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Gor Yeritsyan to end 30-month layoff versus Gustavo David Vittori, Friday

Gor Yeritsyan (left) vs. Mahonri Montes. Photo credit: Tom Hogan/Hoganphotos/Ring City
Fighters Network
08
Jun

Gor Yeritsyan has been biding his time.

The unbeaten welterweight has sparred the best of the best in recent years. Now that those fighters are retired or near retirement, Yeritsyan believes his time to make noise in the sport is now.

Yeritsyan will finally return to action after a long layoff as he faces Gustavo David Vittori, Friday night, at Commerce Casino, in Commerce, California. The eight-round bout will precede the main event between unbeaten junior middleweight prospect Callum Walsh and Carson Jones.

Both fights will stream live on UFC Fight Pass (10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT).



Yeritsyan (14-0, 12 knockouts), who is originally from Yerevan, Armenia, and now lives in Los Angeles, California, has not fought since December 2020, knocking out former fringe contender Mahonri Montes in the sixth round. Yeritsyan also has victories over notable opposition, including Ali Funeka and Patrick Ortiz.

The 28-year-old has fought on local club shows in Southern California and even on modest cards in Russia. Yeritsyan even fought on a Top Rank card in November 2019.

Yeritsyan landed on Friday’s card, which is promoted by Tom Loeffler, who has worked with former featherweight titlist Kevin Kelley, former Ring Magazine world heavyweight champions Vitaly and Wladimir Klitschko and former unified middleweight titleholder Gennadiy Golovkin.

“Tom Loeffler is a good man,” Yeritsyan told The Ring at a recent open workout. “He’s a great promoter. I know he’s going to look out for my best [interests]. He’s worked with the best, including the Klitschko brothers.”

Yeritsyan has trained at Wild Card Gym, in nearby Hollywood, where he has been fortunate enough to take in the sparring sessions of Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, who trained there for several years. He is now trained by Freddie Roach, who trained both Pacquiao and Cotto.

At the open workout, Yeritsyan looked very sharp while working the mitts with Roach. Over the last several weeks, Yeritsyan has gotten great sparring against some of the best fighters at 140 pounds.

“I spar against my good friends Raul Curiel, Callum Walsh, Elvis Rodriguez and Egidijus Kavaliauskas,” said Yeritsyan, who was a six-time national amateur champion in Armenia and finished with an amateur record of 151-30. “I’m 100-percent ready for this fight.

“I spar against different boxers and I believe my style can adapt against anyone’s, especially in the welterweight division.”

While Yeritsyan could be a few years away from facing the upper echelon of the division, he is confident he can make noise now in the prime of his career. Terence Crawford and Errol Spence are the standards of the welterweight division but Yeritsyan believes his skill-set could rival against other welterweights.

Yeritsyan is hoping his opportunity comes sooner rather than later.

“Crawford and Spence are at the top of the division,” said Yeritsyan. “They’re both talents. They are the best. They are great boxers.

“People think I’m a prospect now but I believe my style is ready to face the top fighters in the division. People who saw my last fight liked my style and I think the same will happen for those who watch my fight on Friday. I have strong skills in the ring. I like to work in the center of the ring and allow my skill-set to dictate the fight.”

Yeritsyan hopes to make a statement at the expense of Argentina’s Vittori (28-14-1, 12 KOs), who has lost seven of his last 11 bouts, including those versus Rances Barthelemy, Lindolfo Delgado, Tyler Tomlin and Avious Griffin.

While Yeritsyan is not overlooking Vittori, he remains confident that he is going to show why he is a fighter to watch at 147 pounds.

“I believe I can face the top fighters in the next year or two. I believe Tom Loeffler is going to push me to get championship fights.”

 

 

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also follow Francisco on Twitter @FSalazarBoxing.