By Ian S Palmer
WBO Super Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham will be defending his belt against former British champion Paul Smith in Abraham’s adopted homeland of Germany on Saturday, September 27. The 34-year-old Abraham, who originally hails from Armenia, has been on the comeback trail recently with four consecutive victories. This 12-round bout from Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany can be seen in the UK on Sky Sports 2.
This is Abraham’s second go-round as the WBO champ and it’s his second defence in his second reign. He also held the IBF Middleweight Championship from 2005 to 2009. This will be the first world title shot for the 31-year-old Smith of Liverpool, England and he’s stepping up in class here against Abraham. Smith has struggled against the best boxers in Britain so it’s logical to say he’ll also struggle against Abraham who’s one of the best in the world.
Abraham will enter the bout with an impressive record of 40-4 with 28 Kos while Smith is 35-3 with 20 Kos to his name. However, Smith’s chin is a bit on the fragile side as he was stopped by George Groves in 2011 and by James DeGale a year earlier. He’ll be facing an experienced champion in Abraham and somebody who has solid power, a good chin, and a hell of a lot of experience.
If there is a light at the end of the tunnel here for Smith it’s probably the fact that the champion hasn’t recorded a stoppage in the past two years and his power could possibly be diminishing slightly. But power is usually the last thing to go on a boxer, so Smith shouldn’t be counting on that scenario. If for some reason Abraham’s punches aren’t as powerful as they once were, then this could turn into a pure boxing match, which would give Smith some hope.
Smith, who turned pro back in 2003, doesn’t really have enough experience against top-notch opponents though and when he has stepped up in class he’s been stopped. Many fans may be wondering how he earned a title shot in the first place even though he is a former British champion. Smith has decent power of his own, notably in his left hand. But his inexperience against top opposition will probably be the difference in this contest.
Prediction
Abraham is getting older and since he hasn’t been knocking guys out lately he’s become a better boxer. He has enough power to gain some respect even if he isn’t a one-punch knockout artist. With Smith having a questionable chin we could see Abraham sop him later in the fight. Smith needs to establish a stiff jab against the champion and he’ll also need to get in and out quickly and land some effective blows. He doesn’t want to go toe-to-toe with Abraham and he needs to utilize his boxing skills to try to win rounds. He’s got a tough task in front of him though and we should see Abraham stop him in the second half of the fight or keep the title via a relatively close unanimous decision.
