Peninsula Online, Qatar
Feb 22 2015
Boxing: Abraham has boxing former DJ in a spin
February 22, 2015 – 5:30:39 pm
Berlin–Arthur Abraham retained his WBO super-middleweight world title
on Saturday with a second successive victory over former British DJ
turned boxer Paul Smith in Berlin.
The 35-year-old champion, who was born in Armenia but moved to Germany
with his parents at 15, won convincingly on points on all three
judges’ cards, just as he had in the first contest in Kiel last
September.
For ‘King Arthur’ it was his 41st victory of his career, against four
defeats, and his third successful defence of the belt he regained from
German Robert Stieglitz in March last year.
Smith, emboldened by the vocal support of around 3,000 of his
compatriots in the crowd, was the more aggressive of the two fighters
from the opening bell, but by the fourth round Abraham had gained the
ascendancy, delivering heavy blows to the body and face.
For 32-year-old Smith it was his fifth career defeat against 35 victories.
Abraham, who after he retires intends to open a boxing school in
Armenia which will also provide language classes as he believes boxers
cannot progress unless they speak a foreign language, could well face
Stieglitz for the fourth time in his next defence.