Boxer Vanes Martirosyan Dies at 40 From Cancer

Today, at the age of 40, the renowned Armenian-American boxer Vanes Noriki Martirosyan passed away. The cause of death was squamous cell carcinoma, a disease the athlete had been fighting for only a year. This was reported by sportaran.com.

Martirosyan was one of the most influential figures in Armenian and American boxing. He was an 8-time champion of Armenia, a US "Golden Gloves" title winner, as well as a participant in the 2004 Olympic Games. In his professional career, he won the NABF world champion title, the vacant NABO title, and the WBA International, WBC Silver, and WBO Inter-Continental belts in the light middleweight division.

Martirosyan's last fight took place in 2018 against the legendary Gennady Golovkin.

In the final months of his life, the athlete openly spoke about his battle with the disease and his hope for recovery. His words, which became almost a farewell message, sound particularly poignant today:

"I'm just praying to God to heal me... I'm praying for a miracle. The doctors say this is such a rare disease that it affects only 1 percent of people. You know, my brother died of a heart attack at 40. My mom and dad have already booked their spots next to him. I told them I don't want to be next."

The sports world mourns the loss of the talented boxer, who left a bright mark on the history of boxing.