Martirosyan-Ouma Debuts Televised Boxing Series

Junior middleweight (154 pounds) Vanes Martirosyan, a 23-year-old former U.S. Olympian from Glendale Calif., will fight Ugandan-born, southpaw, former world champion, Kassim Ouma, on Jan. 16 in a 10-round, non-title bout that debuts Top Rank Promotions' 36-show, "Top Rank Live" series with Fox Sports and Fox Sports en Español.

The two-hour broadcast will air at 10 p.m. ET on Fox Sports en Español on Saturdays, three times a month, with at least one monthly show originating directly from Mexico.

"Top Rank is thrilled to bring world-class boxing on a regular basis to cable and satellite TV viewers across the country," said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, in a prepared statement.

"We have found wonderful partners in the Fox Network Family. This new series will not only offer all-action cards, but will allow fans to follow these fighters as they return from victories marching up the ratings toward world title shots," said duBoef. "It's a project Top Rank has been developing for years, and Fox Sports Español is the perfect vehicle."

A 23-year-old, Armenian-born fighter with a record of 26-0, with 17 knockouts, Martirosyan will meet the 31-year-old Ouma (26-6-1, 16 KOs), of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Martirosyan is coming off of last month's third-round knockout of New Orleans' Willie Lee, which earned him the WBO's NABO title.

Under the new partnership, confirmed by Joshua Glassel, director of programming acquisitions for Fox Sports en Español, Top Rank fights will also be distributed on FOX Sports Net (FSN) and its regional sports network affiliates. The bouts will continue to be distributed once a month through 2011.

There will also be other former world champions, world-class contenders, and up-and-coming prospects scheduled to appear in future shows.

On Jan. 30, from Toluca, México, the main event will feature 30-year-old Jorge Arce (52-6-1, 40 KOs) of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, taking on 28-year-old Angky Angkota (23-4, 14 KOs) of Semarang, Indonesia, in a clash for the vacant WBO super flyweight (115 pounds) title.

On Feb. 6, 23-year-old Brandon Rios (23-0-1, 17 KOs) of Oxnard, Calif., will be matched against 24-year-old Jorge Luis Teron (23-1-1, 15 KOs) of The Bronx, N.Y., in a bout from McAllen, Texas, that is for the NABF's lightweight (135) championship.

On Feb. 27, yet another edition kicks off as NABA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Mike Jones (19-0, 16 KOs), of Philadelhia makes his fourth defense against Puerto Rico's Henry Bruseles (28-3-1, 15 KOs) at Bally's in Atlantic City.

The 26-year-old Jones earned his crown with a sixth-round knockout of Juliano Ramos (15-1, 12 KOs) of Brazil. The 28-year-old Bruseles has not lost since January of 2005 -- a span of seven wins with two knockouts -- when he was stopped in the eighth round by Floyd Mayweather.




Tentative first quarter 2010 Schedule:


1. January 16, 2010



2. January 30, 2010



3. February 6, 2010



4. February 20, 2010



5. February 27, 2010



6. March 6, 2010



7. March 20, 2010



8. March 27, 2010