Last Saturday in the southern German city of Offenburg, former IBF Middleweight champion, Arthur Abraham returned to what had been the bread and butter of his career, overpowering poorly matched foreigners for the thrill of an adoring public. The victim this time was a young Argentine by the name of Pablo Oscar Farias (19-2 11 KOs) whose glossy record couldn’t hide the fact that this doughy “contender” was nothing more than timber meant to rebuild the tarnished image of Abraham, a once feared bruiser whose reputation took a beating during the course of Showtime’s ‘Super Six Tournament’ that routinely displayed Abraham’s flaws on the world stage. Abraham’s performance in the tournament was a shock to many in the boxing public who had bought into the notion that Abraham was capable of capturing the entire tournament and division.
Farias, was a game challenger not content with leaving Germany with just memories of gazing at the ruins of the Holy Roman Empire and a few Euros to supplement his bank account. Farias came out firing looking to wear Abraham down with a body attack that was crucial given Farias’s inability to penetrate the native Armenian’s notoriously high guard. Abraham, as in past fights, was willing to concede that early ground while he waited to unload on the fleshy exterior of Farias with his signature offensive assaults that feature quick and unexpected hooks to the head and body.
Abraham’s rode to Middleweight glory with that strategy, a style that was akin to the German Blitzkrieg assaults that ravished Europe during the early stages of World War II. One never knew when Abraham was going to explode but opponents were faced with the inevitability that those lunging hooks were coming. The uncertainty and ferociousness of his offense crippled many over matched contenders who were hesitant to exploit the openings that such a style presents. Farias was no different. His attempts at stifling Abraham were futile and as his punches lost steam in the 3rd round, Abraham pounced. Abraham beat down the young pugilist for the next two rounds, before executing his opponent in the 5th round, with a feast of body shots that left Arias unable to defend himself after 3 knockdowns which sapped his will and energy to continue.
The German crowd that watched Abraham blossom into a champion, roared with love and praise that their former champion was back to decimating jobbers, the recipe that had earned their admiration. It did not matter that they knew Farias was not on the same level of Andre Ward, Andre Dirrell, and Carl Froch, the men who decimated the competitive credibility of their beloved pugilist. They appeared content that for that night it had appeared Abraham was not ready to cede his legacy, and will continue to fight, hoping that there is a second act for their beloved “King Arthur”. The fans roared with a passion that was not reserved for rising Heavyweight, Kubrat Pulev, and WBO Super Middleweight champion, Robert Stieglitz, men who also were victorious on this night but whose accomplishments were inconspicuous in the shadow of Abraham’s return.
That vision of a comeback still appears more fantasy than reality, however. Abraham may not be completely spent, but it’s hard for an unbiased observer to entertain the notion that the man who was so badly beaten in those three ‘Super Six” matches, is suddenly going to find the right form at 31 to drastically reform himself into a true contender. Abraham still throws wide looping punches that a more seasoned technician will break down and punish him for his offensive avarice. Abraham is also a long ways from eradicating his tendency to stand in front of opponents and let them wail while he gears up to let his fists go. That high guard that his trainer, Ulli Wegner, preaches is still an open invitation for body shots that the ‘Super Six’ participants exploited with ease.
The lack of any will for technical reform is puzzling if one believes Abraham’s statements that he wants to be a champion again. German Promoters are already signaling that if Mikkel Kessler is not ready to fight Stieglitz in the spring of this year, then Abraham is likely to step in and fill that role. Stieglitz stated after his performance as reported by BoxingScene.com , “If he wants to call [for the fight], I would accept [the challenge]. I can guarantee you that 100%,” If Saturday’s performance was an indicator of where Abraham is at this stage of his career, then Stieglitz would use his technical proficiency to likely hammer the final nail in the notion of Abraham as a contender. If Abraham were to set his sights higher in the division, h would likely have to take that (Stieglitz)fight and be victorious or challenge one of the rising prospects in the division if he were to get another crack at the established champions of 168. Showtime owns an assertive monopoly on the division, and is unlikely to green light a major fight with Abraham, until he firmly establishes that he is a better class of fighter than the tarnished shell that was last seen in the states being fodder for the ascent of Andre Ward.
Perhaps, there is another route that Abraham plans to carry out the remainder of his career, a course that has been followed before by German-based fighters before him. Abraham was a creation of the large German promoters, who matched him carefully against low-level tomato cans with glossy records, and faded veterans who had ceased being a threat many years earlier. That formula was the tried and proven recipe that built such fighters as Dariusz Michalczewski, who rarely took fights that risked putting them in harms way. Abraham made the mistake of straying from that path and was quickly exposed. It’s possible that Abraham is returning to that tradition of German fighters who are domestic stars unwilling to venture away from their comfortable base. Abraham could certainly compile wins against the likes of Pablo Arias, and if Saturday was any indication, the German public is accepting of a such a course. It may be time to accept the fact that Arthur Abraham like his promotional likeness “King Arthur”, was a myth based on a minor level of fact. A story that was crafted with entertainment, rather than reality, in mind. The rebuilding of Arthur Abraham may simply be a return to that narrative.
