BERLIN — For the first time in over three years, German-Armenian boxing star Arthur Abraham (44-5, 29 KOs) will be fighting without a title to his name when he takes on Tim-Robin Lihaug (15-1, 8 KOs) at the Max Schmeling Halle in Berlin on Saturday.
The winner will assume the vacant WBO International super middleweight title, so Abraham might not have to wait long to grab another belt, although it’s of a lesser stature than the one he recently relinquished.
Abraham said he has watched his opponent’s previous fights and is familiar with his strategy.
The Armenian boxer said returning the champion’s title is very important for him and the July 16 bout is a step towards his
goal.
After five successful defenses of the WBO World super middleweight title, all of them on home turf in Germany, Abraham ventured out to Las Vegas on April 9 to fight undefeated 25-year-old Gilberto Ramirez, a rising star 11 years his junior. He ended up taking a sharp, comprehensive beating, as Ramirez won every round on all three judges’ scorecards and stripped Abraham of the WBO World title.
Lihaug, 23, is looking to make a name for himself and take a major step forward in his young career with a win. “Abraham is 36 years old and has already won a lot of titles and made a lot of money, whereas I’m a young, hungry fighter, and I think that will give me an advantage. This is like a world title fight to me. It means everything. I’ve been in training camp since the beginning of January and I will be in the best shape of my life on July 16. I want to prove myself and there is no better way of doing that than by beating Abraham”. Lihaug stated.
The German SAT1 TV will broadcast the bout at 22:50 local Berlin time and the Armenian Public Television will broadcast it
live at 00:50 July 17.
