Arthur Abraham (44-4, 29 KOs) met his boxing idol Mike Tyson who offered the WBO Super Middleweight titlist some words of encouragement ahead of his fight with Gilberto Ramirez (33-0, 24 KOs) on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Abraham, who was enjoying some time off from training, caught up with the heavyweight legend following his one-man show, and was quick to tell Tyson that he had inspired him to start boxing. ‘’Finally, I’ve met my idol Mike Tyson,’’ exclaims Abraham, who recalls his dream meeting.
‘’I went up to him and introduced myself politely. I said: ‘Hi Mike, I’m Arthur Abraham. I’m boxing here at the MGM Grand this weekend’. He said he knew who I was and he wished me luck against Ramirez. That was a special moment for me. I told him that he was my idol and that it was after seeing him on TV that I wanted to become a boxer!’’
Abraham’s coach Ulli Wegner acknowledges this fact: ‘’When Arthur first came to the gym, with only a plastic bag and a couple of old sneakers in his hand, he said he wanted to be World Champion like Tyson. Meeting him now before the fight was a big deal. This will motivate him even more.’’
Abraham faces a tough test against the undefeated Mexican Ramirez, and with a victory, he can become the first German fighter to win a World title bout in Las Vegas. To defend his title, Tyson offered the following advice: ‘’Arthur, you got to do it like me – win by knockout. You can do it – knock this guy out!’’
Abraham says he is happy to oblige: ‘’If Mike Tyson says I should knock him out, then I should knock him out. That would be the greatest victory for me.’’
