Photo by Sebastian Hagler
An immense task for Smith, but he still has a chance!
This Saturday night, a raucous German crowd welcomes back their adopted son, Arthur Abraham with open arms, hoping that their king can hold on to his sought after WBO Super Middleweight crown against the game Brit, Paul Smith.
This is Smith’s first shot at a world title and it could not be more daunting as he charges into the lion’s den. However, the challenger believes he has what it takes to beat a fading Abraham, confident of taking home the champion’s iconic world title that he has been dreaming of since he first laced up his gloves.
As the oldest of four boxing brothers, Paul Smith Jr. has been a stalwart around British boxing for almost a decade. He has shared the ring with some of the best fighters in Britain, with the likes of George Groves and Olympic gold medalist James De Gale both eager to express how good a fighter Smith is.
Although he was defeated in both encounters, “The Real Gone Kid” has shown great determination to bounce back from these two knockout losses to have a chance of conquering the world. But, it will have to be a monumental effort if Smith is to rip that WBO title out of Arthur Abraham’s steely grip in a hostile and uncompromising Germany.
The rugged Armenian born champion has faced off against some of the biggest names in boxing over his 11-year career.
As a semi-finalist in the renowned Super Six tournament, Abraham fought the best Super Middleweights in the world, finally falling short against the eventual winner, Andre Ward , who provided a supersonic display to see him eliminated.
Abraham went on to have a thrilling trilogy with Robert Stieglitz, which saw the 34 year old come out the victor with two wins to Stieglitz’s one, regaining his WBO strap in the process.
However, some critics believe the three wars with Stieglitz have dented the once rock solid Abraham, leaving him vulnerable to attack.
Could Paul Smith be the man to expose a tired Abraham? Or will The King continue to reign in Germany?
There is no question that Abraham’s length of service as a top-tier fighter proves that he may belong at a different level than his challenger Paul Smith, leading to an easy victory.
Nevertheless the man from Liverpool has served his time and deserves every chance he gets. Whether he can overturn the aging champion in a German hot bed environment though, still remains to be seen.
