Arthur Abraham Strongly Considering Going Back to Middleweight
by Scott Christ on Jul 16, 2011 7:15 PM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Former middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham will be considering a return to the 160-pound division after a rocky run at super middleweight. The concerns that he'll have trouble effectively making the weight are still there, but the idea is there:
Having often struggled to make the weight at middleweight, Abraham has been ordered by [promoter Wilfried] Sauerland to take expert advice to keep his weight down.
"It can only work if he works with a nutritional consultant and he strictly adheres to this plan. He hasn't done that before," said Sauerland.
Abraham (32-3, 26 KO) was undefeated as a middleweight, but went just 2-3 in his recent run as a super middleweight. He started his career a bit over the middleweight limit, but early fights rarely mean a whole lot. At super middleweight, Abraham beat a badly damaged Jermain Taylor and Stjepan Bozic in a fight that sparked some "fix" rumors, and lost badly to Carl Froch and Andre Ward, plus lost wide to Andre Dirrell after being disqualified for hitting Dirrell while he was down in 2010.
There are definitely marquee fight options for Abraham at 160, or at least there could be in theory. The biggest would be a fight with titlist Felix Sturm, as the two both have big followings in Germany and could easily sell the fight in a large arena there and make good money. Sturm promotes himself these days, so working out a deal probably wouldn't be that difficult if Sturm wanted it.
I will maintain my skeptical stance on how good Abraham really is until he proves otherwise, though, and given that the stories of him struggling to make 160 in the past were very real and very frequent, I take this as more of a wait and see idea than a sure bet.
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I don’t think he’ll be back big again. His self-confidence is thoroughly shattered, and moving down in weight again will drain him further. If he makes the weight, he will probably be still too strong for most of the middleweighters and might still make some money as a protected fighter, but I strongly doubt that he’ll be able to compete at top level.
"Sure, there have been injuries and deaths in boxing – but none of them serious." Alan Minter
Couldn't he...
Fight Sergio? Wouldn’t that do well? Doesn’t Abraham have a bigger name having competed in the Super Six?
"Gowin on fourth and 14 will punt it away. He hangs it very high, angling it for the near sideline...HAKIM DROPS THE BALL!!! HAKIM DROPS THE BALL!! Brian Milne might've fallen on it at the ten yard line! It's the New Orleans Saints' football! Brian Milne, the most unlikely hero of them all, falls on the fumble, the muff by Hakim! There is a God after all!" -- Jim Henderson
by hakimdropstheball on Jul 17, 2011 9:26 AM EDT reply actions
Hell, no.
Not another fight in which he gets ripped apart! Not so soon. I’d love to see him against Chavez, though. If I’d be his psychotherapist, I’d definitely suggest it.
"Sure, there have been injuries and deaths in boxing – but none of them serious." Alan Minter
I know he’s not too tall to make 160 but his frame just seems too big for middle weight at this point. His man-weight is too much to lose at his age and get back down to 160. But if he did get down there, I’d love to see him against Strum or Chavez. I think he’d be between the two of those guys as far as his worth in that division.
Tiago Splitter > Matt Bonner
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