This coming Saturday night the Gerry Weber Stadium in Germany will host Robert Steiglitz versus Arthur Abraham 4 as the two men take their rivalry beyond a trilogy. The match sees Abraham open as the favorite paying (-155), with the return on Steiglitz coming in at (+135). There is no over/under posted for this 12 rounder as of yet. A book can be written about the history between the two men as both have come up boxing on the German scene over the past fifteen years. Steiglitz held the WBO World Super Middleweight title for roughly four years before losing it to Abraham in their first meeting back in August of 2012. Abraham had been a long-time IBF World Champion but he had a rough going in the Showtime Super 6 tournament in 2010 and 2011, as he lost 3 of 4 fights culminating in a loss to Andre Ward. His first win over Steiglitz gave him a second world title reign, this time with the WBO belt. The re-match quickly followed in March of 2013 and Steiglitz responded with a 4th round TKO stoppage to regain the belt as Abraham could not continue due to a swollen eye. A year later the third bout followed, in March of 2014 and that fight saw Abraham regain the belt via split decision, and Abraham has held the belt ever since, defending it three times. Steiglitz has gone (1-0-1) since their third meeting. Steiglitz was the aggressor in their earlier fights, with Abraham choosing to counter-punch throughout the fights. When Steiglitz defeated Abraham he was able to cause damage to his face, and that would be the optimal way for things to go. In the ensuing time however, Steiglitz may take heart in the trouble Abraham had in dispatching England’s Paul Smith, especially in their first meeting. The they both are roughly the same age and have comparable experience (Abraham is a year younger, Steiglitz a few more total rounds) but many observers of Abraham have felt he may have lost a step. Steiglitz may look to exploit an active pace. Abraham did come out more focused for the second Smith fight, and though he appeared to struggle less with the Brit, the cards were relatively similar. But Abraham is a guy who concerns himself with legacy, and he must realize that a loss to Steiglitz would leave them tied at (2-2) in the series and possibly leave their fates intertwined further. At the same time, a win for Abraham, especially a definitive win over his rival would leave him up (3-1) in the series and it would make his case to move beyond Steiglitz and on to the bigger money fights he has been looking for. The second Super Middleweight 12 round bout on the card is also getting attention at the books as Mauricio Reynoso (15-1-1) faces Vincent Feigenbutz (19-1) for an interim World title with the WBA. Right now the hometown favorite Feigenbutz is a big-time (-3600) favorite, with Reynoso paying at (+1400).
