Edited Press Release: While representatives of Edison Miranda are claiming robbery, IBF middleweight title holder Arthur Abraham is still in the hospital, where he is recovering from surgery on a broken jaw and simultaneously basking in the glow of a heroic victory over Miranda. Abraham fought eight or nine rounds with a broken jaw and endured several fouls from Miranda to retain his title by unanimous decision in Germany over the weekend. The broken jaw required surgery from [no joke] Dr. Hell and the insertion of titanium into Abraham’s jaw. Abraham’s promoter, Sauerland Event, has released a hospital-bed interview with Abrham in which he discusses the brutal encounter. For a man with a broken jaw, Abraham had plenty to say.
Arthur began the interview, which has been translaed from German, by saying, “I´m fine. According to the attending physicians the operation went off without a hitch. I´m very happy about the hospital´s senior consultant, Professor Hell, having been in the [building] by chance. He straightaway carried out the operation at night. In grateful recognition I gave him my world champion wreath as a present. For stabilization there are two titanium sheets in my jaw. In my face there´s still a swelling but apart from that I feel good. I have seen the photos in the newspapers. They really looked cruel. But that can happen to every boxer. I know for sure that I´ve done the right thing [by refusing to quit]. It was a question of keeping my world championship belt but it was also about more. It was a question of honor and pride. I was leading on points. Without the injury I would have knocked out Miranda, definitely. But I never would have given him the belt through concession.”
Abraham didn’t give Miranda too much credit for breaking his jaw. “Miranda didn´t punch hard during the whole fight. In my face there was an extreme swelling but I didn´t even have a black eye or a cut. During the third round I was inattentive for a short moment – there was an uppercut – not even hard – but my mouth was open. Therefore the jawbone broke. They told me [my jaw was broken] during the break after the fourth round. When I understood from the IBF supervisor that quitting would mean that Miranda would win by technical knockout, it was been clear to me that I would go on. My opponent behaved undignified in the run-up to the fight. He had affronted me and my crowd [with the throat-slitting gesture]. He could never go home with the belt. During the break my coach told me: ‘You´re clever – he´s not.’ That´s exactly the way it went: I was too clever for Miranda and I knew it. He couldn´t even beat me with a fractured jaw. I never would have forgiven my coach Ulli Wegner [if he would have stopped the fight]. We´re a team, we know each other quite well – he never would have been allowed to stop the fight. I was completely lucid. The referee had asked me about ten times if I want to go on – and ten times I said yes.
It is clear there is still bad blood between Abraham and Miranda. “Usually I respect each of my opponents. But Miranda isn´t a good sportsman. He´s strong and fast but something really important is missing: fairness. From the beginning on he was punching [low] again and again. He was butting me with his head and he was punching after the round has been finished. Miranda´s way to fight is unfair, inhuman and dishonorable.
About the possibility of a rematch, Abraham claims to want one, saying “Believe me: I´m waiting for this day. He couldn´t defeat me when I was seriously injured. Next time I´ll climb into the ring unhurt and Miranda won´t survive the sixth round. Even with a fractured jaw I almost would have knocked him out.
