By Jake Donovan
It turned out that the respective camps for Arthur Abraham and Gilberto Ramirez were on the same page in getting them in the ring for a World Boxing Organization (WBO) super middleweight title fight.
The one disagreement came down to location, prompting a purse bid hearing that was won by Sauerland Event, barely edging out Top Rank during a purse bid hearing held Wednesday afternoon via video conference.
Sauerland Event - Abraham's promoter throughout his entire career - submitted a winning bid of $1.563 million. It was just enough to edge out Top Rank, Ramirez' stateside promoter who offered $1.5 million in hopes of securing the title fight.
The minimum acceptable bid was $300,000. All purse bid hearings require a 10% deposit of an intended bid, along with no more than three suggested dates and locations.
Top Rank's hope was to place the fight as the chief support to the rubber match between Timothy Bradley Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, which will take place April 9 in Las Vegas. Sauerland Event was also keen on the date, as BoxingScene.com was informed that plans call for an April 9 clash in Abraham's adopted hometown of Berlin, Germany, according to the information submitted with the bid.
There remains a chance that the fight lands in Las Vegas, as it was among the final details discussed by both sides. They were far enough along in talks to where the WBO has twice postponed the purse bid hearing in hopes of working out terms.
The initial hearing was scheduled to take place on January 8 at WBO headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico. However, it was agreed upon by all parties to reschedule for January 12 in New York City, as the logistics worked best for both sides. Sauerland Event promoted a major show in Germany on January 9, while Top Rank already had a press conference scheduled on the modified date to formally announce an February 27 HBO-televised doubleheader.
The rescheduled hearing was paired up with a super featherweight title fight, in which Zanfer Promotions - Ramirez' promoter at home in Mexico - won the rights to promote Roman Martinez' mandatory defense versus Miguel Berchelt. That purse bid took place right before the press conference. The Abraham-Ramirez portion was initially delayed in hopes of Top Rank (represented by Carl Moretti) and Sauerland Event - represented by Kalle Sauerland and legendary matchmaker/boxing historian Don Majeski - crossing the finish line to avoid a hearing.
When it didn't happen, all parties agreed to another 24-hour period before submitting bids via video conference.
Abraham (44-4, 29KOs) - who turns 36 in February - will make the sixth defense of his second tour as a super middleweight titlist, while Ramirez (33-0, 24KOs) makes his first attempt at a world title.
Their most recent bouts took place in separate parts of the world but just 18 hours apart in real time. Ramirez - already named the mandatory challenger - claimed a 10-round decision win over Netherland's Gevorg Khatchikian on November 20 in Las Vegas, one night before Abraham turned away a stiff challenge from hard-luck contender Martin Murray in Hannover, Germany.
Overall, Abraham is 19-3 (8KOs) in title fights spanning three reigns at middleweight and super middleweight. The Armenia-born, Berlin-based boxer was a hot commodity right from his pro debut in Aug. '03. His ambitious rise to title contention included a July '05 12-round win over top-rated Howard Eastman, who one fight prior had served as the 20th and final title win in the historic middleweight reign enjoyed by the legendary Bernard Hopkins.
In just his 19th pro fight, Abraham captured a vacant middleweight belt, knocking out perennial Top 10 contender Kingsley Ikeke in five rounds.
Ten successful title defenses followed before abandoning the middleweight division in exchange for entrance into the Showtime Super Six World Boxing Classic. He began with a bang, scoring a last-second knockout of Jermain Taylor - oddly enough in a pairing many had clamored for when their middleweight title reigns overlapped for more than two years.
For a while, the Oct. '09 win was the last great moment in Abraham's career, suffering three losses over a four-fight stretch and assumed as all used up by the time Andre Ward bested Carl Froch in the Dec. '11 tournament finals.
Strangely enough, Abraham not only remains the last man standing, but has essentially outlasted all of his conquerors without avenging a single loss. Ward is due to return in March, but still needs an opponent as he sits on just three fights since the Super Six run. Froch has retired, while Andre Dirrell - whom handed Abraham his first loss in March '10 - hovers around the super middleweight contender level but never making any real noise in the ring.
Abraham's post-Super Six run stands at 13-1 (3KOs) and two separate super middleweight title reigns. The title wins - as well as a title loss - have all come versus Robert Stieglitz, whom he initially bested in Aug. '12 to resurrect his career. Stieglitz scored an injury stoppage in their rematch just eight months later, only to hand the crown back over to Abraham in their March '14 rubber match.
A fourth fight was staged last July, with Abraham scoring a 6th round stoppage in what will likely serve as the final chapter of their memorable rivalry.
Ramirez is just beginning to hit his stride, as the brass at Top Rank and Zanfer are high on his career ceiling. The 24-year old from Mazatlan, Mexico spent his first 25 fights exclusively in his home country before being showcased on the other side of the U.S./Mexico border as well as a Top Rank-promoted event in Macau, China.
The camera-friendly contender made noise in knocking out Fulgencio Zuniga in their Nov. '14 HBO Latino-televised clash in San Antonio, Texas. Three straight unanimous decision wins have followed, including a 10-round nod over Maxim Vlasov on HBO last January, along with victories over Derek Edwards and Khatchikian, both of which aired live on HBO-affiliated regional cable outlet truTV.
Assuming the fight heads to Berlin, it will mark Ramirez' first fight in hostile territory. His lone fight outside of the Americas came in July '14 on a Top Rank-promoted show in Macau, where he scored a 1st round knockout of Junior Talipeau.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
