In an article posted on the Cleveland Plain Dealer web site a few hours ago Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik's manager, said his priorities for Kelly Pavlik are Sturm this fall, and Abraham around the first of the year. This is EXACTLY what KP set forth as his goals when he first became the middleweight champion of the world. Meanwhile Abraham claims he is leaving the division after the Oral fight. Number 29 ranked Mahir Oral is a typical Abraham choice. Back when Taylor offered AA a fight Sauerland said no, and made a fight with Demers. When Zuniga was the righful mandatory, Sauerland made a fight with Elvin Ayala. When Winky wanted a fight, and HBO was interested, Sauerland made a fight with LuJaun Simon. Roman Karmazin is currently calling for Arthur's head, but Sauerland made a fight with the lower ranked and less skilled Mahir Oral. It appears that Dunkin/Arum are still trying to make Pavlik/Abraham. However, in spite of the fact that Arthur vowed multiple times to stay at 160 and fight Pavlik, it looks like he is going to leave the division without fighting.
I don´t believe any more that Pavlik want´s to fight Abraham. Used to but now it seems it all show because he knows Abraham is moving up...
Zuniga vacated the IBO title for an eliminator. His opponent got injured and pulled out of the fight thereby ELIMINATING himself. Sauerland ****ed Zuniga because he was not the "official" mandatory. Typical Sauerland/Abraham move; choose the lower ranked, less skilled fighter. Taylor offered AA a fight when Mora bakced out. Jesus ****ing christ on a mother****ing crutch!! Do you even follow boxing?
Judging from Abraham's history it is far more likely that he is leaving the division because it looks like the fight can be made.
Abraham is still fighting at the same division next . . . right? :think . . . "so can't make weight" . . . is a wrong statement". If he really can't . . . then he should have move up and not fight Oral at 160.
The table was set long ago. If history means anything, as soon as Pavlik/Abraham looks like it can be made, Sauerland will scream about weight issues and move AA up for fights with Oganov, Brinkley, and Spina.
Bullcrap. They already announced he had weight issues before this news comes out and it was getting obvious he has weight issues with his recent performances. If they move up there are too many options to select from so I doubt he will fight the guys you mention, these guys look like future Pavlik opponents than Abraham.
Neither of these guys is scared of the other. I think management on both sides has behaved poorly, and both now have legitimate weight issues. If they both move up, I think there are better fights for both than battling each other. I'd like to see Kessler/Abraham in Europe and Pavlik/Bute in North America.
Scar -- you are normally a very good poster, but when this subject comes up, you turn ******ed. I just gave you Abraham's history, and that history includes at least 4 occasions when Sauerland turned down good fighters in favor of lower ranked, less skilled opponents. If Abraham moves up without fighting Pavlik, it will be one of the most obvious cases of ducking in recent history. It will be as obvious as the Calzaghe situation. In fact it is VERY similar.
Nonsense. Judging from Pavlik and Arum's history they're finally showing interest when they found out Abraham plans to move up because he can't make the weight. It was Abraham and his team who kept bringing up the Pavlik fight over and over, NOT the other way around, the only reason people started talking is because Abraham constantly mentioned it, NOT Pavlik. When Pavlik and Arum were asked their response was "Let him fight more in the US then the fight will be more interesting", now when they announce they can't make weight he's all of a sudden "popular" in the US?, if you can't see through this you have issues.
So, in the midst of Arum and Dunkin trying to make the fight, AA announces he'll move up instead of fighting, and you can't see who is ducking whoatsch