Gor Yeritsyan may be the best welterweight, talent-wise, that boxing fans may not have heard of.

The unbeaten Yeritsyan plans to change that by making a statement in his next fight tonight and hopes to turn heads amongst the best in the division.

Yeritsyan will face Rogelio Jun Doliguez of the Philippines at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California. The 10-round bout will precede the main event bout between unbeaten junior middleweight prospect Callum Walsh and Juan Jose Velasco of Argentina.

Both fights will stream live on UFC Fight Pass (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).

The 28-year-old (15-0, 13 knockouts), who is originally from Yerevan, Armenia and now resides in Los Angeles, California, returned to the ring on June 9 after a 30-month hiatus from the ring, dropping Gustavo Vittori multiple times before winning by knockout in the second round. 

Yeritsyan will face a fighter in Doliguez (25-4-2, 19 KOs), who is also coming off a long layoff, having not fought since a knockout win over Joas Apericio in July 2019. Yeritsyan admitted to some ring rust in his fight in June, but will be at his best against Doliguez tonight.

“My opponent is a good fighter with a lot of experience,” Yeritsyan told BoxingScene Wednesday. “I know he has lots of wins. My opponent is good and I want to face good fighters. I will go into the fight, knowing I’m going to give the best version of myself. 

“I did feel a bit of rust (in my last fight in June). It was my first fight in over two years. I feel more hungry in this fight. I feel a lot better and stronger going into this fight. I’m ready and 100 percent ready to go.

Yeritsyan has been fortunate to have worked with Freddie Roach over the last several months. Roach was in Yeritsyan’s corner when Yeritsyan faced and stopped Mahonri Montes in December 2020. 

Training at the famed Wild Card Gym in nearby Hollywood has allowed him to spar against some of the top fighters in sport, including Walsh. Roach trains both Walsh and Yeritsyan. 

Yeritsyan is grateful for the opportunity to be trained by and learn from Roach, but to also improve his skill-set against some of the top fighters in the sport.

“I’ve been working with Freddie for the last five years,” said Yeritsyan, who was a standout amateur in Armenia before turning pro. “He has trained great world champions in (Manny) Pacquiao and (Miguel) Cotto. 

“There are a lot of great fighters that train at Wild Card Gym. They have a lot of experience. I spar against Callum, Raul Curiel and Elvis Rodriguez. After I’ve sparred against them, I look back and realize I’ve become stronger, mentally.”

Yeritsyan hopes to fall in line in becoming the next great fighters from Armenia. With Vic Darchinyan having led the way, and inspiring him, Yeritsyan is hoping to continue that success.

“Vic Darchinnyan is a legend and someone I look up to. There is also Arthur Abraham and Azat Hovhannisyan. They all left a legacy in the sport. I want to be the next great fighter from Armenia. So far, I’ve done well. I want to keep fighting and achieve my goals.”

Recently, Yeritsyan worked alongside Eimontas Stanionis, a top welterweight contender. 

“I helped Stanonis get ready for the fight against Vergil Ortiz, Jr. He was ready. I felt ready. I spar against Stanionis, who has become a friend. If I can spar effectively against the likes of Stanonis, then I can fight against the best welterweights in the world.”

Yeritsyan hopes to fight twice more after fighting Doliguez. That will remain to be seen, and there is a possibility Yeritsyan could fight again in the future in November. 

After a lull in his career, Yeritsyan hopes to remain active, notch victories, and to win a world title belt.

“I have a great team in Tom Loeffler, Freddie Roach, and (publicist) Rachel Charles. I train every day, sometimes twice a day. I work hard. I just hope to keep fighting and that I will fight for a world title belt soon.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September 2012 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 by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing