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Arthur Abraham decisions Sjekloca, defends WBO title
Arthur Abraham defeated Nikola Sjekloca by a unanimous decision to retain his WBO super middleweight belt.
It didn't come easy, however, as the Armenian-born boxer broke his right hand midway through the championship bout.
Abraham, 40-4, 28 KOs, primarily relied on a left jab en route to a 117-113, 116-112, 119-110 victory.
"I don't want to make excuses but I had to box the fight with my left," said Abraham, per The Associated Press. "The fingers were already broken from the last fight. I had to do a lot with the left in training. That's why it was so close, though he's also a good fighter.
"It's all the same to me if your hand is sore," the veteran trainer said. "It's about staying the champion. You've enough time afterward to heal it."
Overcoming pain and adversity is nothing new for Abraham. In 2006, he outlasted a game and then unbeaten Edison Miranda by braving through a broken jaw for two-thirds of the fight.
A fourth fight with Robert Stieglitz (26-1) could now be on the horizon for the 34-year-old German-based Abraham.
Abraham, who last defeated Stieglitz via hotly contested split decision in March, holds a 2-1 series lead.
In the undercard, which took place at The Velodrom in Prenzlauer Berg, Germany, Noel Gevor outlasted Gogita Gorgiladze in a ten-round unanimous decision. Gevor improved to 11-0 and 6 KOs.
In other boxing news, Aghvan Alvrtsyan (7-0, 5 KOs) and Vartan Avetisyan (2-0, 1 KO) were both victorious in their respective fights as well Saturday in Brandenburg, Germany.
