04.09.08 – By Sebastian Swiecznik: In a recent interview with German boxing magazine “Box Sport”, IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham revealed his plans about fighting in America, talked about his next opponent Raul Marquez and his future as a middleweight plus other interesting questions. Let’s see what Germany’s finest boxer had to say about….
…his next opponent Raul Marquez:
„He’s a former champion and an uncomfortable foe… I never thought he would beat Giovanni Lorenzo. I think he’s stronger than Edison Miranda… not physically, but mentally. If you step in the ring with a Mexican, you always have to be very careful.“
…his habit to start slow in a fight:
„That’s just the way I am. I can’t switch into attack mode from start on… I make my opponents work, while I’am not working… It’s not about being lazy, I also do my work, though not from the start, but from round three on.“
…his trainer Ulli Wegner being more likeable newly:
„You don’t know what you’re talking about. Just today, while we’re doing mitts, he told me that I’m a lucky bastard because he’s that old, otherwise he would have just knocked me out with his left uppercut… I beat him in table tennis and soccer but when it comes down to boxing he would probably beat me up.“
…his devastating punch:
„It’s not about you have it or not, it’s about throwing your punches right. Maybe it’is a little bit natural, but the technique is very important.“
…who is the best middlweight beside him:
„Actually Kelly Pavlik is the best. He got two belts. As soon we’ll fight each other, we’ll know who is the best middleweight in the world.“
…fighting in the USA:
„It’s a huge diffrence: – the people, the atmosphere, the whole envirement. I have to admit that I like Germany more. I feel more comfortable over here. I’ll fight again over there, but mainly because of the money.
…moving up in weight:
„ I will definitely move up to super middleweight one day. That’s just easier for me. Against Miranda I also fought at super middleweight and I felt much better… But I have to unify the middleweight divison first… I’ll keep on fighting for five or six years.“
…amateur boxing:
„I lost all the important fights as an amateur. I feel better as a pro. As an amateur you only fight three or four rounds. When you’re on fire you have to stop immediately. That’s not my world.“
…fear:
„Of course I‘ve got fear… I’m afraid of getting hit with hard shots, because of that I’m defending myself very fast like a fraidy-cat… Without fear you can’t make it in boxing. I think only a stupid person has no fear… I was never down in my whole career, even as an amateur. It’s because I’ve always got fear.“
…ever losing a fight:
„When I fought Ian Gardner my trainer was really pissed and I really thought I’m going to lose the fight. Then I really started to get scared andI told myself: Damn you’re losing the fight! Because of that fear I went out and put Gardner down three times. After that I was a litte more relaxed…“
…being accused for sexual assault:
„I’have done nothing. You will see. The accusation is unfounded. Somebody is just trying to make a name out of me and get some extra money. It does not bother my preparation for the Marquez fight, because I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m clean.“