King Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) opened the Super Six World Boxing Classic in style on Saturday night when he knocked out Jermain Taylor (28-4, 17 KOs) with six seconds to go in the 12th round. Fighting in front of a boisterous sell-out crowd of 14.200 fans at the famed o2 World in Berlin, Abraham connected with a huge right to the head to send the former undisputed middleweight champion down and out. “He was good, but I was better,” Abraham said. “It was a great fight in front of a great audience. Now I look forward to returning to America.”
After a slow start, Abraham gained control of the contest and was ahead on all three scorecards going into the final round. He hurt Taylor with a big right in the ninth but the American superstar proved his chin and continued.. Just seconds before the final bell, King Arthur then landed a devastating punch to clinch the first three points of the tournament. “I had been waiting for a hole in his guard the whole night,” Abraham said. “I finally found it.”
Coach Ulli Wegner was full of praise for his star fighter. “Arthur fought a great fight tonight,” he said. “He knew what he had to do. He fought very cleverly – Jermain Taylor was a very strong opponent. He was fast, versatile and mobile. But it was our duty to win our home game – we owed this victory to our great fans. Their support was absolutely phenomenal.”
Kalle Sauerland was equally pleased about King Arthur´s first fight at super-middleweight. “We could not have scripted the fight any better,” he said. “This was like a Hollywood movie. A great crowd, a high-class fight, two true champions and a spectacular ending. Arthur is more than ready to go to the U.S. and please the fans on both sides of the ocean.”
Taylor spent the night in hospital with a concussion. “I am a little hurt,” said Taylor after the fight, “but that comes with the territory. I was in the best shape of my life. He’s a very strong fighter. I give it up to him.” Abraham sent his best wishes to the former champion. “I am very sorry to hear that he is in hospital,” King Arthur said. “I want to defeat my opponents but I do not want to harm them. The health is the most important thing and I hope Jermain will be fine. I was relieved when he got back up to his feet after the knock-down. I wish him well. It was an honour to fight him.”
Next up for Abraham is a showdown with Andre Dirrell, who suffered a close split decision defeat against WBC Super-Middleweight Champion Carl Froch. “I have not seen a single fight of Dirrell yet,” Abraham said. “My full focus was on Taylor. I cannot say anything about Dirrell. But now I will start preparing for him. I want to make the big fights in America and I look forward to coming over in January. It will be another great night of boxing. I have big plans and I cannot wait to fight in front of the great American fans again.”