Arthur Abraham wants to be an American icon in boxing. Problem is, out of Abraham's 30 fights, only two have been outside of his adopted Germany, and only one of those contests was in the United States.
But on Oct. 17, Abraham hopes to score a big victory toward expanding his name worldwide when he takes on Jermain Taylor in a clash of former middleweight (160 pounds) champions.
Abraham-Taylor is the first fight of the comprehensive, Super Six round-robin, super middleweight (168 pounds) tournament that is expected to total 12 bouts and last through the spring of 2011. Their clash will be shown on Showtime on a tape-delayed basis from The 02 World Arena in Abraham's hometown of Berlin. Further explanation of the tournament's process, rules and procedures can be found here.
"This is to have the prospect of coming to America and making a big fight in the United States. But it's another thing to win a fight in America," said Abraham, 29, who will take a mark of 30-0 with 24 knockouts against Taylor (28-3-1, 17 KOs).
"I want to be a big champion, and make the really big fights like [Floyd] Mayweather, Sugar Ray Leonard and [Oscar] De La Hoya," said Abraham. "I want to win the [Super Six] title and have a big fight in the states because I love America."
Abraham's promoter, Kalle Sauerland, believes his man has the tools to achieve crossover appeal.
"Arthur is kind of like a young Mike Tyson. The way he draws you into the ring and can end the fight with both hands if it's with a hook or an uppercut," Sauerland said of Abraham, who will be in his second bout as a super middleweight.
"Arthur looks amazing in training and we think the move up in weight is only going to help him," Sauerland said of a man who earned the nickname "King" after making 10 middleweight title defenses. "The power will be there for all to see on Oct. 17."
But Taylor, 31, appears to be Abraham's toughest opponent to date -- a boxer-puncher with a blistering up-jab, a penchant for attacking from the angles, and considerably more hand speed than the Armenian-born Abraham has seen.
"I feel like I'm the bigger fighter. I'm a lot stronger. As long as I don't get tired I'm going to win the fight," said Taylor, of Little Rock, Ark. "I've done everything there is to do in boxing, [but] I'm not ready to go yet. I feel like there is more to accomplish."
Taylor's experience includes having gone against a world champion or former world champion during 11 of his past 12 fights, including consecutive wins over Bernard Hopkins.
"Taylor has beaten Hopkins. That's all that you have to know about him. He's a good boxer," said Abraham. "I have never been inside of the ring with somebody like Taylor."
While Abraham has stopped seven of his last eight opponents, Taylor has lost three of his past four bouts -- two by knockout -- leaving many to believe that his best days are behind him.
"I've fought the best of the best in boxing. I've won some and lost some," said Taylor. "I just want to win the tournament. That's my state of mind right now. No excuses."
Abraham's biggest claims to fame are his two matchups with Puerto Rican knockout artist Edison Miranda, whom he overcame to win a decision as a middleweight despite a broken jaw in September 2006 before stopping Miranda in four rounds of their super middleweight rematch in June 2008.
"Arthur's a top fighter in Germany. At that time he beat Miranda, there was talk that Arthur would continue to fight in America, but he didn't," said ESPN's Dan Rafael.
"The tournament will give him the opportunity to fight here at least one more time," said Rafael. "If he advances, the semifinals and finals are both scheduled to take place in the United States. This way, he can try to crash that American market."
Abraham's heroic effort against Miranda was against a Colombian native who came to Germany with a record of 28-0, with 23 KOs. His jaw swelling badly, Abraham bravely fought through eight rounds, even as the fight was in danger of being stopped.
"The first fight was with a broken jaw, and that was a very difficult thing for me. I had to fight with a jaw that was broken twice," said Abraham. "It was a big win for me. It was a moral victory. I fought for eight rounds with a broken jaw and won the fight."
For the non-title rematch with Miranda, Abraham rose to super middleweight and came to Florida -- his first time fighting on American soil.
This time, using his trademark defense -- hands held high on either side of his head -- Abraham patiently jabbed, probed and searched for an opening over the course of three rounds.
In the fourth, Abraham pounced on Miranda. Three crushing left hooks dropped Miranda on as many seperate occasions -- the last of which forced the referee to wave an end to a bout that left Miranda separated from his senses.
"When I came to the states, I took revenge and I showed what kind of boxer I am. I was really relieved afterward to show my qualities. Those were two, very important fights for me," said Abraham.
"I will be fighting in front of my hometown [against Taylor.] I want to put on a good fight," said Abraham. "It's my goal to make a big fight like in Las Vegas or Madison Square Garden in New York. The Super Six tournament will only help me get that big fight in America."
In a second tournament battle, also to be aired on Oct. 17, WBC champion Carl Froch (25-0, 20 KOs), of Nottingham, England, will take on Andre Dirrell (18-0, 13 KOs), of Flint, Mich., from Nottingham's Trent FM Arena.
Then, on Nov. 21, WBA king Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 KOs), of Copenhagen, Denmark, meets former Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward (20-0, 13 KOs) at Oracle Arena in Ward's hometown of Oakland, Calif.
