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Erik Bazinyan is set for the biggest fight of his life on Sep. 20 next Friday. He takes on the formerly undefeated power puncher Jaime Munguia at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. It is the most high-profile matchup of Bazinyan's career, even though there's no title on the line.
Unfortunately for him, neither analysts nor oddsmakers expect him to win. Bazinyan, however, is nothing if not determined. Moreover, he brings with him a heavy-handed style that's led to a high percentage of knockouts, complete with an iron chin to carry him through extremes of punishment.
Come fight night, he will look to score an upset and show the world who he is. But who is Bazinyan exactly, as both a man and a boxer?
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Who is Erik Bazinyan?
Erik Bazinyan was born in Yerevan, Armenia, on May 21, 1995. However, the 29-year-old is also Canadian, having moved to Montreal, Quebec, as a child. There, his love of boxing flourished, and at age 10, he committed fully to 'The Sweet Science' by joining a gym.
Boxing, however, isn't everything to Bazinyan. He also married his childhood sweetheart, returning to Armenia to wed Zhanna Vardanyan in a ceremony filled with friends and family. The couple also has a son together, and in their last public update, Vardanyan was revealed to be pregnant with a girl.
Check out the gender reveal for the couple's daughter:
Unfortunately, not every detail about Bazinyan's personal life is positive, as he lost his father back in 2022, an event that caused him to give more importance to his family before re-committing to boxing.
Erik Bazinyan's boxing career explored
Despite his lack of renown, Erik Bazinyan has had a storied run in boxing. As an amateur, he authored a record consisting of 108 wins and just one loss. In the professional world, he plied his trade across two divisions: super middleweight and light heavyweight.
His first accomplishment was capturing the then-vacant WBO Youth super middleweight belt. He then went on to capture NABO, NABA, and NABF gold in the weight class. He most recently faced Shakeel Phinn for the NABF and WBA Continental North American super middleweight titles.
He puts his 32-0-1 record on the line against the hard-hitting Jaime Munguia, who is coming off a 12-rounder with Canelo Alvarez. He will rely on the coaching of his trainer, former boxer Howard Grant, to emerge victorious.
