19.08.07 – Arthur Abraham clinched yet another spectacular victory as he knocked out mandatory challenger Khoren Gevor in the 11th round of their clash in Berlin. Backed by the jubilant crowd in the Max-Schmeling-Halle, the IBF middleweight champion (24-0, 19 KOs) picked up speed in the second half of the fight.
From the eighth round on, he constantly connected with dozens of power shots – only for Gevor to prove his great chin. Things got worse at the end of the eleventh when King Arthur launched another furious assault. A vicious left hook eventually dusted his brave opponent. “It was a tough fight,” Abraham said afterwards. “But whoever wants to take my belt away from me must be punished.”
And punished Gevor was – the KO spelled a fitting end to what had been an exciting fight. Gevor was the more active boxer, with Abraham cleverly waiting for his chance to display his incredible punching power. His opponent´s stamina certainly baffled the spectators – and Ulli Wegner, who won the direct duel with fellow German coaching legend Fritz Sdunek. “It was a great fight and both really showed their big hearts,” Wegner lauded. “I was impressed how many shots Gevor could take. Arthur is the strongest puncher in the middleweight division and he landed some very powerful shots.”
From the eighth round on, Abraham was in complete control, punishing Gevor with furious series of punches. “Congratulations to Abraham,” Sdunek said afterwards. “He is a strong champion. Everything went according to plan for us but only until the sixth round when Khoren stopped moving. It was not very healthy for him to take so many shots. I thought of stopping the fight after the eighth and during the tenth but he wanted to continue.”
Gevor failed to turn it around and eventually found himself in the dust with 19 seconds to go in the penultimate round. He was immediately brought to hospital to undergo security checks. “He is a tough guy with a big heart,” Abraham praised. “But I can´t cope with defeats – I always want to win. It´s a question of honour.”
While the IBF champion will now enjoy a two-week break at the Cote D´Azur, his promoters are working on plans to bring him to America. “We´ll speak about the next fight once he is back from his well-deserved vacation,” Wilfried Sauerland said. “It can well be that he will make a few appearances in America soon.” HBO have been monitoring him ever since he had fought on the Klitschko undercard in Dortmund back in April 2005, the manager added.
No matter where he´ll fight next, the 27-year-old has set the bar high. “I want to be super-champion in the middleweight division and beat Taylor. Whenever I have a goal, I can´t put my mind at rest before I have accomplished it.” On the undercard, former European super-middleweight champion Mads Larsen continued his successful comeback with a unanimous points decision over Australia´s Nader Hamdan (report to follow).