Spectacular end to Abraham’s fifth IBF defense
AP Worldstream
Published: Aug 18, 2007
Unbeaten Arthur Abraham knocked out Khoren Gevor in the 11th round in
defense of his IBF middleweight title on Saturday.
Abraham, 24-0 with 19 KOs, punished his fellow Armenian-born German
with shot after shot from the eighth round.
In the 11th, Abraham’s short uppercut spun Gevor’s head around sharply
and lifted him in the air. Gevor sagged onto his knees and after a long
second, toppled onto his back, going down for the first time in his
career.
"He’s a warrior, he showed that," Abraham said. "But anybody that wants
my title has to be punished."
But Gevor, the fifth-ranked challenger, gave Abraham trouble early. He
pressed from the opening seconds and threw blows nonstop.
The fight turned when Abraham caught him flush with a right in the
seventh. In the next round, Abraham hit Gevor several times with
flurries _ a dozen shots on one occasion.
"I thought of throwing in the title, but he wanted to show people,"
Gevor trainer Fritz Smudek said of his fighter. "He made one big
mistake. After that big shot, he tried to slug it out."
Gevor’s record fell to 27-3 with 15 knockouts. Both previous losses
were the result of cuts.
Abraham will fight in the United States next year, according to his
management.
He is a popular boxer in Germany with a knack for exciting fights,
including a successful defense last year against Edison Miranda after
his jaw was broken twice early in the bout.