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Hall of Fame-Promoter Wilfried Sauerland has voiced his astonishment over Virgil Hunter´s comments at yesterday´s official Super Six World Boxing Classic Semifinals press conference.
The trainer of WBA Super-Middleweight Champion Andre Ward claimed that Sauerland has lost confidence in Abraham because he demanded neutral judges and a neutral referee.
The Super Six Semifinals featuring Ward vs. Abraham fight will air live on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast, from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Opening up the telecast will be a replay of last Saturday night’s Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley mega-fight from Las Vegas.
“I see no problem in asking for a non-Californian referee – and that´s not just because it was guaranteed in the contract,” Sauerland said on Thursday. “I am not sure what leads Virgil to believe that we have lost confidence in Arthur. Maybe he is getting a little nervous because Andre Ward is not fighting in Oakland this time. I thought it was funny that Dan Goossen complained about the five-hour drive Ward had to take to come down to L.A. for this fight.
“But then again, if you are used to fighting at your protected home base, travelling 400 miles might seem like a huge inconvenience, so let us not hold it against them. All the comments from their camp and the problems with the officials are a clear indication that they do not feel comfortable about fighting away from home, even though they are still in their home state. So it´s them who are losing confidence in their fighter, not us.”
And Sauerland added: “King Arthur has travelled over 40,000 miles during the course of the tournament and he is ready for a big fight on Saturday night. Nobody will be able to protect Ward from Arthur´s power.”
Meanwhile, King Arthur is getting ready for the big fight. After the official press conference, he checked out the Home Depot Center . “It´s a great venue and I am thrilled to make my first open-air fight,” he said. “There is a lot at stake. I know that Andre Ward is a tough and very skilled opponent. But my goal is to become a superstar in America , and in order to do so, I need to defeat Ward. I am prepared for a real battle and a huge victory for my legions of fans all over the world.”
