The Super Six Super-Middleweight Showdown is about to kick off and Jermain Taylor has arrived in Berlin, Germany to continue preparations for his first round bout against middleweight kingpin Arthur Abraham. Jermain was the undisputed middleweight champion before losing that status to current champ Kelly Pavlik. He lost in a rematch to Pavlik then fell prey to a late rally from British Carl Froch earlier this year. Now he's looking to put it all back together at super-middleweight in this groundbreaking and breathtaking tournament.
Taylor is 28-3-1 with 17 knockouts and is known for his top tier boxing prowess.
His chin is questionable as is his stamina, and that's part of what makes him an
exciting fighter to watch. “I´m happy to be in Berlin again,” Taylor said in a first
TV interview at the airport. “It´s an amazing city. I hope to have a little bit time
to see more of it. I know Arthur is fighting in his hometown on the 17. I bet at
the o2 World he is going to have the crowd behind him. But my preparation was very
good and I´m feeling very well. I will be ready for him and I expect a very tough
fight.” He's fought some of the top names in the sport and become one himself, in
fact he's one of the most recognizable boxers in the United States. But now he's
not in the United States. He finds himself again on foreign soil, facing a man who
has known no defeat. Enter Arthur Abraham.
Arthur Abraham is undefeated and arguably the best 160 pound fighter in the world. That honor is perhaps hindered by the fact he never faced fellow countryman Felix Sturm or American Kelly Pavlik during his time at middleweight, but he's not going to let that stop him. He goes by the moniker "King" Arthur, and he's got 24 knockouts on his resume. But it's a thin resume with few big names on it. Top of the list is Edison Miranda, a guy who broke his jaw in their first fight. Then Pavlik knocked Miranda out. Then Arthur knocked Miranda out. Arthur has since defeated former titlist Raul Marquez, undefeated Mahir Oral, and one loss Lajuan Simon.
Then AA called it quits on the middleweight division, citing his inability to keep the weight down. Now he's been granted an automatic spot in the biggest Super-Middleweight contest in history, and his upcoming bout against Jermain Taylor just might reveal how well he'll measure up. He already seems shorter and smaller than many of the other 6 contenders. And Taylor wears the weight well. But Arthur has had an impenatrable defense so far, and he'll be fighting on his home turf. He will finish off his training camp in Zinnowitz at the Baltic Sea, and will be in Berlin Monday.
The fight takes place on October 17th, a week from now. And now that Jermain has arrived with his coach Ozell Nelson all the players are in place for the first Super Six Classic contest. Chances are that it'll be a good one.
By UPPERCUTTER
