Artur Abraham: All my focus is on Mahir Oral now

International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion “King’’ Arthur Abraham puts his undefeated record and middleweight title on the line against world-ranked Mahir (pronounced Meyer) “Lion” Oral on June 27, 2009, on U.S. premium television network SHOWTIME at 9 p.m.

"That is a big honour for Arthur," Kalle Sauerland said. "It does not happen very often that fights from Germany are on U.S. television. It tells you something about Arthur´s class. This is only the third time in more than 20 years that SHOWTIME Sports has televised world championship boxing from Germany, and it is the very first non-heavyweight bout.

Abraham, the undefeated IBF Middleweight Champion (29-0, 23 KOs), is currently shaping up on Usedom, a small island in the Baltic Sea. He was thrilled to hear the news. "I am excited that the fans in the US will be able to watch my fight," he said. "For me personally it is a confirmation that my way of fighting and my style are well-received by the U.S. fans. That means a lot to me.."

King Arthur celebrated a successful U.S. debut last June when he clinched a spectacular fourth-round KO victory over long-time foe Edison Miranda on SHOWTIME. Ever since then, promoters and managers have been working to set up a fight against super-champion Kelly Pavlik. But Abraham is taking one step at a time.

"All my focus is on Mahir Oral now," he said. "I hope to fight in the U.S. again soon. It is my goal to please my fans on both sides of the ocean."