Arthur Abraham to fight on July 16 in Berlin, Germany

By Boxing News - 05/12/2016 - Comments

ramirez9999By Jeff Aranow: 36-year-old former two division world champion Arthur Abraham (44-5, 29 KOs) will be looking to rebuild his career starting next July on the 16th against an opponent still to be determined at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, Germany.

Abraham recently lost his WBO 168lb title last April against the taller, faster and younger 6’2” Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight was so one-sided that you could make a case that Abraham deserved only one round of the fight. He was totally outclassed by the 24-year-old Ramirez.

The fight could have been a more competitive one if Abraham was willing to put some pressure on Ramirez and take some risks. Abraham fought like he wasn’t willing to take the punishment he needed to in order to get to the taller Ramirez, who used movement all night long to land shots and get away without being hit in return. That kind of style has always given Abraham problems, but he’s shown in the past that he can neutralize that style by applying a lot of constant pressure. Abraham wasn’t willing to do that against Ramirez, and that cost him his WBO super middleweight title.

Abraham is still ranked high by the World Boxing Organization at #5 with their organization, so it’s possible he could reload for a rematch against Ramirez if he can put some wins together.

Abraham has been added to the undercard on July 16th of the title fight between WBA World super middleweight champion Giovanni De Carolis and #13 WBA fringe contender Tyron Zeuge.

“I’m not ready to say goodbye to the sport I love so much,” said the 36-year-old. “The fight with Ramirez did not go as planned, but I promise this will not happen again. I will show that I can do better and that I can become world champion again – that is my greatest wish!”

Abraham would be better off forgetting about a rematch with Ramirez and aiming instead on trying to get a fight against the winner of the James DeGale vs. Badou Jack fight. Those are both world champions at super middleweight, and Abraham might do better against them because they’re more likely to stand and fight compared to Ramirez, who has become a very mobile fighter since remodeling his former brawling fighting style.

Abraham would have stood a good chance of beating Ramirez in the past when he was fighting like Julio Cesar Chavez, but not with the way he’s become mobile.

Abraham doesn’t have the youth or the size to dominate the younger and taller super middleweights in the division. The only way he can beat fighters like DeGale, Jack and Ramirez is by pressuring them for three minutes of every round and by throwing a lot of punches. Abraham must also increase his foot speed because he’s too slow with his movements around the ring.

Ramirez was able to hit and run all night long without Abraham doing anything to him. It was too easy for Ramirez. The chances of Abraham finding further success in his career are slim at best. He fights at too slow of a pace, and he’s too short at 5’9” to compete against the taller guys like the 6’0” DeGale, 6’2” Ramirez and 6’1” Badou Jack.