Arthur Abraham (43-4, 29 KOs) insists he has left no stone unturned in preparation for his WBO Super Middleweight title defense with Martin Murray (32-2-1, 15 KOs) on Saturday night at the TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany.
Speaking at today’s final pre-fight press conference, ‘King Arthur’ detailed his ‘brutal’ training camp and declared himself ready to beat the British challenger.
‘’This has been one of the toughest camps of my career,’’ said Abraham. ‘’My coach Ulli Wegner and his assistant Georg Bramowski have pushed me to my limits. It’s been brutal at times, but it will all be worthwhile when my hand is raised on Saturday night. Martin is a good boxer and I expect him to give me a hard fight, but there is no way he is taking my title!’’
Murray, who is contesting his first title at 168 lbs following three valiant attempts at middleweight, shares the Champion’s confidence and has vowed not to leave Germany without Abraham’s WBO belt.
‘’We’ve been studying Arthur carefully and I believe I’ve got him beat,’’ said the 33 year-old from St Helens. ‘’He is a great fighter, but he’s not changed his style in years, and in my opinion, he’s not evolved. It’s going to be a tough fight but I know it’s well within me to win. I won’t be leaving Germany without the title!’’
‘’This is a real 50-50 fight,’’ said promoter Kalle Sauerland. ‘’And I think it will be Arthur’s toughest test for many years. However, he has never shied away from a challenge, and against Murray, I expect Arthur to prove why he is the number one fighter in the super middleweight division.’’
Another man under no illusion of the danger Murray poses is Abraham’s long-time coach and mentor Ulli Wegner, who will be celebrating his 100th World title fight on Saturday night. ‘’For Arthur and I, a unification bout is the common goal,’’ said the 73 year-old. ‘’But first he must get past Murray, which will be no easy task!’’
In undercard action, Deion Jumah (5-0, 3 KOs) is back against Italy’s Fabrizio Leone (6-7, 5 KOs). The 26 year-old returns following the third-round stoppage of Karel Horejsek in June, and having spent the past five months sharpening his skills in the gym, the Adam Booth trained fighter is looking forward to showcasing his improvements.
‘’I can’t wait to get back in there and do the business,’’ exclaims the British light heavyweight. ‘’Since my last fight, I’ve been keeping busy in the gym and doing a lot of work with Adam to become a more calculated boxer-puncher, and now, I’m looking forward to putting that into practice.
‘’I’m not worried about my opponent. I’ll just be thinking about myself – picking my shots, staying as poised as possible and getting that win. It’s a big show, so it will be great exposure for me, and intend to show everyone what I can do.’’
The two-time ABA Champion has also been enjoying World-class sparring sessions with gym-mate Andy Lee ahead of the WBO World Champion’s upcoming title defense.
‘’I’m fortunate to be surrounded by so many good fighters in the gym,’’ says Jumah. ‘’Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of sparring with Andy Lee before his fight with Billy Joe Saunders. I’m a southpaw like Saunders so it’s good work for both of us. It’s kept me sharp and I’m sure I’ll feel the benefit in the ring.’’
