The tension is rising! There are only three days to go until Arthur Abraham (37-4, 28 KOs) can prove that he is rightfully the mandatory challenger to WBO Super Middleweight World Champion Robert Stieglitz. On October 26 at the EWE ARENA in Oldenburg, Germany the WBO Intercontinental Titlist will meet world-ranked Giovanni De Carolis (20-4, 10 KOs). And only a win can keep his dreams of a third fight against Stieglitz alive.
“I know what’s on the line,” assured the 33-year-old Abraham at today’s press conference at the Acara Hotel in Oldenburg. Asked about his ten-year-tenure as a professional boxer with coach Ulli Wegner, the former two-weight division world champion replied jokingly: “As you can see, I have no thick hair anymore. I lost nearly all of it!” But he believes that during those years the rough tone of his cornerman has helped him to be successful. “Look Arthur,” 71-year-old Wegner added. “This Saturday night I will be in your corner and not with Karo Murat in Atlantic City. That’s what our relationship means to me!”
Said Kalle Sauerland: “Only a victory counts and I believe that Arthur is going to deliver it on October 26. It’s do or die – a wins means another crack at a world title, a loss would be catastrophic.
However, Italian De Carolis wants to spoil those plans. The 29-year-old boasted a lot of confidence today: “I’m well prepared. After having studied Abraham’s last fights, my coach and I have worked out a game plan to beat him.”
Tickets for the big fight night at the EWE ARENA Oldenburg, which also sees Jack Culcay, Robert Woge and Marcos Nader fighting in title bouts, can be purchased at www.eventim.de and www.boxen.com.
Pictures: Team Sauerland – Abraham(r)
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.
