ZSOLT ERDEI vs DeANDREY ABRON

Challenger DeAndrey Abron seems to have come out of nowhere, but here he is, going in with the undefeated Zsolt Erdei for the WBO light-heavy title in Dresden on Saturday.

You have to wonder sometimes how boxers get title fights. In Abron’s case, he won the WBO’s North American title, which shows that these so-called “meaningless” regional belts can sometimes lead to much bigger things.

My first thoughts were that Abron will be totally overmatched against Erdei but I am coming to the opinion that, although a huge underdog, the former U.S. Army staff sergeant might be able to put up a reasonably good fight.

Abron is a big light-heavyweight: at 6ft 3ins he will stand some five inches over the thickset Hungarian. He is trained by Trevor Wittman, who has done such a good job with Verno Phillips, and he has apparently had an excellent training camp in the Colorado Rockies: he should be in tiptop condition.

The most worrying thing about Abron is that he has never fought anyone remotely near Erdei’s ability.

Abron’s record shows a string of wins over opponents of a lowly standard. In his only defeat he was outpointed by the trial horse Terry Porter, who had lost 13 of his last 15 bouts. How did that happen? Abron had to go the full 12 rounds in a widely scored win over the ordinary Shane Benfield, who has since been pounded in six rounds by 168-pounder Peter Manfredo Jr. In his last fight, Abron had a difficult evening against the journeyman Thomas Reid, who is really just a 168-pounder. Boxers such as Yusaf Mack, Jaidon Codrington, Shaun George and James McGirt Jr. outpointed Reid far more easily.

On a more positive note, Abron was a top-level amateur, taking up the sport at a relatively late age after injuring a shoulder playing semipro football. He was a military champion and won the U.S. championship and a national Golden Gloves title.

Abron beat Jaidon Codrington in the amateurs and boxed in the world championships in Belfast (he was beaten by a seasoned French boxer in his opening bout). He lost to Olanda Anderson, a respected veteran of the amateur circuit, in the 2000 Olympic trials.

I did get a look at Abron in one of his earlier bouts. He seemed like a capable boxer and good puncher with a relaxed style, left arm low, but the early opponents were no match for him. The fights with the likes of Porter, Benfield and Reid suggest that Abron does not belong on the world stage. He has had only 16 professional bouts and he is 35. After being matched protectively, he now finds himself away from home meeting one of the best light-heavyweights in the world.

There seems no way that Abron can win. Erdei was a world-class amateur and he has won 28 consecutive bouts, which includes nine successful defences of the WBO title. He is quick, clever and fast, and he has a beautiful left jab. Although Erdei could not be called a seriously hard hitter, he puts his punches together in combinations and wears the other man down — he has stopped four of his last six opponents.

Abron is going to find himself being hit by more punches than he has ever been hit with before, but his amateur background and high-altitude training under the direction of a well-regarded young trainer lead me to believe that he can at least make a respectable showing. He knows that at his age this is a now-or-never opportunity, one that will not come around again, and it seems a fair guess that he will give it his very best effort.

It took Erdei eight rounds to stop Danny Santiago, who in his next appearance easily folded in four rounds against Antonio Tarver, so it seems a fair assumption that Abron will be able to endure for eight rounds, maybe longer.

Abron has promised the German fans a good show. He seems a likeable man and I think it would be a shame if he is embarrassed in a mismatch. I do think, though, that he has prepared as well as he possibly could for this fight and he is as ready as he ever will be. It would be a stunning surprise if Abron won — it won’t happen — but I do think he can take Erdei into the 10th round before an accumulation of punches catches up with him. and if he could go the full 12 rounds I would consider it a moral victory.

RESULT: Erdei unan. dec.