on November 10th at Wynn Las Vegas.  Both fights will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark. Martirosyan and Lara will battle in a twelve-round WBC 154-pound elimination bout.  Garcia and Rojas will open the HBO telecast in 10-round featherweight rumble. The undercard will feature undefeated Jessie Magdaleno and Jesse Hart in separate super bantamweight and super middleweight bouts, respectively. Tickets to this all-action event go on sale  Tuesday, October 16 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets can be purchased by calling (702) 770-7118, or logging onto wynnlasvegas.com.    

"This card will be a treat for fight fans who will be able to watch great fight action in the elegant environment of the Wynn Resort,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KOs), a native of Armenia who fights out of Glendale, Calif.,  is one of the super welterweight division’s most promising contenders. A member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, Martirosyan’s amateur resume boasts victories over future world champions Timothy Bradley, Jr., Austin Trout and Andre Berto.  Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, Martirosyan captured his first title in 2009, knocking out Willie Lee.  He successfully defended the title in his next fight, in 2010, a ten-round unanimous decision victory over former IBF junior middleweight champion Kassim Ouma.  He added a ten-round unanimous decision later that same year, at Yankee Stadium, this time over previously undefeated Joe Greene, serving up the Bronx bomber his first loss in 33 professional fights.  Martirosyan also won a seventh-round TKO of Saul Roman. 

Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs), a former international standout and a native of Cuba, is now fighting out of Houston under the tutelage of trainer Ronnie Shields.  A five-year veteran of the powerhouse Cuban national amateur team which included, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Odlanier Solis, Lara was a gold medalist in the 2005 World Championships, the 2006 Central American Games and the 2007 Pan American Games Qualifier. After turning professional in 2008, Lara was fighting in 10-rounders in only his ninth bout.  The only blemish on his professional ledger, a disputed 12-round majority decision loss, in Atlantic City, to former world champion Paul Williams in 2011, was considered so heinous that New Jersey officials suspended all three judges for their scorecards, an unprecedented move.  Since the Williams fight, Lara has scored a first-round knockout of Ronald Hearns and a 10-round unanimous decision over veteran Freddy Hernandez, both this year.            

Garcia (29-0, 25 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., returns to a Las Vegas ring for the first time in four years, having won 13 of his past 14 bouts by knockout. Considered to be one of boxing’s top young prospects, Garcia, 24, had a career-best year in 2011, knocking out previously undefeated contender Matt Remillard in the 10th round in March. He followed that with four-round knockout title defense victories of Rafael Guzman and Juan Carlos Martinez in June and October, respectively. Guzman and Martinez had a combined record of 47-14-1 when they fought Garcia. This year he continued his winning ways, knocking out one-time world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion and former world champion Mauricio Pastrana, in the seventh and second rounds, respectively. He is trained by his father Eduardo Garcia and co-managed by his brother Robert Garcia, the former IBF junior lightweight champion.

Barros (34-3-1, 17 KOs), Mendoza, Argentina, brings his own brand of excitement into the ring.  He captured the vacant WBA regular featherweight title in 2010, knocking out Irving Berry in the seventh round.  Barros successfully defended the title two times, via 12-round decisions over Miguel Roman and Celestino Caballero, before losing the title in a rematch to Caballero the following year.  Barros returns to the ring after unsuccessfully challenging Juan Salgado for the IBF junior lightweight title in August.

Magdaleno (11-0, 8 KOs), of Las Vegas, NV., was an accomplished amateur fighter, having won gold medals at the 2009 U.S. National Championships and the 2009 National Golden Gloves Championships en route to a 120-16 record.  He enters this fight having won his last three fights by knockout.  

Hart (3-0, 3 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA, is the son of Eugene “Cyclone” Hart, a highly-rated middleweight contender in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s who in 2003 was named to the The Ring’s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.  Hart, 22, compiled an amateur record of 85-11, highlighted by a 2011 which included winning the National Golden Gloves at 165 lbs., the USA National Tournament at 178 lbs and going undefeated at the double elimination USA Olympic Trials box-offs.