Super middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham has had mixed success when fighting in the United States. The Armenian-born German is just 1-2 on these shores, including one of his best performances but also two of his worst.

Now the two-time super middleweight titleholder is excited to fight in the United States again and looking to even his stateside record, gaining additional motivation from his boxing idol, Mike Tyson, as he prepare to defends his 168-pound belt for the sixth time against Mexican mandatory challenger Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez on Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The fight is the co-feature on the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley III undercard and Abraham hopes it is the start of regular fights in the United States.

"I am very happy that this fight will happen with Ramirez in America," Abraham said through a translator. "I want to fight in America and get well known here."

Abraham first came to the U.S. in 2008 and even though he still held a middleweight world title, met dangerous puncher Edison Miranda in a super middleweight rematch in Hollywood, Florida.

Two years earlier, Abraham outpointed Miranda in a brutal fight in which Abraham's jaw was broken. He continued fighting despite swallowing his own blood and having breathing problems. Abraham destroyed Miranda by fourth-round knockout in the rematch.

Abraham's next two trips to America, both during the Super Six World Boxing Classic, went very badly. He fought so poorly in the tournament that many thought he was all done. He was being routed by Andre Dirrell in 2010 before being disqualified in the 11th round for hitting Dirrell after he slipped to the mat. In 2011, he challenged then-super middleweight champion Andre Ward and lost a shutout decision in an abysmal showing.

Since then, Abraham is 12-1, having lost only in a super middleweight title bout to Robert Stieglitz, whom he beat the three other times they met in world title fights.

"I want to beat Ramirez and then come back to America and make more big fights," Abraham said. "After my fight on Saturday I will come back to America. I am the word champion and I will box anyone who wants to fight me."

Top Rank, which is promoting the card, lost a purse bid for the fight to Team Sauerland, Abraham's promoter, and it looked like the fight was going to take place in Germany, where Abraham (44-4, 29 KOs), 36, is a star. But Top Rank really wanted the fight on the Pacquiao-Bradley III card and Abraham wanted to fight in Las Vegas for the first time. So the companies set aside the purse bid result and made a deal to have the fight on Saturday's show.

It seems like a lifetime ago that Abraham struggled in the Super Six, during which he also lost a lopsided decision in a world title fight to Carl Froch. Abraham said he is mentally strong and was able to put the tournament behind him and regain his form in recent years in which he went 3-1 against Stieglitz and also beat Martin Murray.

"The Super Six is the past. I have gained a lot of experience," Abraham said. "Now it's important that I prove it on Saturday. I really don't want to talk about the Super Six. It's the past. I want to look to the Ramirez fight.

"After I win this fight I am planning to come back to America. I love America and I am really looking forward to fighting here again. America is a big boxing market and I want to gain even more fans with my fight on Saturday."

Abraham, a pro for 13 years, got married last year and his wife is expecting their first child in late September. He said he sees the finish line of his career. He said he wants to fight for two more years and make it count with major fights.

"I feel very good. I still feel young and I'm healthy with no major injuries in my career," he said. "So I think two more years. I have a family now and don't want to spend too much time away from them in training or in hotels. Maybe two more years and then do something different."

Abraham, who trained at high altitude in the bitter cold of the Rila Mountains in Bulgaria, has been in Las Vegas for several days and on Monday met Tyson after he performed his one-man stage show. Abraham told Tyson that he was the fighter who inspired him to become a boxer.

"I went up to him and introduced myself politely. I said: 'Hi Mike, I'm Arthur Abraham. I'm boxing here at the MGM Grand this weekend,'" Abraham said. "He said he knew who I was and he wished me luck against Ramirez. That was a special moment for me. I told him that he was my idol and that it was after seeing him on TV that I wanted to become a boxer."

Ulli Wegner, Abraham's trainer, said it was true.

"When Arthur first came to the gym, with only a plastic bag and a couple of old sneakers in his hand, he said he wanted to be world champion like Tyson," Wegner said. "Meeting him now before the fight was a big deal. This will motivate him even more." Abraham said Tyson gave him some advice.

"Arthur, you got to do it like me -- win by knockout. You can do it. Knock this guy out,'" he said Tyson told him. "If Mike Tyson says I should knock him out, then I should knock him out. That would be the greatest victory for me."

The 6-foot-2½ Ramirez (33-0, 24 KOs), a 24-year-old southpaw, is taking a big step up in competition against Abraham, who is 5-9, but believes he is ready. His goal is to become the first Mexican fighter to win a super middleweight world title.

"This is my time," he said. "I have a lot of respect for Arthur Abraham. He's a great champion. I know he's working hard in training camp as am I. It's going to be a great fight. I have to be smart in this fight. We are working on keeping the pressure on Abraham by throwing high volumes of punches and staying on top of him. I'm going to be a second skin on him.

"I feel a great sense of history fighting to become Mexico's first super middleweight champion. It is a great honor representing my country in this fight. Looking past this fight is meaningless. The future is now."

When told of Ramirez's quest for Mexican history, Abraham was dismissive.

"I am not underestimating Ramirez at all but I am also not overrating him," he said. "Ramirez is the opponent in the ring. I have to win against him. I have no opinion of Ramirez but that (history) is not going to happen. The Mexican dream will not come true."

When told that Arum was already making plans for Ramirez's first title defense to take place on July 23 on the undercard of Terence Crawford's next junior welterweight title defense, Abraham was again dismissive.

"OK, let them plan for that," he said. "When I hit him with the first punch he will forget the plans, but let them think that, and dream of it. I will hit him and then he will realize the dream won't happen."

Source:
courtesy of ESPN

by Dan Rafael

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]