Boxing has a rich history with the Armenian people, which comes as no surprise since Armenia is one of the oldest remaining civilizations, being found on the Map of Babylon, the oldest map unearthed by archaeologists. From King Varazdat having won during the ancient Olympic Games, to the recent domination by Vic Darchinyan and Arthur Abraham, Armenians take pride in their ability to lace up the gloves and jump into the ring.

Actively, there isn’t quite an Armenian boxer that is as dominant as those two were, however, the talent and power still exists out there. Here’s some of the best fighters that have Armenian lineage, and not to be an all inclusive list.

David Lemiux: 43 (36) – 4 (2)
The Canadian born fighter, Lemiux is the most decorated, active Armenian boxer out there at the moment and is coming off a beautiful second round TKO victory over David Zegarra just a few weeks ago. Having lost only four times, two of those coming to Gennady Golovkin and Bille Joe Saunders respectively, Lemiux isn’t someone to take lightly. He has lived up to his nickname of “The Demolisher” with his KO record. Here’s a four-year old video of some of his best knock-outs, up to that point.

David Avanasyan: 27 (15) – 3 (1) – 1
Coming off a clinical TKO victory over Josh Kelly to retail the EBU Welter title, Avanasyan and Kelly might be headed for a rematch, as Kelly was impacted by an accidental headbutt, which led to a cut and the ultimate decision from Kelly’s corner to throw in the towel. Ava, as he is known, is currently the 9th ranked Welterweight by BoxRec and is sure to want another opportunity at a World Title, having lost to Lamont Peterson by Unanimous Decision back in February of 2017. At the age of 32, Ava needs to get back in the ring sooner rather than later if he wishes to climb the charts.

Artem Dalakian (20) 14 – 0
Raised in Ukraine, Dalakian currently holds the WBA Flyweight title, while being ranked the 6th best Flyweight by BoxRec, though, he hasn’t had a fight since February 8th of 2020, where he defended his belt for the fourth consecutive time with a UD victory over Josber Perez of Colombia. With over a year on the shelves, it’ll be interesting to see how Dalakian comes back into the ring and how quickly he can shake off his rust.

Azat Hovhannisyan 19 (16) – 3
Crazy A lost his debut by UD, but has went on an absolute run since then, climbing as high as the 6th best in his division by BoxRec, currently sitting at the 9th slot. Hovhannisyan is coming off a dominant 8th round knock-out of Enrique Bernache of Mexico earlier this year, and his next bout is up in the air. A rematch against Rey Vargas, who beat Azat by UD for the WBC Super Bantam title in 2018 would be a great match for the Armenian, or a sequel to Ronny Rios. I’m surprised a fight hasn’t been lined up, and thinking we will get one sooner, rather than later.

Arsen Goulamarian 26 (18) – 0
Similar to Dalakian, Goulamarian has been on a lengthy lay-off, with his last fight coming on December 28th of 2019. Feroz, however, is the current WBA Super Cruiserweight champion that is currently unranked by BoxRec due to being labeled as inactive. Hopefully we get to see the French-Armenian in the ring soon.

Erik Bazinyan 26 (20) – 0
Alongside fellow Canadian, Lemiux, Bazinyan netted himself a second round TKO Victory in early June, and is looking ahead to his next fight. The 16th ranked Super Middleweight (again, according to BoxRec), Bazinyan has high aspirations and wants to win multiple titles in multiple divisions, looking up to Darchinyan. Would love to see Bazinyan fight British Zach Parker.

Ferdinand Kerobyan 14 (9) – 2
Coming off a disappointing KO defeat in the 9th round to Raul Curiel, I’m expecting Lucky Boy to run off a couple of victories, though, his next fight is yet to be scheduled. Being ranked 118th by BoxRec makes it hard for Kerobyan to be able to schedule a glamour fight, but would like to see him take on a challenge with fellow Valley Boy, Jessy Martinez.