King Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KOs) will travel to Helsinki, Finland on Sunday night to continue his preparation for the eagerly anticipated Super Six World Boxing Classic showdown with Carl “The Cobra” Froch (26-1, 20 KOs). The vacant WBC Super-Middleweight Title will be on the line when the two superstars collide at the famous Hartwall Areena on November 27. In the co-featured main event, Finnish heavyweight sensation Robert Helenius (13-0, 8 KOs) makes a first defense of his EU Heavyweight Title against Attila Levin (34-3, 27 KOs). Boxing-online.com has caught up with King Arthur in his training camp base in Kienbaum, Germany.
Q: Arthur, this is arguably the most important fight of your career. How has the preparation been going?
AA: “Things have been going very well. It has been a very long training camp. I can´t wait to finally get into the ring with Carl Froch. I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time.”
Q: How has the postponement – the fight was originally scheduled for October 2 – affected your training?
AA: “As a professional, you have to be able to deal with fight cancellations and postponements. My coach Ulli Wegner knows how to adjust training. He made the right adjustments and I will be in perfect shape on November 27. The more I train, the better I get.”
Q: Are you looking forward to fighting in Helsinki?
AA: “Very much so. It is a great city with very nice people. My friend and training partner Robert Helenius (the EU Heavyweight Champion) always told me how nice a country Finland is and how friendly his countrymen are. And he was right – I received a very warm welcome when I travelled out there for the first press conference in October. Robert and I will provide the Finnish fight fans with some great entertainment next Saturday.”
Q: What do you think about Carl Froch´s dubious comments about Helsinki and the Finnish people in the last Fight Camp 360 episode?
AA: “I was surprised by his comments. It was not very nice of him to say things like that about a country in which he is just a guest. But everybody knows that he talks too much. Let´s see what he has to say at the post-fight press conference after I am done with him. I am sure he will find excuses again – just like after his loss to Kessler.”
Q: Froch has wasted no opportunity to insult you. He predicted to break your rips, stuff you like a chicken and knock you out. Has he gotten under your skin?
AA: (laughs) “Froch? Under my skin? Not at all. I can´t take his comments seriously. Only one person has ever gotten under my skin and that is Edison Miranda. It did not do him any good. I defeated him with a broken jaw and then knocked him out in the rematch. I think Froch will meet a similar fate.”
Q: What do you think of Froch as a fighter?
AA: “He is a good boxer. Just like everybody in the Super Six tournament. Froch is a strong, tough guy with a good jab. He is a good puncher but so am I. He will definitely not beat me.”
Q: Why not?
AA: “Because I want to accomplish my goal of winning a world title in a second weight class. And I need to make up for my last fight. Only a victory in Helsinki can put my mind at rest. I also think that Froch has a mental problem. He still thinks he defeated Mikkel Kessler in his last fight, which was clearly not the case.”
Q: In retrospect, what have you learned from the controversial loss against Andre Dirrell?
AA: “The only thing I have learned is that I must not give away the early rounds. I need to put pressure on my opponents from the first bell. And I will do that against Carl Froch.”
Q: What is your prediction for the fight?
AA: “I normally never give predictions. But let me put it this way: Helsinki will turn into ‘Hell-sinki’ for Froch. Whenever two fighters with so much power clash, one will go down. It won´t be me. I will finish Froch!”
