IBF ORDERS MARQUEZ TO MAKE MANDATORY TITLE DEFENSE AGAINST ABELYAN

27.06 - Press release – No rest for the weary. NABO featherweight champion and top-rated contender WILLIAM "THE CONQUEROR" ABELYAN, who successfully defended his title via a third-round knockout of Alejandro Estrada, on the Lennox Lewis-Vitali Klitschko world heavyweight championship card last Saturday, is back in the gym training for his first world title shot.

The IBF has ordered its featherweight champion Juan Marquez, to make a mandatory defense of his title against Abelyan.

In a letter, dated June 23, to Todd duBoef of Top Rank, Marquez's promoter, Lindsey Tucker, Jr., the IBF's Acting Championship Chairman, stated: "You are to commence immediate negotiations with William Abelyan, the leading available contender."

"We are absolutely thrilled," said Gary Shaw, president and CEO of Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, Abelyan's promoter. "He is ready to take on Marquez and beat him. You are going to see why William is called ‘The Conqueror.' He is going to storm Marquez for the IBF championship and then storm the entire division by unifying the title!"

Abelyan, 24, a southpaw with a 23-4-1 (12 KOs) record, is riding a three-year 13-bout winning streak, which includes seven knockouts.

An Armenian now living in Las Vegas, NV, Abelyan garnered the attention of the boxing world by destroying the WBC's No. 1 contender, Guty Espadas, 34-3, via a unanimous decision, August 5, 2001. Abelyan knocked Espadas down twice in the fight en route to victory with scores of 99-90, 98-90, and 97-90. The most amazing thing was that Abelyan took the fight on only four days notice!

Abelyan has followed that epic win with six more consecutive victories – decisions over Jesus Salud, 63-10; Armando Cordoba, 17-8-1; and Jose Luis Tula, 15-8-2; plus knockout victories over Alvin Brown, 17-5; Orlando Soto, 32-8, for the NABO title; and Estrada last Saturday. Combined, Abelyan's last six opponents had a combined record of 170-43-6! Abelyan, whose stock has risen with every victory, has successfully defended his NABO title twice.