Al Bernstein On Boxing: All Hail The King

A week and a half ago, I finally got a chance to see “King” Arthur Abraham fight in front of his loyal subjects in Germany.

It was a fun and exhilarating experience, but I realized while watching King Arthur beat a better than advertised Mahir Oral that the venue is not the deciding factor in Abraham’s success.

He might be unbeatable at this point in his career, and it’s not because of the “friendly” officiating by both judges and referees when working an Abraham fight in Germany.

Now, I fully understand that friendly officiating may have had a lot to do with his win over Edison Miranda a few years back in Germany. But, really, he fashioned that win because of his iron chin and iron will. Abraham’s jaw was broken early in the fight and round after round, the power punching Miranda was teeing off on Abraham’s jaw.

It was a grotesque sight. Somehow Abraham survived and won a decision primarily because a bucket of points were deducted from Miranda for low blows. Some deductions were warranted some not.

But, I also saw Abraham come to Florida to fight Miranda in Edison’s home arena at the Hard Rock Casino, and watched him dismantle Miranda. He did it the same way he beat Oral a week and a half ago.

And this unique game plan he has is what makes him a potentially impossible opponent for…well, for everybody.

Abraham loses the first three rounds of most his fights by using a shell like defense that invites punches from his opponent. Somehow, this defense seems to cover BOTH his body ands head.

He punches little in those first three rounds, luring his opponent in, so that starting in about round four he can uncoil from that defense with quick, powerful combinations. And that is the key, he does not throw single punches, he throws combinations—and his hand speed is much better than most people think.

Once that procedure starts, it seems only a matter of time until he either takes control of the fight to win a lopsided decision or scores a knockout.

This is all predicated on two things. 1.) He cannot be hurt or knocked out by anyone and 2.) No one will be able to box enough perfect rounds to avoid being lured into the Abraham traps and thus win a decision. It’s possible that both of these assertions are universal truths.

What makes this even more fascinating to ponder is that Abraham is apparently going up in weight to join the talent rich super middleweight division. So, if any division in boxing would test those assertions, it would be that division.

Is a Carl Froch, Allan Green, or Librado Andrade powerful enough to really hurt Abraham and explode assertion number one? Could technicians like Lucien Bute, Andre Ward, Andre Dirrell or Jermain Taylor box well enough to turn assertion number two into a falsehood?

I think Wilfred Sauerland, the genius behind the Abraham throne, believes the answer is no to both questions. But with all that certainty, there is doubt about one opponent and I think Sauerland and Abraham would have to admit it under oath.

It’s possible that Mikkel Kessler is capable of destroying either one or both of those ironclad assertions about Abraham. He is the one man out there who represents the most serious threat to Abraham. And, I believe that Abraham and his people are actually intrigued about what the outcome of a Kessler vs. Abraham fight would be.

Abraham is a true competitor and he believes at 168 he can test himself fully and find out if he is just a very good current day champion, or if he is a champion for the ages. He and his braintrust would like to make lots of money fighting other people, but ultimately I believe they feel Kessler is their fight of destiny—however it turns out.

The real shame is that Joe Calzaghe, who beat Kessler in a scintillating match, has now retired. He and Abraham would be a perfect style match up. Calzaghe would punch in great volume and try and avoid Abraham’s lightning attacks from his defensive shell.

It would be an exciting cat and mouse game, which is what a Kessler-Abraham match would also look like. Wait…could Calzaghe unretire at some point to fight Abraham? No…that’s never happened before in boxing.

Watching Abraham navigate through the talented 168 pound division will be one of the joys of the next few years in boxing. I don’t know if his granite chin and clever tactics make him unbeatable—but they might. In which case he will be the historical King of German boxing, and a lot more.

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There are many boxing fans who also enjoy and follow mixed martial arts and MMA fans who love boxing. I am not one of the boxing folk who denigrates MMA, I have even announced a number of MMA shows. I appreciate the nuances of the many disciplines it takes to be a really good MMA fighter.

With all that in mind I’d like to make you all aware of an event that will be appealing to anyone who is an MMA fan, and specifically a fan of The Ultimate Fighting Championships.

On July 24th at the Palms Hotel and Casino, UFC President Dana White will be honored as Sportsman Of The Year by ESPN Radio 1100 and The Caring Place, a facility that provides free non-medical services to those touched by Cancer.

All proceeds raised from the 24 hour radiothon and the cocktail party honoring Dana will go to the Caring Place.

This facility is special to me because it was co-founded by my wife Connie, herself a survivor of stage four breast Cancer.

Connie’s Oncologist Dr. Mary Ann Allison had the vision of an oasis for Cancer patients and their families, and Connie and a community board, of which I am a member, made the dream into a reality.

The free services The Caring Place provides to those touched by Cancer make a huge difference in people’s lives on a daily basis; I have seen it first hand.

At the event on July 24th, money is raised for The Caring Place in several ways. First, people can bid to co-host an hour on the radio with a sports celebrity. There will be a number of UFC greats hosting hours, including Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Stephen Bonnar, Dana White and others.

Bidding can be done by going to espn1100.com. and will start on Thursday, July 9. So, if you would like to co-host an hour of radio at the Palms with a UFC great, go place your bid.

I will also be hosting two hours of radio, so you can bid on hosting with me as well. Also, there will be a cocktail party in the evening of the 24th at which Dana will get his award.

All these UFC stars will be on hand there—you can say hello, mingle with them, take pictures and get an autograph. Tickets are only $50 and can be purchased by calling The Caring Place at 702-871-7333.

Not only is this event a lot of fun, the money raised makes a difference in people’s lives. You can’t ask for much more than that.

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I was amazed and delighted at the volume and creativity of the “book titles that would never be used” that you all came up with.

One of the really enjoyable aspects of doing this column is the interaction with all of you. This was a perfect example.

With my boxing channel, which you get to sample here, and with this column, I feel connected with boxing fans in a way that being on television does not accomplish. Thanks for the feedback.