Arthur Abraham is the new WBO super middleweight champion after a unanimous points win over fellow German Robert Stieglitz in Berlin.
Sturm set to be next for former IBF middleweight champion
Arthur Abraham is the new WBO super middleweight champion after a unanimous points win over fellow German Robert Stieglitz in Berlin.
Abraham overcame the odd moment of concern to take the belt from his compatriot, two judges awarding it 116-112 in the 32-year-old's favour with the other scoring it 115-113.
The former IBF middleweight champion had found himself pinned on the ropes twice in the second round but began to assert his dominance in the middle stages of the bout.
Stieglitz would have found himself ahead on the scorecards after three rounds but the momentum all charged in the fourth.
Swelling
A barrage of shots left the defending champion with some swelling above his left eye, while he sustained a cut on the opposite side of his face that needed the attention of the ring doctor in the 10th round.
He gamely battled on to hear the final bell, though by then it was clear he had suffered a third defeat in his 45-fight career.
"This is an emotional moment for me and it's hard to describe how I feel," said Abraham, who is set to face another German, Felix Sturm, next.
"I always wanted to be the middleweight world champion and now I am the super middleweight champion too.
"I trained hard for this and I had to box cleverly against such a good champion."
