Arthur Abraham is a B-Class fighter.
He proved that during the Super-Six tournament by losing to Carl Froch, Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell. He was disqualified against Dirrell, after being dropped for the first time in his career in the fourth round, for hitting Dirrell after he had slipped during the 11th round.
Dirrell had a "delayed" reaction to the punch, but it was dirty nonetheless. It looked especially bad considering that Abraham was down on every judges' scorecard.
The only man Abraham beat during the tournament was Jermain Taylor.
Since the tournament ended for him in 2011, he has won three fights in a row. Most recently, he won a competitive decision over Robert Stieglitz to capture the WBO Super Middleweight title.
He feasts on opponents like Mehdi Bouadla, whom he faces on Saturday in Germany. Bouadla will be attempting to take the newly acquired title away from Abraham.
Abraham will be looking to improve his 35-3 record and add to his 27 KOs.
Bouadla is 26-4 with 11 KOs, but he's lost to the only other formidable opponents he's faced in his career.
He was stopped in the sixth round against Mikkel Kessler in June of 2011, and he lost an eight-round decision to Gennady Golovkin in 2007.
Will this matchup be any different for Bouadla?
Here's how you can watch, along with some deeper analysis.
When: Saturday, December 15, 10 a.m. ET
Where: Arena Nürnberger Versicherung, Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Bayern, Germany
The Book on Abraham
Tale of the Tape
(per BoxRec.com)
Age—32
Stance—orthodox
Height—5′ 9″ / 175cm
Reach—72″ / 183cm
Alias—King Arthur
Birth Place—Yerevan, Armenia
Strengths
Abraham is an explosive puncher with both hands. He has tremendous, one-punch KO power. He throws dangerous combinations and his hands are deceptively quick.
He's patient and will wait for his opportunity to land. Once he hurts an opponent, he is an excellent finisher. Abraham is also tough and a bit dirty.
This combination can make him a little intimidating in the ring. Here is a look at Abraham's exciting 12th round KO of Jermain Taylor.
Weaknesses
Abraham is not very fleet of foot, so he struggles with length and fighters that can use their speed to elude him. He is at his best when his opponent engages him in toe-to-toe exchanges.
Athletic opponents with good stamina like Ward, Kessler, Froch and Dirrell will always give him trouble.
Check out Dirrell thoroughly out-boxing Abraham, before he took the illegal blow that ended the fight.
The Book on Bouadla
Tale of the Tape
Age—30
Stance—orthodox
Country—France
Strengths
Bouadla is tough as nails. He has a superb chin, solid conditioning and his will is very strong in the ring. Anyone who finishes this guy will have worked hard to accomplish their goal.
Take a look at this war he had with Affif Belghecham in 2008. He lost the fight, but it is a demonstration of his toughness.
Weaknesses
He lacks head movement and overall defensive skill. He comes straight forward and is very difficult to miss.
Despite his rugged style and approach, he isn't an especially powerful puncher. This is evidenced by his modest KO total. Here's an example of what happens to Bouadla when he's in the ring with a high-level of competition.
Kessler stops him in the sixth round here:
Prediction
Bouadla is custom-made for Abraham. This one will be bloody and brutal, as Abraham will likely tee-off on Bouadla early and often.
I can't see Bouadla making it passed the fifth round before the referee has seen enough.
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