02.08.06 – Three weeks before the IBF-world championship match between middleweight champion Arthur Abraham and challenger Edison Miranda, the manager of Miranda, Steve Benbasat, made barbed remarks about the title holder. “I could summarize in a couple of sentences how this kid fights, I think he’s very one-dimensional. I don’t know why people say that this kid is so tough.” he told SecondsOut.com. Furthermore, Benbasat has no doubts about the result of the bout, “If I didn’t have a knockout artist like Edison I would be a bit worried. But I’m not. A jab from Miranda will knock Abraham flat.”.
In Berlin Benbasat’s verbal attacks caused mixed feelings like lack of understanding and amusement. Abraham’s manager Wilfried Sauerland said, “Calling Arthur one-dimensional just indicates Benbasat’s lack of experience. If his fighter has the same attitude as him, he won’t know what will hit him in the ring. Although I consider Miranda a very strong opponent, I’m sure Arthur will win because he is the more intelligent boxer.”
Abraham’s coach Ulli Wegner also took note of Benbasat’s remarks with a lack of understanding, “They probably do not know who they are talking about. Arthur is unique, maybe his punches are the hardest worldwide among middleweight boxers.” And Abraham adds, ”My punches are a dimension. Miranda will feel the full force of the rest in the ring.”
Moreover, the challenger’s manager criticized the German drug tests.
“When you knock a guy flat-out, all you have to worry about in Germany is to make sure that they don’t pull this problem with the urine test afterwards. We could get that covered with our own doctors, but the Germans disagree. They are notorious for this.”
Wilfried Sauerland does not want to pass this unchallenged either. “The drug tests are international and absolutely neutral. In Germany we take the problem of drugs very seriously and it is incomprehensible that the Americans do not do so. Only because of the lax system in the USA, US-boxers are found guilty of doping now and then.”
Meanwhile the challenger is preparing for the world championship match in Puerto Rico. “Edison got a big head start on training and he is taking this fight very seriously. He is looking sharper than ever, and he’s ready for this fight”, his manager reports.
Abraham started sparring in Berlin Max-Schmeling-Gym. Next week Ulli Wegner and his sportsmen are going to sports school Kienbaum near Berlin on training camp.