In a rematch of their 12-round war fought last August, title challenger Robert Stieglitz (44-3, 25 KO) let his hands loose tonight and dominated champion Arthur Abraham (36-4, 28 KO) through third rounds before the doctor stopped the bout in prior to the commencement of the fourth round due to Abraham being unable to continue because of his left eye being shut.
Stieglitz came out of the gate in a blaze of glory, bringing the fight to Abraham as he knew he had to, and forced the former champion to backtrack throughout each round. Utilizing his fast hands and accurate punching, Stieglitz was able to get his shots off and break through Abraham’s guard, brutalizing his left eye with every punch.
Abraham seemed tentative from the onset of the first round, not being too active through the three minute intervals, only choosing to fight late in each round. In the third round he was deducted a point due to rabbit punches to the back of Stieglitz’s head, but he never looked like he had a chance against the more aggressive fighter.
Fighting hard and for the entire length of the first three rounds, Stieglitz did exactly what he had to do to regain his belt.
The winning factor for Stieglitz tonight was his ability to not only throw an abundance of power shots, but to land them effectively. Through the three round fight he threw 133 power shots, and landed 63 of them.
Having his title back, Stieglitz showed tonight that he is ready to make a bid at the division’s top opponents.