The third fight between Arthur Abraham and Robert Stieglitz ended in a split decision in Magdeburg, Germany, on Saturday night.
This time Abraham won, taking back the WBO super-middleweight title he lost to his fellow German in March last year.
Clark Sammartino of the United States and Paul Thomas of Britain scored it 114-111 and 115-110 for Abraham. American Michael Pernick had it 113-112 in favour of the defending champion.
Stieglitz was the more proactive fighter, jabbing and pushing forward, while "King Arthur" bided his time and launched counterattacks. These took their toll towards the end, with Stieglitz dropping to his knee in the final round.
"I can't explain this decision," said Stieglitz, whose record dropped to 46-4, including 26 knockouts. "I led for the whole time. I see myself as the winner in any case. I lost the last round but not the whole fight."
Abraham, who beat Stieglitz by unanimous decision in their first bout in 2012 and lost on a technical knockout last year, improved to 39-4, with 28 knockouts.
"That was a real battle," Abraham said. "Respect to Stieglitz; respect to my coach. We really saw a good fight. Of course I see myself as the winner. I won through my hard punches."
