Its official: Arthur Abraham is going to challenge WBO Super-Middleweight Champion Robert Stieglitz for his crown at o2 World, Berlin. Sauerland Event and SES-Boxing are proud to present this fight as the main event on August 25.
“I’m happy that this fight will take place at o2 World. I was hoping for another chance to show my skills in this incredible arena in front of as many fans as possible. I am looking forward to entertain them again, like I did back in 2009 with my last round knockout against Jermain Taylor,” said Arthur Abraham.
Robert Stieglitz is not fazed at all with the outlook of fighting in Abraham’s backyard: “That’s my belt and we are going to battle for it – in the end it will still be mine. I will prove that my championship is legitimate, no matter of the opposition, time or place.” And these are not just empty phrases. Stieglitz would have moved forward with a fight against Danish superstar Mikkel Kessler, if it had not been for an injury sustained by the Dane just a few weeks before they should have met in Denmark. This was not the only cancellation in the past two years for Stieglitz. None of
his mandatory challengers were able to get into the ring with him, always bowing out of the fight due to different injuries – be it Georges Groves, Dimitri Sartison or Mikkel Kessler. Robert Stieglitz is in possession of the WBO World Championship since August 2009, when he beat Karoly Balzsay in Hungary. Since then, he has defended his title six times.
Now, Stieglitz’ next mandatory defence will come to life with the bout against Abraham on August 25 at o2 World, Berlin.
The champion’s promoter, Ulf Steinforth, who turns 45 on the night of the fight, wants to celebrate his birthday with a win by Stieglitz: “Robert and Arthur are currently two of the best super-middleweights in the world – they are going to set the ring on fire come August 25!” Kalle Sauerland is also looking forward to the fight: “The bout will be fought on even terms.
Besides the UEFA Euro 2012 and the Olympic Games, Stieglitz versus Abraham will be another sportive highlight to look forward to during the summer. In addition, All-German encounters are always special.
Ticket sales for Robert Stieglitz vs. Arthur Abraham are going to start this Friday, June 8. Tickets can be purchased at www.eventim.de or www.o2world-berlin.de. Alternatively, ticket information can be obtained at www.boxing-online.com or www.sesboxing.de.
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
