By Allan Fox: WBO super middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz (45-3, 26 KO’s) will be playing it safe again in another optional title defense against little known contender Isaac Ekpo (22-1, 16 KO’s) next month on October 19th at the Messehalle, Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany. Stieglitz doesn’t seem interested in taking any chances with his WBO 168 title by facing a real threat until he absolutely has to.

In his first defense of his title he defeated a fighter named Yuzo Kiyota last July by a 10th round TKO. Now Stieglitz is facing another unknown in 30-year-old Ekpo from Nigeria. If Stieglitz wins this fight then he’s expected to face Arthur Abraham again. Stieglitz already defeated Abraham last March by a 4th round TKO to capture his WBO title.

Stieglitz had previously been beaten by Abraham by a 12 round unanimous decision last year in August. After his loss to Stieglitz last March, Abraham bounced back with a controversial 12 round unanimous decision win over Willbeforce Shihepp last August in Germany in a fight that many people felt that Abraham should have lost. He didn’t and now he’s on the verge of getting his 3rd fight with Stieglitz in early 2014, as long as Stieglitz doesn’t lose to #7 WBO Ekpo.

Ekpo hasn’t faced any recognizable opposition for him to rate his high ranking by the World Boxing Organization. Ekpo’s best wins have come against Said Mada Hamou, Flash Issaka and Marciano Commey; none of which are recognizable opponents. The rest of the guys that Ekpo has fought have had poor records with little fight under their belts.

Stieglitz will likely beat Ekpo and then face Arthur Abraham again shortly after that. At some point you’d like to see the WBO champion face a high quality contender other than Abraham. The two fighters seem to be locked into a game of musical chairs where they’re taking easy optional title defenses and then facing each other. It wouldn’t be surprising if Stieglitz loses to Abraham that we see Abraham take two easy optional title defenses against lower ranked contenders before facing Stieglitz again in what would be a 4th fight between them. Who knows how long the two could go back and forth like this.