m a i n e v e n t NE W S
x
Rematch a long shot for Smith
T
here was a time when it would have
seemed unlikely that Paul Smith
would ever earn a world title shot. A
stalwart of the British super middleweight
ranks, the Liverpudlian veteran had
come up short in his two biggest tests, suffering
stoppage defeats to prodigious talents James
DeGale and George Groves. But following a career
resurgence with four straight wins heading
into this summer – including his impressive
dismantling of Tony Dodson in their rematch last
year – and a promotional switch to link up with
Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom outfit, the ‘Real Gone Kid’
received a long-awaited and well-deserved chance
at the big time, with an opportunity to challenge
Arthur Abraham for his WBO strap in Germany.
Smith snatched that opportunity with both
hands and put in the hardest training camp
of his life for the battle on September 27th,
before storming out of the blocks against the
heavily favoured champion, edging the
first two rounds at Kiel’s Sparkassen Arena.
Abraham then found his feet and would
command
the
middle
sessions,
landing the more telling blows, but remained
typically
inactive
and
the
challenger
rallied
to
finish
strong
down
the
stretch.
“Gutted
that
the
WBO
aren’t
making
a
straight
rematch.
I
do
believe
I’ll
get
the
rematch
voluntarily,
though.
I’ve
proved
I
belong up here.”- Twitter @PaulSmithJnr
NOVEMBER 2014
issue #14
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“Resolution on #AbrahamSmith to be
notified on Monday. Rematch petition is
DENIED. What caused controversy was margin
of scores, not result.” - Twitter @Paco Valcarcel
@ T y s o n _ F u r y
@ D a v i d P r i c e
The news came as a bitter blow to Smith,
who
was
understandably
aggrieved
in the wake of the controversial defeat, yet
the 32-year-old remained positive about
his chances of securing a return bout:
@ArtherAbraham
@PacoValcarce
@ F e l i x S t e r m
@TeamSauerland
@ E d d i e H e r n
@ D a v i d H a y e
That
sentiment
was
echoed
by
Abraham, who informed media that he would
be open to fighting Smith again, although
it
would
ultimately
be
down
to
the promoters to work out a deal.
And
that
is
where
the
problem
lies
for
Smith,
despite
Kalle
Sauerland
also
insisting he was keen on the Smith
return. Given the fallout from the fight it’s the
politically correct thing to say, but with
bigger
money
fights
on
the
table
for
the
declining
Abraham
–
who
turns
thirty-five
in
February – a second bout with Smith
is unlikely to be a priority for a
fighter with limited miles left on the clock.
At the final bell, the proverbial knights in
King Arthur’s corner could not have been
certain that the home fighter had retained his
crown. A draw was a realistic outcome from
what had indisputably been a close fight, with
either man able to lay claim to deserving the
decision by a round or two. But as has
often been the case on German soil, the judge’s
scorecards did not accurately reflect the
action that had taken place a few feet
from
their
tainted
eyes.
Abraham
was
announced
the
victor
by
awfully wide scores of 117-111 (twice) and 119-109. November 8th sees an all-German super
middleweight
affair
between
Robert
WBO
president
Paco
Valcarcel
even Stieglitz and Felix Sturm in Stuttgart, with
publicly condemned the scoring, assuring fans the winner a mouth-watering target for
he would review the fight and insisting that Abraham’s next title defence. As German
Fernando Laguna – who favoured Abraham by boxing’s biggest stars, interest in a clash between
08
j
ten rounds – “screwed up”. But the sanctioning
body then announced that they would not force
an immediate rematch, with Valcarcel taking to
Twitter on October 17th to insist that despite
the wide scores, the right man won the fight:
@ R i c k y B u r n s
@anthonyfjoshua
@FrankBrunoBoxer
@LennoxLewis
@skill4real23
Abraham and Sturm has been widespread for years, with the prospect
now a realistic one given that the latter has finally moved up from 160lbs.
Abraham and Stieglitz have clashed three times already and done big
business in Germany, where the public would love to see them meet again.
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Money talks in this game and the likelihood of Smith getting another
shot at Abraham is therefore slim, but due to his gutsy performance
he has at least retained a high ranking within the WBO. A noteworthy victory to kick-start 2015 could propel him towards a second
title
shot
later
next
year.
Unfortunately though, he’d likely have to battle German judging again.
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