Arthur Abraham hopes to build on success in the U.S. -- North Jersey

NorthJersey.com

Arthur Abraham has dominated one of the top American fighters of the past decade.

The Armenian-born super middleweight champion also has produced a dominant performance against another foreign fighter, Colombia’s Edison Miranda, on American soil. If he can conquer another talented American, Andre Dirrell, on Saturday night in Detroit, he’ll continue his impressive ascent up the pound-for-pound lists.

Their 12-round fight at Joe Louis Arena is a second-stage match in the "Super Six World Boxing Classic," Showtime’s six-man super middleweight tournament.

Abraham (31-0, 26 KOs) scored a sensational one-punch, 12th-round knockout against former middleweight champ Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KOs) in the first stage of the tournament Oct. 17 in Berlin. Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs) lost a split decision to undefeated Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs) that same night in Nottingham, England, Froch’s hometown.

Dirrell, of Flint, Mich., is a very different foe for Abraham than Taylor. The former Olympian, who’s promoted by Wayne’s Gary Shaw, is an elusive southpaw with tremendous speed and sneaky power.

"Dirrell is fast, but that will not help him," Abraham said. "I am in the ‘Super Six’ to become a legend in America. I need a win on Saturday to accomplish that goal, and I will get that win."

Abraham, 30, is probably the best undefeated world champion who remains relatively unknown in the United States. Fight fans who haven’t seen him yet can do so at no additional charge Saturday night at 10:30 because his fight against Dirrell will be broadcast as part of Showtime’s free preview weekend, available to all cable and satellite subscribers.

UNWARRANTED REMATCH: Ali Funeka should not have to fight Joan Guzman again.

South Africa’s Funeka (30-2-3, 25 KOs) clearly defeated the Dominican Republic’s Guzman (29-0-1, 17 KOs) in their 12-round fight for the International Boxing Federation lightweight title Nov. 28 in Quebec City, Quebec. Two incompetent judges, however, have brought us to Saturday night, when Funeka and Guzman will fight again in Las Vegas for the IBF’s 135-pound title.

The 6-foot-1 Funeka, unusually tall for a lightweight, picked apart Guzman with his jab and completely controlled the action in their first fight, yet was forced to settle for a majority draw. Canadian judges Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel somehow scored it even (114-114), even though Funeka, who is co-promoted by Shaw, definitely deserved the 116-112 win New Jersey judge Joseph Pasquale awarded him.

The Funeka-Guzman rematch will begin an HBO "Boxing After Dark" doubleheader at 10:30 p.m. from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Hard-hitting Argentinean Marcos Maidana (27-1, 26 KOs) will defend his World Boxing Association junior welterweight title against Victor Cayo (24-0, 16 KOs, 1 NC), of the Dominican Republic, in the main event.

A "TERRIBLE" IDEA: Erik Morales is one of the most accomplished, courageous Mexican warriors to ever lace up boxing gloves, but "El Terrible’s" comeback as a welterweight seems doomed to fail.

The former three-division champion’s fight against Nicaragua’s Jose Alfaro (23-5, 20 KOs) on Saturday night in Monterrey, Mexico, will mark his first action since Chicago’s David Diaz (35-3-1, 17 KOs) out-pointed him in their World Boxing Council lightweight title fight in August 2007, in Rosemont, Ill. That was Morales’ fourth straight defeat after perhaps the best win of his Hall of Fame career, a unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) in March 2005 in Las Vegas.

As if a four-fight losing streak and a 2 1/2-year layoff aren’t alarming enough, Morales, 34, has never boxed above the lightweight limit of 135 pounds, two weight classes beneath the welterweight division. The Morales-Alfaro fight will headline a four-fight pay-per-view card (9 p.m.; $29.95).

MARGARITO’S COMEBACK: Besmirched former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito will fight May 8 for the first time since his infamous hand-wrap incident last year.

Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs, 1 NC) and fellow Mexican Roberto Garcia (28-2, 21 KOs, 1 NC) will meet in a 12-round regional championship match in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

The California State Athletic Commission voted unanimously, 7-0, in February 2009 to revoke the licenses of Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, for a year after they were caught trying to use illegal hand wraps prior to his fight against Shane Mosley 14 months ago in Los Angeles. Mosley dominated Margarito in their welterweight title fight, and Margarito hasn’t boxed since suffering that ninth-round technical knockout defeat at Staples Center.

Top Rank, the promotional company that represents Margarito, planned to have him come back on the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey undercard March 13 in Arlington, Texas. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which oversees boxing in that state, reportedly never reviewed Margarito’s application for a license because it was incomplete.

Source: northjersey.com