EUBC European Men's silver medalist, Germany's Araik Marutjan showed he had a jab that his opponent's should learn to respect in Minsk. The 21-year-old Welterweight (69 kg) also used it to help him claim a medal at the EUBC European Olympic Hopes 19-22 Championships at the end of last year. We caught up with him to find out more:

You were born in Armenia. How old were you when you moved to Germany with your family?
I was born in the city Hoktemberjan in Armenia. 40 days after my birth I moved with my family to Germany.

How did you first start boxing?
I started training when I was only 9 years old in the BC Traktor Schwerin club. My father Vitalij thought that boxing was the perfect sport for me and encouraged me and my brother Hakop to start boxing. Boxing is the passion of my whole family.

Boxing was once more than popular in Germany than it is currently. What is your opinion about the situation?
I deeply regret that Olympic Boxing is not widely broadcasted yet on the German television. I think that the Olympic style shows boxing at its best and I hope that things will change in the future with AOB, WSB and APB.

How often can you train in a week?
I train about eleven times a week with my coach Michael Timm. We often try new things. I trust my training-team and we have fun so it's never boring.

Do you still remember your first bout?
I was 10 years old when I had my first ever bout at an event in Schwerin and of course I won.

You took a bronze medal at the 2009 European Youth Championships in Szczecin, Poland. How do you remember that event?
I remember that this event was very well organized and that my family attended the competition to support me which was important for me. It made me for me to push hard and so I got a medal.

Have you changed anything about your training recently?
Since the autumn of 2012 I have had a new coach in Schwerin but our time together was too short to see an impact before the U22 European Championships. I won a bronze medal in Kaliningrad but I think my performance in Kaliningrad was awesome. I narrowly missed the title and was unlucky to come home with just a bronze.

Congratulations for your silver medal in Minsk. What was your plan before the Minsk event? Did you expect to a medal?
Whenever I attend a competition, I always want to win the title. In Minsk the team I have with the new head coach Dr. Michal Bastian and my coach Michael Timm was a perfect combination and you can see it in the results with my silver medal. I felt really strong in Minsk and my form was perfect right from the start of the event and I felt I was getting stronger from bout to bout. I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the arena too.

What is your relationship with your main domestic rivals like; such as with boxers like Patrick Wojcicki, Vincenzo Gualtieri and Slawa Kerber?
They train in other National Federation Training Centers and I usually only see them at national team training-camps. They are all very friendly guys and we have a good relationship. We are opponents on the national level but we respect each other.

What are your goals for the future?
I want to show everybody at the World Championships in Almaty that my strong performance in Minsk was not a one-off thing. I want to win the gold medal there. My long term goal is of course to win the title at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016.

What are your hobbies outside of boxing?
When I have free time, I love to spend the time with my friends, for example with playing soccer or listening to music.