Arthur Abraham vs Robert Stieglitz Preview July 18th
It’s déjà vu all over again as WBO World Super Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham of Armenia will be taking on (Robert Stieglitz of Germany yet again. These two have gone at it three times in the past and this fourth meeting is being billed as ‘The Final Encounter’. Abraham has also been fighting out of Germany for several years now, making this a huge domestic fight over there. The 12-rounder will take place this Saturday, July 18th at the Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle Germany.
The 35-year-old Abraham will be climbing through the ring ropes with a record of 42-4 along with 28 Kos while the 34-year-old Stieglitz is 47-4-1 and has 27 Kos on his resume. The first three bouts between these two were all quite entertaining, so fans will be expecting more of the same on Saturday night. Abraham holds the edge in the trilogy with a pair of wins while Stieglitz has one win. However, will we see a fifth fight if Stieglitz ties the series at two each?
Abraham has stated that there won’t be a fifth fight. But to be sure of this, he’s going to have to pull off his third victory over Stieglitz. He said he’ll prove to the fans and to Stieglitz once and for all that he’s the better boxer. Stieglitz of course, is claiming the same thing. Abraham and Stieglitz first met in August f 2012 with Abraham retaining his WBO title by unanimous decision. A rematch was held seventh months later and Stieglitz evened the score with a fourth-round TKO. Their rubber match took place in March f last year with Abraham getting the nod by a split decision.
Abraham turned pro in 2003 and has 351 rounds to his name. He stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 72-inch reach and owns a knockout ratio of 61 per cent. He’s a true world-class boxer who has taken on the likes of Howard Eastman, Kingsley Ikeke, Shannon Taylor, Kofi Jantuah, Edison Miranda, Raul Marquez, Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Carl Froch, and Andre Ward. His other three losses were to Ward, Froch and Dirrell. Ward and Froch decisioned him and Abraham was disqualified in the last round against Dirrell. Abraham used to have quite a bit of power, but hasn’t scored a stoppage in his last eight fights dating back to 2012.
Stieglitz is also world class and has gone 374 rounds since turning pro back in 2001. He’s 5-foot-11 with an unlisted reach and has a knockout ratio of 52 per cent. Stieglitz hasn’t fought as many top-notch opponents as Abraham, but has faced the likes of Alejandro Berrio, Marlon Hayes, Librado Andrade, Enrique Ornelas, and Felix Sturm. He fought to a draw against Sturm in his last bout in November and was stopped by Andrade and Berrio. The other two defeats were at the hands of Abraham.
Top Boxing Sportsbook: 5Dimes.eu
Widest Variety and Most Competitive Lines Online -> Visit Now!
Prediction
Abraham and Stieglitz know exactly what to expect from each other and the winner is going to be the better man on the day. Abraham has a better chin and used to have more power than the challenger, but the gap has closed on those advantages. Like their other three encounters, this is hard to choose since they both have the skills to beat the other man. Therefore, it’s likely going to come down to motivation and the will to win. A tossup, but we’ll go with Abraham by another close and controversial decision.
Odds
Sportsbook 5dimes.eu has the latest odds on all of the big fights. The odds of an Abraham victory are currently listed at -160 while a Stieglitz win is listed at +140. Visit 5Dimes.eu to see up to date odds and to bet on this fight. You should also check out our recent boxing betting predictions to see how we’ve done.
Arthur Abraham betting • Robert Stieglitz betting