Arsen Goulamirian Explained

Arsen Goulamirian
Birth Date:4 October 1987
Birth Place:Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR
Nationality:French
Nickname:Feroz
Weight:Cruiserweight
Height:6 ft 1 in
Reach:73+1/2 in
Style:Orthodox
Total:28
Wins:27
Ko:19
Losses:1

Arsen Goulamirian (Armenian: Արսեն Գուլամիրյան; born 4 October 1987) is an Armenian-born French professional boxer. He previously held the World Boxing Association (WBA) (Super version) cruiserweight title from 2019 to March 2024. He previously held the WBA (Interim version) cruiserweight title in 2018.

Professional career

Early career

Arsen turned professional in 2011 and won 14 consecutive fights before winning the WBA Continental (Europe) cruiserweight title.[1] He would improve his record to 22–0 before getting a shot at the vacant Regular WBA cruiserweight title against Ryad Merhy.[2] Arsen would end up winning the fight via 11th round stoppage and became the interim WBA cruiserweight champion.[3]

WBA interim cruiserweight champion

Goulamirian vs. Merhy

Goulamirian was scheduled to face the undefeated WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight titlist Ryad Merhy for the vacant WBA interim cruiserweight title. The bout was set as the main event of the 24 March 2018, Canal+ card held at the Palais des Sports in Marseille, France. Goulamirian was at the time the #1 ranked WBA cruiserweight contender, while Merhy was the #2 ranked contender in the WBA rankings.[4] Goulamirian won the fight by a technical knockout, stopping Merhy with a combination of unanswered strikes in the eleventh round, after dominating the fight from the very first round.[5]

The WBA changed Goulamirian's status from Regular to Interim, when former champion Beibut Shumenov came back from his eye injury and recovered the Regular WBA cruiserweight title by defeating Turkish Hizni Altunkaya on 7 July 2018.[6]

Goulamirian vs. Flanagan

After capturing the interim WBA strap, Goulamirian was scheduled to face the one-time WBA cruiserweight super title challenger Mark Flanagan. The bout was once again scheduled as the main event of a Canal+ card, held on 20 October 2018, at the Palais des Sports in Marseille, France.[7] Flanagan was ranked #10 by the WBA at cruiserweight.[8] Goulamirian kept his undefeated record, winning the fight by a ninth-round technical knockout. The two fighters were on even footing for the first three rounds, but Flanagan began to tire from the fourth round onward, with a notable drop in his output. Flanagan was knocked down twice in the ninth round, with his corner deciding to throw in the towel after the second knockdown.[9]

WBA cruiserweight champion

Promotion to Super champion

On 14 February 2019, it was revealed that Goulamirian would challenge the reigning WBA Regular champion Beibut Shumenov. As the two camps were unable to agree on the terms of the bout, Goulamirian's promoter Sébastien Acariès and Shumenov's promoter Don King both submitted bids for the fight. King won after submitting a winning bid of $821 000, for the proposed WBA "Regular" cruiserweight title fight.[10] King tried to put the fight together on three separate dates and locations, on 13 April in Monaco, on 20 April in Kazakhstan and 13 May in New York, but all three attempts fell through. Shumenov later developed respiratory issues, which left him unable to fight for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the WBA stripped Shumenov of his Regular title and promoted Goulamirian in his place.[11]

On 8 June 2019, the WBA called for a 20 June purse bid to grant the promotional rights for a WBA Super title match between the reigning champion Denis Lebedev and regular champion Goulamirian. The minimum bid was $200 000, with a 75% split for Lebedev and 25% for Goulamirian.[12] The purse bid was later suspended as both sides reached an agreement to finalize the fight.[13] On 11 July 2019, Lebedev announced his retirement from the sport.[14] On 20 July 2019, Goulamirian was elevated to the status of WBA Super Cruiserweight champion.[15]

Goulamirian vs. Watts, Bejenaru

Goulamirian was scheduled to make the first defense of his WBA Super title against the reigning WBA Oceania cruiserweight champion Kane Watts. Watts was ranked #11 by the WBA at cruiserweight.[16] The bout was scheduled as the co-main event to the Michel Soro and Cedric Vitu super welterweight clash, held on 15 November 2019, at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. Goulamirian was the overwhelming betting favorite heading into the bout, with Ouest-France describing the fight as "a formality for Goulamirian".[17] Goulamirian made quick work of his overmatched opponent, knocking him out with a left hook to the body at the 1:08 minute mark of the fourth round.[18]

Goulamirian was scheduled to make his second WBA Super title defense against the undefeated Constantin Bejenaru in the main event of a Canal+ card held at the Palais des Sports in Marseille, France, on 28 December 2019.[19] Bejenaru was ranked #8 by the WBA at cruiserweight.[20] Goulamirian won the fight by a tenth-round stoppage. Referee Oliver Brien called in the ringside doctor after the ninth round, due to the amount of damage that Bejenaru suffered up to that point. After consulting with the physician, the referee decided to stop the fight. Goulamirian was leading on all three of the judges scorecards at that point, with scores of 87-83, 87-83, and 86-84.[21]

Goulamirian vs. Egorov

On 12 February 2021, the WBA ordered Goulamirian to make a mandatory title defense against Aleksey Egorov. They were given a 30-day negotiation period, starting with 11 February 2021.[22] As the two camps were unable to come to terms, the WBA ordered a purse bid to be held on 23 August, with a 65% split for Goulamirian as Super Champion, and 35% split for Egorov as holder of the Gold title.[23] World of Boxing won with a $210 000 bid, which was the only one submitted.[24] The fight was eventually scheduled for 10 December 2021, at the RCC Boxing Academy in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Goulamirian was later forced to withdraw from the bout, as he tested positive for COVID-19.[25]

On 19 July 2022, Goulamirian was ordered by the WBA to face the "Regular" cruiserweight champion Ryad Merhy in a title unification bout, which would leave only a single recognized WBA world champion in the division. Both fighters were given 24 hours to advise the WBA if they would be to fight in 30 days. The winner of the fight would furthermore be ordered to make a mandatory defense against Alexey Egorov within 90 days of winning the title, but only if the Russo-Ukrainian War had concluded by then.[26] Merhy delivered his letter of resignation to the WBA on 12 August, in which he stated that he would not be fighting Goulamirian, and was furthermore vacating his Regular cruiserweight title.[27]

On 23 August 2022, the WBA once again ordered Goulamirian to make a mandatory title defense against the former "Gold" champion Aleksey Egorov, and assigned a 15-day negotiation period, before a purse bid would be called.[28] A purse bid was called as they failed to reach an agreement, which was won by Y2 Boxing who bid $364,000.[29] The bout took place at the La Palestre in Le Cannet, France, on 19 November 2022.[30] Goulamirian won the fight by unanimous decision, with two scorecards of 116–112 and one scorecard of 117–111.[31] WBA Regular world champion Ryad Merhy was stripped of his title on 12 August 2022, which left Goulamirian as the sole WBA titleholder at the weight.[32]

Goulamirian vs. Ramirez

Goulamirian was expected to make his fourth WBA Cruiserweight title defense against Tommy McCarthy on 10 September 2023 in Marseille, France. On 22 July, it was revealed that event promoter Sebastien Acaries had sued the French mass media company Groupe Canal+, in order to force them broadcast and finance the championship bout. Acaries and Canal+ signed a contract in 2020, which obliged them to finance and show three title fights during the year, which was later made impossible by Goulamirian's injury and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[33] [34] On 10 October 10 2023, Goulamirian was ordered by the WBA to make a mandatory title defense against Yuniel Dorticos.[35] On 13 January 2024, he was given permission by the WBA to make his next title defense against Gilberto Ramírez, instead of making a mandatory defense against Dorticos.[36] The championship bout took place on March 30, 2024 at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles.[37] Goulamirian lost the fight by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 118–110 in favor of the challenger.[38]

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
28Loss27–1Gilberto RamírezUD1230 Mar 2024
27Win27–0Alexey EgorovUD1219 Nov 2022
26Win26–0Constantin BejenaruRTD10 (12), 28 Dec 2019
25Win25–0Kane WattsKO4 (12), 15 Nov 2019
24Win24–0Mark FlanaganTKO9 (12), 20 Oct 2018
23Win23–0Ryad MerhyTKO11 (12), 24 Mar 2018
22Win22–0Hamilton VenturaKO3 (10), 2 Dec 2017
21Win21–0Mitch WilliamsTKO9 (10), 1 Jul 2017
20Win20–0Alexander KubichUD10 22 Apr 2017
19Win19–0Arturs KulikauskisTKO3 (10)17 Dec 2016
18Win18–0Giulian IlieTKO2 (8)22 Oct 2016
17Win17–0Andrei KniazevUD12 20 May 2016
16Win16–0David RadeffTKO5 (10)16 Apr 2016
15Win15–0Lubos SudaTKO1 (12)5 Mar 2016
14Win14–0Tomislav RudanKO2 (6)29 Jan 2016
13Win13–0Isossa MondoTKO6 (8)17 Dec 2015
12Win12–0Lukasz RusiewiczUD8 17 Oct 2015
11Win11–0Mohamed AzzaouiTKO1 (8)3 Jul 2015
10Win10–0Toni VisicTKO3 (6)31 May 2015
9Win9–0Ismail AbdoulSD8 3 Apr 2015
8Win8–0Arturs KulikauskisPTS6 30 Jan 2015
7Win7–0Martin AvilaKO1 (6), 21 Mar 2014
6Win6–0Mathieu MonnierUD6 19 Sep 2013
5Win5–0David RadeffTKO7 (10)5 Jul 2013
4Win4–0Taylor MabikaUD8 30 Mar 2013
3Win3–0Patryk KowollTKO1 (6)23 Nov 2012
2Win2–0Antoine BoyaPTS6 26 Jan 2012
1Win1–0Adrian BleszynskiTKO1 (4)27 May 2011

See also

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Worldwide boxing results 3 - Page 5 of 19. 2015-07-10. The Ring. 2019-01-11.
  2. Web site: Goulamirian and Merhy will fight for the WBA Cruiserweight title this Saturday. Boxing channel. 2018-03-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20180323120947/http://www.boxingchannel.tv/goulamirian-merhy-wba-cruiserweight/. 23 March 2018. dead.
  3. Web site: Golulamirian stops Merhy for WBA cruiser title. Fightnews. 24 March 2018 . 2018-03-24.
  4. Web site: Loiseau . Hadrien . Boxe : Arsen Goulamirian VS Ryad Merhy . moustique.be . 14 March 2018 . 13 September 2021.
  5. Web site: Boxe: le Belge Ryad Merhy, battu par Arsen Goulamirian, loupe le titre de champion du monde WBA lourds-légers . lesoir.be . 24 March 2018 . 13 September 2021.
  6. Web site: Beibut Shumenov vs. Hizni Altunkaya – Results » Boxing News 24. 2018-07-07. Boxing News 24. en-US. 2019-07-23.
  7. Web site: Kieza . Grantlee . Aussie cruiserweight Mark Flanagan lands world title bout after impressing against Denis Lebedev . couriermail.com.au . 13 September 2021.
  8. Web site: Goulamirian vs Flanagan - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets . 2022-06-15 . Box.Live . en-US.
  9. Web site: Salazar . Francisco . Arsen Goulamirian Breaks Down, Stops Mark Flanagan in Nine . boxingscene.com . 22 October 2018 . 13 September 2021.
  10. Web site: Toro . Carlos . Don King Promotions Wins Purse Bid For Beibut Shumenov vs. Arsen Goulamirian . fightful.com . 13 September 2021.
  11. Web site: Fourny . André-Arnaud . Arsen Goulamirian désigné challenger officiel du super champion WBA Denis Lebedev . lequipe.fr . 13 September 2021.
  12. Web site: Random Hits . Denis Lebedev vs. Arsen Goulamirian - WBA Purse Bid on June 20 . boxingscene.com . 8 June 2019 . 13 September 2021.
  13. Web site: Random Hits . Denis Lebedev, Arsen Goulamirian Reach Deal - Purse Bid is Off . boxingscene.com . 20 June 2019 . 13 September 2021.
  14. Web site: Associated Press . Lebedev, 39, retires after fights fall through . espn.com . 11 July 2019 . 13 September 2021.
  15. Web site: Bland . Garrisson . WBA Still Giving Away Titles: Goulamirian Elevated to Super Champion! . 3kingsboxing.com . 14 November 2019 . 13 September 2021.
  16. Web site: Goulamirian vs Watts - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets . 2022-06-15 . Box.Live . en-US.
  17. Web site: AFP . Boxe. Le Français Arsen Goulamirian va défendre son titre WBA des lourds-légers face à Kane Watts . ouest-france.fr . 13 September 2021.
  18. Web site: Holbrook . Barry . Boxing Results: Arsen Goulamirian destroys Kane Watts . boxingnews24.com . 16 November 2019 . 13 September 2021.
  19. Web site: Nam . Sean . "This is My Dream": Constantin Bejenaru Finally Gets his Shot . hannibalboxing.com . 27 December 2019 . 13 September 2021.
  20. Web site: Goulamirian vs Bejenaru - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets . 2022-06-15 . Box.Live . en-US.
  21. Web site: Salazar . Francisco . Arsen Goulamirian Stops Constantin Bejenaru in Nine . boxingscene.com . 29 December 2019 . 13 September 2021.
  22. Web site: BoxingScene Staff . Goulamirian vs. Egorov Title Fight is Ordered By The WBA . boxingscene.com . 12 February 2021 . 13 September 2021.
  23. Web site: Purse bid for Arsen Goulamirian vs. Aleksei Egorov on August 23rd . boxen247.com . 22 August 2021. 22 August 2022.
  24. Web site: Karlov . Andrew . "World of Boxing" wins promotional bids for Egorov-Goulamirian . ringside24.com . 13 September 2021 . 13 September 2021.
  25. Web site: Stumberg . Patrick L. . Arsen Goulamirian positive for COVID, pulled from Aleksei Egorov title defense . badlefthook.com . 10 December 2021 . 20 December 2021.
  26. Web site: Boxingscene Staff . Santa Cruz Ordered To Face Wood, Goulamirian Must Fight Merhy . boxingscene.com . 20 July 2022 . 19 July 2022.
  27. Web site: Donovan . Jake . Arsen Goulamirian Now Sole WBA Cruiserweight Titlist, Merhy Vacates After Passing On Rematch . boxingscene.com . 15 August 2022 . 14 August 2022.
  28. Web site: Donovan . Jake . Goulamirian vs. Egorov: WBA Reorders Cruiserweight Title Fight . boxingscene.com . 24 August 2022 . 24 August 2022.
  29. Web site: "不活発王者"グラムイリアン 11.19フランスで3年ぶり防衛戦 WBAクルーザー級 . boxingnews.jp . 7 September 2022.
  30. Web site: Fourny . André Arnaud . Championnat WBA : Arsen Goulamirian pour un come-back gagnant . lequipe.fr . 19 November 2022 . 19 November 2022.
  31. Web site: Sukachev . Alexey . Arsen Goulamirian Decisions Alexey Egorov in Tough Fight, Retains WBA Title . boxingscene.com . 20 November 2022 . 19 November 2022.
  32. Web site: Donovan . Jake . Arsen Goulamirian Now Sole WBA Cruiserweight Titlist, Merhy Vacates After Passing On Rematch . boxingscene.com . 15 August 2022 . 14 August 2022.
  33. Web site: Canal+ assigné en justice par Sébastien Acariès . lequipe.fr . 26 July 2023.
  34. Web site: Persson . Per Ake . Euro News: Goulamirian-McCarthy, Mike Perez, Michael Magnesi, More . boxingscene.com . 26 July 2023 . 25 July 2023.
  35. Web site: Stumberg . Patrick L. . WBA orders Arsen Goulamirian to face Yuniel Dorticos . Bad Left Hook . 11 October 2023 . en . 10 October 2023.
  36. Web site: Donovan . Jake . Arsen Goulamirian-Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez WBA Cruiserweight Title Fight Set For March . BoxingScene.com . 2 May 2024 . en-us . 13 January 2024.
  37. News: Donovan . Jake . Arsen Goulamirian-Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez WBA Title Fight Set, March 30 In Greater Los Angeles Area . BoxingScene.com . 14 February 2024 . en-us.
  38. Web site: Fischer . Doug . Gilberto Ramirez outworks, outpoints Arsen Goulamirian, wins WBA cruiserweight title . The Ring . 2 May 2024 . 31 March 2024.