By Nate Anderson: In a much harder than expected fight, unbeaten IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (26-0, 21 KOs) struggled through 12 rounds against #15th ranked Elvin Ayala befoe finally stopping him at 2:32 of the 12th round after connecting with a big left hand. Along the way, Abraham was hit often by Ayala, who badly swelled up Abraham’s face from the many shots that he hit him with.

Though Ayala, 27, isn’t known for his power, he is a high volume puncher that much is sure, and Abraham didn’t have it easy for one second in the fight due the constand work rate by Ayala. Abraham, 28, finally ended matters in the 12th after connecting with a flurry of shots while Ayala was trapped against the ropes, finishing him off with a left to the head. Ayala sank to his knees and fell face first into the canvas where he layed there for several moments without moving. When he was finally pulled up off the canvas by referee Roberto Ramirez, he seemed not to know where he was for several moments.

Abraham came into the bout looking noticiably heavier than usual, though not so heavy as to be considered overweight for a normal person. He just appeared a little less cut than he usually is and clearly slower and less conditioned as eveidenced by his labored breathing during most of the later rounds.

In rounds one and two, Ayala teed off on Abraham, hitting him with multiple combinations and taking advantage of the fact that Abraham, a slow starter by custom, was only holding his hands up trying to block with returning fire. When Abraham did attempt some shots, he missed badly and looked much slower than he had been several fights ago against Sebastien Demers and Edison Miranda.

In round three, Abraham finally started letting his hands go as he began peppering Ayala with three and four punch combinations. After firing off the shots, Abraham would typically back off and cover up, letting Ayala get in his own shots. It was this style of fighting that enabled Ayala to inflict a lot of punishment on Abraham, much more than he deserved for it appeared that if he had only made a big effort, Abraham could have very well have stopped Ayala in the early rounds with one big unrelenting attack. Instead, Abraham played a kind of cat and mouse came with the weak-punching Ayala, treating him as if he were a knockout threat, one to be very careful of.

Abraham really began to connect well in the 4th round, as he was able to hit Ayala with greater frequency with combinations to the head and body. No longer was Abraham badly missing by a mile like in the first two rounds, although he still looked slow and ponderous due to the extra weight he was lugging around.

Ayala started off the 5th looking good as he was able to connect well with right hands to the head of Abraham. However, this seemed to enrage Abraham, for he charged after him and tagged him with a powerful left hand. Seconds later, Abraham kneed Ayala to the head as he was coming in. Ayala fought back fiercely and began hitting Abraham with sustained combinations, backing him up and forcing him to cover up. Abraham then suddenly came forward, causing Ayala to retreat while backing up in a crouch. At this moment, Abraham landed a perfect rabbit punch to the back of Ayala’s head, knocking him to the canvas. Ayala, however, wasn’t hurt, just wasn’t expecting the punch to the back of the head and had no defense against it. The round ended shortly after that with Ayala attacking Abraham, who was huffing and puffing from having exerted himself a little too much in the round.

Abraham hurt Ayala around the mid point of the sixth after hitting him with a powerful left hook to the head. Abraham, now totally eager for a knockout, began to really unload on Ayala unaswered shots to the head. When he wasn’t able to get the desired effects, Abraham began pushing Ayala’s head down toward the canvas with his forearm. This led to the referee stepping in and warning Abraham for his dirty tactics.

Earlier in the round, the referee had warned Abraham about throwing another knee at Ayala, though no points were deducted. As you can see, Abraham is still a bit stuck in his old style of fighting back in which he was a kick boxer. The knees, forearms and rabbit punches weren’t needed, from what I can see, because Abraham had the skills to beat this guy without them if he would have just fought smart and made an effort to take him out early.

As it was, it was his own fault that the fight was harder than he would have liked. It also hasn’t helpted Abraham that he hasn’t been fighting quality opponents, taking softer fighters like Ayala while avoiding the tougher bouts. Now, even a fighter like Ayala is hard for him.

Abraham hurt Ayala with a flurry at the end of the 7th round. Before that, it had been a round that Ayala was in control of as Abraham seemed to be taking it off to rest up after the previous round.

Abraham’s left eye and face began to really swell and redden in rounds eight and nine, for he was taking a lot of shots from Ayala in between his own hard flurries. He would throw a flurry, then cover up and rest for 30-40 seconds, allowing Ayala to pound on him and then flurry again. Very predicatable and beatable by a good fighter. Ayala, though, wasn’t able to see his style and take advantage of it.

In the ninth and tenth, Abraham hurt Ayala frequently with hard combinations late in the round. Abraham was still throwing forearms, mixing them in with his other punches.

After and uneventful 11th round in which neither fighter did much, Abraham went after Ayala in the 12th round, punishing him with hard shots for the most of the round leading up to the knockout which occured after a brief flurry, ending with a left hand to the head of Ayala. There was little question that Ayala would be able to make it up from the knockout because he was really hurt. The referee immediately stepped in and halted the fight at 2:32 of the 12th round.