If Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn is interested in getting a rematch for his fighter Paul Smith (35-4, 20 KOs) against WBO super middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (41-4, 28 KOs) then Hearn will need to open up his pocketbook and come up with a lot of cash because Abraham’s promoter Kalle Sauerland says he’s only going to let Abraham fight Smith again if the interest is there and the money is good enough.
Hearn will need to dig real deep for cash if he wants to have Abraham travel to Liverpool to fight Smith at home in the UK. Sauerland doesn’t want to put his fighter at a disadvantage unless it’s a substantial offer from Hearn. Abraham has a large following in Germany, so there’s really no point in him traveling to Liverpool to fight Smith, a fighter he just defeated by a 12 round unanimous decision last Saturday night in Germany.
“If the fans demand, let’s do it,” said Sauerland to IFL TV. “If the remand is there why not? I’m not going to say we’re going to Liverpool. Arthur Abraham is the world champion. Unless it’s an extraordinarily large offer from Eddie [Hearn], we’re not going to go to Liverpool, but we’ll look at a rematch at a neutral place. I’m not sending him [Abraham] to Liverpool unless it’s huge financial offer. He’s got a huge following here [in Germany].”
Hearn can possibly come up with the money to get Abraham to come to Liverpool if he wants the fight bad enough. The end result might not be any different though. Smith is a good fighter but he doesn’t have the power or the size to get the better of Abraham on a consistent basis.
Smith lost to Abraham by a controversial 12 round decision by the scores of 117-110, 117-111 and 119-109. A lot of boxing fans felt that the scores were way out of bounds from the fight that took place. Smith fought well enough to deserve a decision or a draw, but for him to lose by the wide scores the three judges came up with, it just has many fans wondering.
