Arthur Abraham (35-3, 27 KOs) is looking forward to the first defence of his
WBO Super-Middleweight title. The 32-year-old, who dethroned the previous
Champion Robert Stieglitz in Berlin in August, returns to the ring at the
ARENA NUERNBERGER VERSICHERUNG on December 15 where he will meet challenger
Mehdi Bouadla (26-4, 11 KOs) from France.
During the first official press conference on Tuesday, Abraham was seemingly
relaxed. “It is a great feeling to be a world champion again. The title has
not changed me as a person; I am still the same Arthur Abraham as I was
before. But being in possession of the belt is important to me, I sleep a
lot better.”
After winning the IBF Middleweight World Championship back in 2005 and ten
successful defences of the belt, it took a while before Abraham got back to
the top of the game. “It is very special for me to defend the WBO title in
Nuremberg. I spent a lot of my youth in Franconia and it is where I learnt
how to box. Back in the day, I used to put on the gloves for 1.FC
Nuremberg”, said Abraham.
Having to defend a world title, adds to Abraham’s motivation. “That means
that I have to work even harder than before. It was not that important for
me to win a championship in another division. The main thing was to be a
world champion again.”
However, his opponent of the night, Mehdi Bouadla, has other plans. The man
from France outlined how he believes the fight will end on December 15. “I
will do everything I can to make sure that I will become the new world
champion. I studied some of Arthur’s fights – including his latest against
Stieglitz. I know how to beat him,” said Bouadla, who is ranked under the
Top-15 by the WBO.
But in order to do so, the challenger will have to make sure that he gets to
Nuremberg on time, which was not the case today. Due to foggy weather in
Paris, the 30-year-old´s flight was delayed and hence he was late for the
press conference. “That isn’t the typical German punctuality,” joked Arthur
Abraham.
Tickets for the show in Nuremberg can be purchased at www.eventim.de and
www.boxen.com.