GLENDALE — A successful amateur standout in Armenia, local lightweight boxer Artur "The Punisher" Bernetsyan has spent 2010 learning the ropes of the professional fight game stateside.
According to his trainer Edmond Tarverdyan, proprietor of the Glendale Fighting Club, Bernetsyan has grown as a pro with each of his six bouts this year, including Thursday night's unanimous decision win over Demetrio Soto at the Irvine Marriott hotel.
"The training over there [in Armenia] is totally different — it's just amateur style, they've never seen any pro fights and they've never sparred with anybody that's a pro fighter," Tarverdyan said. "It's a little different for him, but he'll adjust to it. …Everything is a learning process. He'll adjust to it and he'll become a better fighter."