RSSArthur Abraham
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Abraham Wants Taylor, Pavlik in America
Undefeated IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham is looking forward to his first fight on foreign territory as he takes on Britain´s Wayne Elcock in Switzerland on December 8. Today the two fighters met for the first time at a press conference in Basle.
“It is my goal to make big fights in America, so Switzerland will be a good first step,” King Arthur (24-0, 19 KOs) said. “I am really looking forward to boxing in Basle.”
After knocking out mandatory challenger Khoren Gevor in Berlin, Abraham is confident of success against the 33-year-old Brit. However, he has promised not to underestimate his opponent.
“I take him very seriously,” Abraham stated. “Just like me, he has defeated Howard Eastman, who is a very good puncher. I´ll be starting my training camp tomorrow and will be highly concentrated.”
The fight will also spell Elcock´s first appearance outside Great Britain.
“That does not make a difference for me,” the challenger (18-2, 8 KOs) said. “I am coming here to win the title and that is all that matters.”
After the press conference in Basle, Abraham and his coach Ulli Wegner travelled straight to their training camp base in Zinnowitz (Baltic Sea), where practice will begin tomorrow morning.
“We´re eager to start the preparation. I´m sure the boys will have a lot of fun,” Wegner said with a smile.
Meanwhile, manager Kalle Sauerland revealed that King Arthur is getting more and more popular all over the world.
“The TV interest in his fights is very high and can be compared to the Valuev fight in Basle (vs. Jameel McCline),” he stated. “King Arthur´s popularity is growing, especially in America. They have some well-known middleweights over there. That´s why our champion is of big interest to them.”
Sauerland added that a showdown with Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik is planned for the near future.
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Sunday, September 02, 2007
Abraham Nearly Breaks Rope Jumping World Record
IBF middleweight champion King Arthur Abraham almost wrote his name down the history books on Saturday night when he attempted to break the speed rope skipping world record. Featuring in front of a live national TV audience in the “Guinness World Records” show, Abraham managed 237 speed skips within 60 seconds - just four shy of the old mark of 241. “I would have loved to set a new record,” the 27-year-old said afterwards. “It would have been an honour to find my name in the Guinness Book of Records. I got quite close.”
With Ulli Wegner as head coach, Abraham is no stranger to rope skipping at all. “I´ve been doing it a lot in practice and also during the preparation for the fight against Khoren Gevor. I knew it was hard to set a new record, but I really wanted to give it a shot.”
After Abraham tried his luck, 23-year-old fitness coach Olga Berberich set a new record of 251 skips in one minute. “It was a lot of fun and very interesting,” added Abraham, who had retained his IBF belt with an 11th-round KO victory over Gevor a fortnight ago.
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Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Abraham Ready for Return Against Demers
IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham is thrilled to finally return to action on Saturday night when he takes on Sebastien Demers in his hometown of Bamberg, Germany. The unbeaten 27-year-old has been out of the ring ever since his legendary battle with Edison Miranda who dropped a unanimous points verdict even though Abraham had his jaw broken twice.
King Arthur (22-0, 17 KOs) is confident that neither the injury nor the two titanium plates inside his jaw will hinder him in the ring. “I am back in great shape,” he said. “I´ve been training for five months now and can´t wait to fight again. Demers probably hopes that the jaw will bother me. First of all, I have already forgotten that it was broken, and secondly, he won´t even hit me.”
It will be a special homecoming for the IBF champion who grew up in Bamberg. “The support of my hometown fans will give me another boost,” he stated. “I want to show them my talent. I won´t disappoint them.”
Abraham´s coach Ulli Wegner has been full of praise for his fighter. “He is in the best shape of his life,” said the 65-year-old. “I have never seen him box so well in practice. But he has to be on alert because Demers is a strong opponent.”
The Canadian (20-0, 9 KOs) hopes to make the most out of his title shot. “I haven´t come all the long way from Canada to lose,” he stated. “I know Abraham is a good champion. But I have worked hard and prepared well. It will be a tough and difficult fight.”
On the undercard, Marco “Captain” Huck and Vadim Tokarev will battle out an IBF cruiserweight eliminator. “This is my ticket to a world title fight,” unbeaten Huck (18-0, 14 KOs) vowed. “I have been dreaming about being a world champion all my life. That´s why I will beat him. No matter how strong he is on Saturday night, I will defeat him.”
35-year-old Tokarev, unbeaten in 24 fights, remained tight-lipped during the press conference. “My only thought is to win,” he stated.
Also in action will be 2004 Olympic gold medal winner Alexander Povetkin (11-0, 9 KOs), who takes on Canada´s Patrice L´Heureux (20-3, 12 KOs).
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Friday, April 20, 2007
Abraham-Demers Set for May 26
IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham will celebrate his long-awaited ring return on May 26 when he takes on Canada’s Sebastien Demers in Bamberg, Germany.
The undefeated 27-year-old (22-0, 17 KOs) has been out of action since his impressive points victory over Edison Miranda in September 2006. Back then, King Arthur saw off the Colombian challenger despite fighting with a broken jaw for the last eight rounds.
Next up for Abraham is a meeting with unbeaten Demers (20-0, 9 KOs), who is ranked 15th by the IBF and 14th by the WBA. “As a world champion I am used to fighting strong opponents,” King Arthur said. “He is taller than me and throws a good right hand. I have to be in top shape to beat him.”
Abraham said he was happy to see the back of a long break. “I have been waiting for a long time to make my fourth title defense,” he stated. “I have been in practice ever since January. Despite the two titanium plates in my jaw I can´t wait to get back into action.”
On the same card, unbeaten cruiserweight Marco Huck (18-0, 14 KOs) will battle out an IBF title eliminator with Russia´s Vadim Tokarev (23-0, 16 KOs).
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
Miranda Sick of Middleweight Paper Champions
Boxing has always been a tough business. It’s even tougher when those who claim to be ‘champions’ continue to run from real challenges in search of easy paydays that keep deserving contenders from getting their opportunity to shine. People’s middleweight champion Edison Miranda is not shy about discussing this topic.
“The middleweight division always had proud champions willing to fight everyone, like Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon, and Sugar Ray Robinson,” said Miranda. “Now we’re stuck with paper champions like Jermain Taylor and Arthur Abraham, who are disgracing this division.”
‘Pantera’, who is taking a well-deserved rest after his most recent win, a dominating victory over highly touted Allan Green in an HBO-televised bout on March 3rd, was just getting started.
“Arthur Abraham talks a lot about fighting me again, but if he is so serious, why is he asking the IBF for an exception so he can avoid me again,” asks Miranda, who broke Abraham’s jaw in two places in their highly controversial first bout last September. “I know why. Every time he looks in the mirror, he sees what I gave him in our first fight and it hurts him just to think about going through that pain again. He should just retire if he doesn’t have the guts to face me.”
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Thursday, March 01, 2007
Miranda Tells Abraham That Fighters Don’t Judge Beauty Contests, They Fight
People’s middleweight champion Edison Miranda took time out from his busy training schedule in Puerto Rico to address comments recently made by IBF ‘beltholder’ Arthur Abraham.
“I apologize to my fans for not saying much recently, as I’m training very hard for my fight on March 3rd with Allan Green,” said Miranda of his HBO World Championship Boxing bout this Saturday night. “I wish I could be judging beauty contests like Arthur Abraham, but fighters fight.”
Miranda, whose unbeaten record was marred when Abraham was awarded a highly controversial decision on September 23rd in Abraham’s adopted home country of Germany, is the number one middleweight contender in the world, and the current beltholder has been mandated by the IBF to fight ‘Pantera’ a second time by June 23, 2007.
But Abraham appears reluctant to return to life as an active fighter, with a proposed April tune-up bout still containing the dreaded TBA as an opponent.
“It must be a slow time for boxing in Germany that a fighter with a losing record can’t be dug up for Abraham to fight in April,” said Miranda. “I think I broke more than his jaw last September. I think I broke his desire to be a fighter. Either that or his jaw still hurts”
While Abraham rehabs from the beating he took in September, Miranda s fighting for the second time on HBO since the ‘fiasco’ in Germany.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Miranda Calls Out the 160-Pound Elite
HOLLYWOOD, FL – In less than three minutes on Saturday night, Edison ‘Pantera’ Miranda reminded the boxing world why he is the uncrowned middleweight champion of the world as he dispatched of tough Willie Gibbs in devastating fashion.
But now the Colombian bomber wants the hardware to go with his status as the people’s champion, and in 2007, the first man on his hit list is the fighter seen as the undisputed titlist at 160 pounds, Jermain Taylor.
“I definitely want Jermain Taylor as soon as possible and I hope he will be a true champion and fight me,” said Miranda. “He needs to stop fighting old men and junior middleweights and fight a true 160-pounder who is coming to fight, not just peck away at him and survive. I don’t come into fights looking for decisions; I come in looking for knockouts, and if Taylor truly wants to be respected as a champion, he needs to accept my challenge.”
As for the man whose jaw he broke in two places last September, IBF “champion” Arthur Abraham, Miranda (27-1, 24 KOs) pulled no punches.
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Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Miranda to Abraham: “I will hunt you down”
HOLLYWOOD, FL – In response to a recent news item that saw Wilfried Sauerland - promoter of IBF Middleweight ‘champion’ Arthur Abraham – state that he expects his fighter to be back in action in April while making no mention of his requirement to fight number one contender Edison Miranda by June 23rd, ‘Pantera’ took time out from his preparation for his HBO debut to make the following blunt comments.
“It was very interesting to read that Arthur Abraham has received offers to fight in the United States in April,” said Miranda. “I truly hope that the ‘champion’ is not looking to avoid his mandatory commitment to me. Remember, Arthur, we have a date to fight no later than June 23 and as the great Joe Louis said, “You can run, but you can’t hide.” I will hunt you down if I have to.”
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Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Miranda Speaks on His Title Fight in Germany
Hollywood, FL - After a disappointing outcome to his World Title fight versus Arthur Abraham in Wetzlar, Germany Edison Miranda speaks out.
“I first want to say that I enjoyed my time in Germany. The people were very nice to me,” said Miranda. “The day after the fight the people in Germany recognized me. They came up to me and said that I deserved to win that fight. They felt bad that I came to Germany and was treated like that and I should be the Champion.”
In a battle that has raised some eyebrows and definitely left the Team Miranda scratching their heads, one question has been answered that Seminole Warriors Boxing and Team Pantera have a true boxing star on their hands.
Miranda stated, “Abraham has the belt but I know in my heart and my fans know that I won that fight and I am the true Champion.”
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Friday, September 22, 2006
Miranda Meets Abraham and Sparks Fly
HOLLYWOOD, FL – The calendar may read September, but it was as hot as July in Germany yesterday, when World Middleweight title challenger Edison Miranda and Champion Arthur Abraham met for the first time at a public workout, just days before they will meet for the IBF World Middleweight Championship on Saturday at the Rittal Arena in Wetzlar, Germany.
Tensions have been running high between the two 160-pound standouts in recent weeks, especially after Abraham pulled out from the bout’s original date on August 26th, claiming illness, and matters didn’t calm down any once the two got sight of each other yesterday.