Tweet
ic Wales, United Kingdom
Sunday 23rd September 2007
Boxing: Lockett likely to face Abraham for IBF title
Sep 22 2007
by Our Correspondent, South Wales Echo
GARY Lockett is in line to challenge IBF middleweight
champion Arthur Abraham in Germany - but he may decide
to wait for a likely shot at the WBO version some time
next year.
The 30-year-old Cwmbran puncher, who wears the
second-tier WBU crown, is likely to be offered a crack
at 27-year-old Abraham on December 8, although he
would start a long-odds underdog against the
Berlin-based Armenian in his adopted homeland.
But this week has also seen him elevated from fifth to
second spot in the WBO ratings - as he has not boxed
since April, the alphabet body must have given him
extra credit for getting married last month - and he
will therefore be the mandatory challenger to the
winner of next weekend's showdown between holder
Jermain Taylor and number one--ranked Kelly Pavlik.
If Taylor wins, he may well relinquish his belts and
step up to take on the winner of the super-middle
crunch between Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler. That
would leave Lockett in the frame for a shot at the
vacant WBO title.
A Pavlik victory would see the big-hitting American,
already flavour of the month with TV moguls across the
Atlantic, become a top-flight attraction.
A defence against the comparatively-unknown Welshman
would be unlikely to interest him or the money men, so
once again the WBO belt might well be discarded -
although probably not for a few months.
The rules decree that a vacant title should be
contested by the top two available men in the
rankings, but the current number three, veteran
`Winky' Wright, is another targeting the likes of
Oscar de la Hoya rather than Lockett.
That would leave Lockett to meet unbeaten Irishman
John Duddy (fourth), German Sebastian Zbik, also
undefeated (fifth) or former `Contender' star Joey
Gilbert (sixth). Reno-based Gilbert defends his North
Any of these would pose fewer problems than Abraham,
who has stopped 19 of his 24 victims and fought eight
rounds with a broken jaw to outpoint dangerous
Colombian Edison Miranda.
`The Rocket' may stall any decision until after next
Friday's Taylor-Pavlik clash, when things should
become a little clearer.
Sunday 23rd September 2007
Boxing: Lockett likely to face Abraham for IBF title
Sep 22 2007
by Our Correspondent, South Wales Echo
GARY Lockett is in line to challenge IBF middleweight
champion Arthur Abraham in Germany - but he may decide
to wait for a likely shot at the WBO version some time
next year.
The 30-year-old Cwmbran puncher, who wears the
second-tier WBU crown, is likely to be offered a crack
at 27-year-old Abraham on December 8, although he
would start a long-odds underdog against the
Berlin-based Armenian in his adopted homeland.
But this week has also seen him elevated from fifth to
second spot in the WBO ratings - as he has not boxed
since April, the alphabet body must have given him
extra credit for getting married last month - and he
will therefore be the mandatory challenger to the
winner of next weekend's showdown between holder
Jermain Taylor and number one--ranked Kelly Pavlik.
If Taylor wins, he may well relinquish his belts and
step up to take on the winner of the super-middle
crunch between Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler. That
would leave Lockett in the frame for a shot at the
vacant WBO title.
A Pavlik victory would see the big-hitting American,
already flavour of the month with TV moguls across the
Atlantic, become a top-flight attraction.
A defence against the comparatively-unknown Welshman
would be unlikely to interest him or the money men, so
once again the WBO belt might well be discarded -
although probably not for a few months.
The rules decree that a vacant title should be
contested by the top two available men in the
rankings, but the current number three, veteran
`Winky' Wright, is another targeting the likes of
Oscar de la Hoya rather than Lockett.
That would leave Lockett to meet unbeaten Irishman
John Duddy (fourth), German Sebastian Zbik, also
undefeated (fifth) or former `Contender' star Joey
Gilbert (sixth). Reno-based Gilbert defends his North
Any of these would pose fewer problems than Abraham,
who has stopped 19 of his 24 victims and fought eight
rounds with a broken jaw to outpoint dangerous
Colombian Edison Miranda.
`The Rocket' may stall any decision until after next
Friday's Taylor-Pavlik clash, when things should
become a little clearer.