Arthur Abraham came out ahead in his trilogy with fellow German fighter Robert Stieglitz this weekend, winning the rubber match in a Split Decision.
Abraham was more cautious than in the first two bouts, which ended in a clear Unanimous Decision win and a 4th Round TKO loss. He chose to button up and let Stieglitz come at him, saving his power for counter-attacks. The stratagem wore Stieglitz out, and King Arthur came close to winning a stoppage in the 12th Round. Stieglitz survived, and Abraham was denied decisive revenge.
The result is that Abraham and Stieglitz will likely trade places astride the middle of the 168 lbs rankings, but what the win does not do is give the hard-punching Abraham any career momentum. Attention in the division is still very much focused on what Andre Ward might do next, as well as the Carl Froch vs. George Groves rematch.
Froch also has Abraham’s most plausible big money opportunity, Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., tied up with the lure of a major event there. Yet, Froch vs. Groves II isn’t until May 31st, which means that Chavez would be forced to spend quite a bit of time on the shelf if he was simply waiting to get at Froch next.
That’s the same date as Abraham’s next fight, which creates the intriguing possibility that both Abraham and Chavez, already coming off a fight over the same weekend, get right back at it in a few months against one another. It may be giving Chavez Jr. too much credit for believing he would show such a commitment to training, but Abraham now does have a belt around his waist and could therefore attract Chavez, seeking to become a two-division titleholder, with that bait.
Abraham’s next fight though, already penciled in for Germany, will likely be a “gimme” fight against a journeyman. However, if he wants to get his career back on track in the near term, Abraham’s best bet is a high profile, Germany vs. UK clash with James DeGale.
“Chunky” has been undefeated since narrowly losing a Majority Decision to George Groves three years ago, and he has been busy working his way into angling for a shot at the WBC belt. However, in so doing DeGale has risen to the #2 slot in the WBO rankings, and may become #1 in the wake of Stieglitz losing the rubber match. Yet at the same time, DeGale hasn’t done anything that has generated buzz.
Ergo, DeGale is looking for a big fight himself, and is a good bet for becoming Abraham’s #1 contender anyway. Plenty of business logic dictates that these two should get it on later this year, and that’s a good thing, because Abraham vs. DeGale is a fight I’d pay to see.
