ARTHUR ABRAHAM (43-4, 29 KOs) insists he has left no stone unturned in preparation for his WBO World Super Middleweight Championship contest with Martin Murray (32-2-1, 15 KOs) on Saturday night at the TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany.
Speaking at todayโs final pre-fight press conference, โKing Arthurโ detailed his โbrutalโ training camp and declared himself ready to beat the British challenger.
โโThis has been one of the toughest camps of my career,โโ said Abraham. โโMy coach Ulli Wegner and his assistant Georg Bramowski have pushed me to my limits. Itโs been brutal at times, but it will all be worthwhile when my hand is raised on Saturday night. Martin is a good boxer and I expect him to give me a hard fight, but there is no way he is taking my title!โโ
Murray, who is contesting his first title at 168 lbs following three valiant attempts at middleweight, shares the Championโs confidence and has vowed not to leave Germany without Abrahamโs WBO belt.
โโWeโve been studying Arthur carefully and I believe Iโve got him beat,โโ said the 33 year-old from St Helens. โโHe is a great fighter, but heโs not changed his style in years, and in my opinion, heโs not evolved. Itโs going to be a tough fight but I know itโs well within me to win. I wonโt be leaving Germany without the title!โโ
โโThis is a real 50-50 fight,โโ said promoter Kalle Sauerland. โโAnd I think it will be Arthurโs toughest test for many years. However, he has never shied away from a challenge, and against Murray, I expect Arthur to prove why he is the number one fighter in the super middleweight division.โโ
Another man under no illusion of the danger Murray poses is Abrahamโs long-time coach and mentor Ulli Wegner, who will be celebrating his 100th World title fight on Saturday night. โโFor Arthur and I, a unification bout is the common goal,โโ said the 73 year-old. โโBut first he must get past Murray, which will be no easy task!โโ