But from the beginning, it was clear he was in no more danger of losing to Tsurkan than he was to Harrison Cuello, who Martirosyan knocked out in the first round in his last outing.
“I only remember getting hit three times the whole fight,” said Martirosyan, 23, who improved to 25-0 with 16 knockouts. “I was in the zone [Saturday] night. I don’t think he expected me to hit as hard as I did. The jab was working good and I never felt so strong.”
The Top Rank-promoted bout was seen as the biggest jump in competition for Martirosyan since he turned pro in 2004, but Martirosyan had his way with the former North American Boxing Federation light middleweight champion from the get-go.
Quicker with his hands and reflexes than the 31-year old Tsurkan, Martirosyan threw his left jab and punches with both hands at will, and landed them all consistently.
Tsurkan was in serious trouble from the fourth round on. In the fourth, Martirosyan staggered him with a straight left and then wobbled him again with a flush right to the face.
In the fifth round, Martirosyan connected with a brutal blow to Tsurkan’s left eye, snapping his head back and beginning the countdown to the inevitable stoppage.
Between the sixth and seventh rounds, the ringside doctor advised Tsurkan’s corner to withdraw him from the fight.
“His corner stopped it,” Martirosyan said. “He was just getting hit too much.”
As his flawless record indicates, Martirosyan has never failed any test put in front of him. But in dispatching the experienced Tsurkan so convincingly, Martirosyan may have gained the trust of Top Rank to further step up the caliber of his opponents sooner rather than later and speed up his track to an eventual title shot.
“I’m ready to fight anyone they want me to,” Martirosyan said. “Any time, anywhere.”
GABRIEL RIZK covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3226 or at gabriel.rizk@latimes.com.
