Abraham-Stieglitz set for fourth meeting on July 18th

After three rather nip and tuck affairs, Arthur Abraham will be meeting up with Robert Stieglitz for the WBO title for the fourth time. The fight will take place at Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle, Germany on July 18th. These two first met back in August 2012 where Abraham won a unanimous decision which awarded him the WBO title. In the rematch, about seven months later, Stieglitz got his revenge with a fourth round TKO over Abraham to reclaim his title. The two would meet yet again in March 2014 where a 12th round knockdown appeared to give Abraham the edge in a close split-decision victory - a decision that would cause the title to change hands for another time. Now, come July 18th, once more into the fray...

"The battle for super middleweight supremacy continues," promoter Kalle Sauerland said. "I'm hard-pressed to think of any other trilogy in modern boxing history that has provided such a high level of drama. For that reason, we go again. On July 18, for [the] fourth time, Arthur and Robert will contest the WBO super middleweight title."

This 'battle for 168lb supremacy' seems to be a bit overstated as long as Andre Ward is still around. True, he hasn't fought in a while, but he's finally back on the schedule and I doubt anyone would name another fighter as holding the division crown. Be that as it may, Abraham (42-4, 28 KOs) has been riding a six-fight win streak since last losing to Stieglitz a couple years back. Steiglitz (47-4-1, 27 KOs), who is the mandatory challenger for the WBO title, is coming off a draw with Felix Sturm last Novermeber. Both Abraham and Stieglitz the two sides were able to work out an agreement before the fight was ordered to purse bid.

"Robert is [the] mandatory challenger, so of course he deserves his shot," said Abraham, who will be making his fourth defense. "I've enjoyed our rivalry, but like all good things, this must come to an end. The Gerry Weber Stadium will provide the perfect venue for me to finish our feud. I had Robert down in the 12th round of our last encounter, but this time, he will hit the canvas a lot sooner."

What's your prediction for this fight?