ARTHUR ABRAHAM PLANS MIDDLEWEIGHT RETURN IN 2012
Crunchsports.com
Oct 31 2011
Arthur Abraham has announced that he intends to return to the
middleweight division in 2012.
The former IBF middleweight champion has been competing as a super
middleweight for the last two years in the Showtime Super Six World
Boxing Classic, where he reached the semifinals, losing on points to
America’s Andre Ward.
Berlin-based Armenian Abraham (32-3, 26 KO’s) has lost three of his
last four fights in the 168 pound class, and the 5’9″ Armenian has
struggled to compete against the likes of Ward, Andre Dirrell and
Carl Froch, three fighters who are much taller with longer reaches,
and have the boxing skill to maximize those advantages.
The 31-year-old has taken a five month break from the ring following
the loss to Ward, but is hard at work in the Max Schmeling Gym in
Berlin, owned by Sauerland Event, the largest boxing promoter in
Germany, and one of the biggest in the world. He is currently tipping
the scales at 175 lbs, and looking to compete at 165 lbs initially,
before trimming right back to the middleweight limit of 160 lbs.
Prior to his move up to super middleweight, the powerfully built
Abraham had struggled to make the middleweight limit, so won’t he
find it even harder two years later?
“A nutritionist is helping me. At night I eat only salads,” Abraham
told Bild.
“In January I start my comeback. Not in the middleweight division, but
at 165 lbs. This is agreed with the opponent. He’s still is not fixed,
but it should already be a good man, and among the top ten in the
rankings. We are in negotiations. One thing is certain for me already,
that I continue boxing for Sauerland and my coach Ulli Wegner.”
As a middleweight, Abraham was a force of nature, knocking out
Nigerian Kingsley Ikeke in five rounds to win the IBF title in 2005,
and subsequently scoring 10 consecutive title defenses, seven by KO.
Abraham quickly established a reputation as a super-fit, hard hitting
warrior, rumbling ever forward behind his familiar high guard, and
launching devastating blows when in range. It was a simple strategy,
but one that worked perfectly until he moved up to super middleweight.
Abraham’s most famous title defense took place in September 2006.
Taking on the undefeated Colombian slugger Edison Miranda, Abraham
suffered a broken jaw in the second round. Despite his trainer Ulli
Wegner’s advice to withdraw from the contest, Abraham fought on. It
became clear that Miranda realized the extent of the Armenians injury,
and targeted multiple blows and even head butts in the direction
of Abraham’s broken jaw, but in an amazing display of raw courage,
he not only lasted the distance, he won the fights on points.
In a rematch with Miranda two years later, Abraham extracted cold and
clinical revenge, demolishing the Colombian in just four one-sided
rounds.
During his reign as IBF middleweight champion Abraham and his
management relentlessly pursued a fight with the American Kelly
Pavlik, holder of the WBC and WBO middleweight belts. Huge figures
were mentioned, and had the fight been held in either Germany or
the United States it would have been a box office bonanza. However,
it was not to be.
Abraham made the move up to super middleweight and was immediately
invited to pitch his undeniable punching power into the Showtime
Super Six, along with WBA super middleweight champ Mikkel Kessler,
WBC title holder Carl Froch, American prospects Andre Dirrell and
Andre Ward, and former middleweight king Jermain Taylor. Abraham and
Kessler were the bookies pre-tournament favorites.
However, the only victory Abraham was to score was his 12th round
knockout over blown-up middleweight Taylor in his opening bout in
Berlin in October 2009. Five months later, he was losing badly to Andre
Dirrell in Detroit, when he took advantage of a slip by the American
at the start of round 11, and delivered a heavy right to the head when
Dirrell was prone on the canvas. Abraham was immediately disqualified.
Despite the Dirrell disaster, Abraham was the clear favorite to defeat
Carl Froch when the two met in Finland in November 2010. The normally
wide open Brit was surely made for the power-punching Armenian,
who would no-doubt get back on track with a knockout seemed to be
the general consensus of fans and critics.
However on the night, Froch utilized the blueprint laid down by
Dirrell to perfection and kept Abraham at bay with a ramrod left jab,
backed up by a chilling right cross. Froch won every round, and the
Armenian’s aura of invincibility was shattered forever.
Because he had picked up three points for scoring a knockout over
Taylor, despite his losses to Dirrell and Froch Abraham still made
the semifinals. Against American star Andre Ward, Abraham looked less
out of his depth than he had in his previous two defeats, and gave
a decent account of himself while still losing heavily on points.
Initially, Abraham was adamant that he would remain at super
middleweight. But now, after five moths of soul searching, he has
decided to return to the division where he achieved his greatest
successes.
“In a year I will become world champion again,” he claimed.
If Abraham can get back down to the 160 lb limit and not be weak at
the weight, he would probably start as favorite against either WBC
champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, WBA title holder Felix Sturm, IBF
champ Daniel Geale or WBO kingpin Dmitry Pirog. If he can regain a
version of the world title, it would help in his bargaining power
for a fight against WBC Diamond middleweight champion and world
pound-for-pound number three Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez of Argentina.
Abraham is still young enough and dangerous enough to continue to
make an impact on the sport, and Abraham v Martinez in 2012 would
pack a Bundesliga soccer stadium and be one of European boxing’s
biggest events of the year. Watch this space!
Dan Hunter is a lifelong boxing aficionado and our Boxing Editor. You
can follow Dan on Twitter@ DanHunterBoxing