'King' Abraham Stops Jermain Taylor

German super middleweight Arthur Abraham is nicknamed "King."

And on Saturday before a partisan, sellout crowd of more than 14,000 at The O2 World Arena in Kreuzberg, Berlin, the 168-pounder crowned Jermain Taylor, stopping the Little Rock, Ark., resident in the 12th round of the clash of former middleweight (160 pounds) champions.

Abraham's 25th knockout came with 11 seconds left, after setting up a hard right hand with a short left, which deposited Taylor onto his back and stopped him cold.

In victory, the Armenian-born Abraham rose to 31-0 and increased the chances of achieving his goal of becoming a star on American soil, where he has fought only twice during his career.

"It was a great fight. Taylor is a good fighter, but I was better. I thought I was ahead, but I was trying to go for the KO." said Abraham. "I was just waiting for him to open up, and then the opportunity came, and I hit him, and it worked."

Abraham-Taylor was shown on a tape-delayed basis on Showtime prior to the second featured bout, during which WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs) of England successfully defended his crown with a split-decision over former Olympic bronze medalist Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs), of Flint, Mich., from the Trent FM Arena in Froch's hometown of Nottingham, England.

Abraham, who has fought only twice on American soil, entered the tournament best-known for his two victories over Edison Miranda.

Abraham won the first over Miranda by a close decision during a September 2006 bout when he suffered a grotesquely broken jaw as the result of a fourth-round head-butt. In their rematch, Abraham blasted out Miranda in four rounds in June 2008.

Abraham still has 22 screws and two titaniam plates in his jaw.

"I thought that Taylor's punching power was normal," said Abraham. "He doesn't hit so hard."

Taylor (28-4-1, 17 knockouts), who was facing his 12th world champion in his last 13 bouts, has now lost four of his last five fights.

Taylor was coming off of April's 12th-round knockout loss to Froch, which came with 14 seconds left in a match that Taylor had led on two of the three judges' cards before the KO.

"I trained hard and gave it all that I had. I was in great shape, but he caught me with a good shot," said Taylor. "A loss is a loss to me. I thought I was in the best shape of my life."

Abraham, 29, will next face Dirrell, 27, and Taylor, 31, will meet 25-year-old former Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward (20-0, 23 KOs), who will go after the WBA crown of Denmark's Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 KOs) on Nov. 21 at Oracle Arena in Ward's hometown of Oakland, Calif.

"I spent most of my time preparing for and focusing on Taylor, so I haven't seen much of Dirrell," said Abraham. "But now, I will start looking at him and preparing for him."

Abraham-Taylor, Froch-Dirrell, and Kessler-Ward are part of the first of three group stages of Showtime's Super Six Super Middleweight World Boxing Classic, a round-robin tournament which is expected to end in 2011.

Kessler, 30, who will next meet the 32-year-old Froch, watched Abraham's victory from ringside.

In the third and final group stage before the semifinals, Dirrell will meet Ward, Abraham will take on Froch, and, Kessler matches up with Taylor.

Abraham picked up three points -- two for the win, and another for the KO. Froch has two points for his decision victory.

Commentators for Showtime, which aired both bouts, indicated that Taylor was taken to a nearby medical hospital and subjected to several tests, which reportedly may later include MRI and CT scans.

It is not immediately clear whether Taylor will complete the tournament, having suffered his second straight knockout out loss, and completed a brutal schedule over the most recent portion of his career.

A potential replacement is super middleweight Allan Green (29-1, 20 KOs) of Tulsa, OK., who is coming off of his sixth straight win by unanimous decision on Oct. 2 over previously unbeaten Tarvis Simms of of Connecticutt.

For the tournament's rules, format, structure and advancement criteria, click here.



Check out the complete round-by-round blog below.

Pre-fight: Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor enters the ring first to Michael Jackson's, "He's Bad." Taylor, the fans clapping in unison to the theme song, wears a red jacket and trunks with white lettering and trim.

Arthur Abraham enters to the live sounds of the rock group The Scorpions', with fire blasts being shot from the floor of the stage the group is playing on.

Abraham's elaborate outfit is gold, with artificial animal hair on its shoulders. The crowd is going absolutely nuts for their "King."

"Let's Get Ready To Rumble," shouts ring announcer Michael Buffer.

Abraham, wearing white trunks with blue lettering, jumps up and down as he is introduced by Buffer and the fans cheer. Taylor, in red trunks with white lettering, is booed.


Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor, round-by-round

Round 1: From behind his peek-a-boo style, Abraham circles from the outside. Taylor jabs but is blocked over the first two minutes. Abraham jabs twice to the stomach, but his left hook is blocked. Abraham closes the distance and lands a looping right against a jab by Taylor. A minute left, Abraham's pressure is bothering Taylor. Taylor lands to the body. Abraham jabs to the head and drills a left to the head. Abraham lands to the head with a left jab. Abraham's effective aggression takes the round. Abraham's round, 10-9.

Round 2: Same deal to start the second round, when Abraham lands a left hook, lightly. Abraham is blocking Taylor's jab. Abraham is closing the gap yet again. Taylor is giving ground but drills a combination, after which Abraham complains of a low blow. Taylor lands a right to the head, but Abraham shakes his head indicating he's unhurt. Taylor continues to jab but is becoming more effective. Abraham lands three rights to the head during a clinch while Taylor holds his left hand. Taylor complains that the shots are to the back of his head. Taylor's round, 10-9.

Round 3: The first effective punch of the round is a body shot by Abraham, who lands twice more during the combination. Abraham's jab penetrates Taylor's defense. Taylor jabs and lands it. Abraham appears to be growing in the confidence that Taylor is reluctant to engage. Another right hand lands from Abraham during a combination. Abraham misses with a right then lands a right to the head that moves Taylor. Abraham lands a jab. Abraham lands a right to the head, and then another during a clinch. Abraham's round, 10-9.

Round 4: Taylor was told by his trainer, Ozell Nelson, to move more to his right. Abraham is stepping up the pressure. Taylor still is jabbing. Taylor lands to the body, but is told by referee Lupe Garcia to keep his shots up. Abraham is being very patient and deliberate, and lands hard to the body. Taylor's overhand rights, two straight, are blocked as is a third. Abraham lands a right to the body. Taylor's three-punch combination is blocked. Abraham lands a jab. A left-right by Abraham lands with about 10 seconds left. Abraham's round, 10-9.

Round 5: Told to keep the action in the middle of the ring, Abraham has some swelling over his right eye. Abraham's jab backs up Taylor. Abraham drops his hands down to bait Taylor and eludes a couple of jabs. Then he covers up again and blocks Taylor's shots. A four-punch combination backs up Taylor, who steps back in with a couple of jabs. Abraham lands a long, looping right hand then misses twice. Abraham's hands are low again and Taylor slips in a right hand during a wild exchange. Taylor is nailed by a long right hand. Abraham's stepping up the pressure. Abraham's round, 10-9.

Round 6: Abraham starts out with a hard combination, digging to the body and head. Taylor is warned and receives a point deduction for a low blow. When the fight resumes, Abraham lands a hard right that draws cheers from the crowd. Taylor's jab is softening up. Abraham's hands are down as he backs off at the end of the round. Abraham's round, 10-8.

Round 7: Trainer Ulli Wegner tells Abraham to step up his punch output between rounds. Wegner believes Taylor to be fading. Abraham begins to answer Taylor's jab openly with his own as he pursues his man. Taylor's three, four straight jabs are being blocked. Abraham's jab and a right hand both land. Abraham ends a three-punch combination with a right to the head. Abraham's jab is more and more effective. Taylor's jab no longer is holding him off. Abraham's ferocity has increased, as he lands twice to the body and lands a right hook to the head. Taylor clinches. Abraham's hands low, Taylor misses. Abraham showboats and bolo punches. Abraham's round, 10-9.

Round 8: Nelson screams at Taylor between rounds to throw his right hand more and to move to the right. Abraham leans back and out of range of Taylor's two straight jabs. Abraham lands a wild right behind the head. Abraham again leans back away from two of Taylor's jabs. Behind his peek-a-boo defense, Abraham blocks jabs. Taylor lands a jab with Abraham's hands down. Abraham backs off Taylor with a long right hand. Abraham has Taylor on the ropes with a four-punch combination, but is more effective with a left-right combination near the middle of the ring. Abraham's round, 10-9.

Round 9: Abraham backs up behind a peek-a-boo defense, then drops his hands. Taylor's rocked by a right hand to the jaw and tries to hold on. Garcia breaks the clinch, but Taylor still is wobbly when he takes a left uppercut. Abraham still patiently stalks. Taylor lands a right uppercut. Taylor lands a left to the body. Abraham backs up Taylor with a jab, but takes one in return. Abraham lands a left and a right. Abraham ends the round mysteriously by backing away. Abraham's round, 10-8.

Round 10: Abraham continues to block Taylor's jab as he steps in with his high-guard defense. Against it, Taylor's jab is no good. Taylor still is going to his left, not his right, as instructed by his trainer. A stiff jab by Abraham is countered by one from Taylor. Abraham's hands are low. Abraham misses three punches but lands twice, pushing Taylor backward. Taylor's right eye has swollen. Abraham pressures and lands two long right hands. Abraham misses with two wild lefts. Abraham lands a short right as the bell sounds. Abraham's round, 10-9.

Round 11: Abraham continues to stalk Taylor, who continues to jab and throw an occasional right, ineffectively. Taylor escapes harm in a neutral corner. Taylor lands a right hand. Abraham corners Taylor and lands four right hands to his body. Taylor lands an overhand left. Abraham lands two short right hands in close. Abraham pushes Taylor back with a couple of right hands to the head, his fans cheering him on. Abraham's round, 10-9.

Round 12: Abraham patiently stalks behind his defense and with 90 seconds left, lands hard to the body. A hard right rocks Taylor with about 70 seconds left, and a left hook shakes Taylor. A right does the same. A right to the head lands with 48 seconds left. Abraham backs off, but Taylor pursues. Suddenly, Abraham uncorks a blistering straight right hand, set up by a short, quick jab, that splits Taylor's guard and goes down the pipe. For Taylor, it's lights out as he falls backward and his head slams against the canvas. Taylor, out cold, lies completely still, except that his right hand is extended into the air toward the cieling. Garcia does not bother to count. Fight's over. Taylor rises, and appears to be OK. Abraham runs over to the ropes, climbs to the top of them, leans over the turnbuckle and thrusts both fists into the air -- soaking up the cheers of his adoring fans. Abraham by 12th-round KO with six seconds left.