German Armenian boxer Arthur Abraham defeated Robert Stieglitz by split decision on Saturday in their third bout to win back the WBO super middleweight title he lost by TKO to his fellow German in March last year, AP reports.
Clark Sammartino of the United States and Paul Thomas of Britain scored it 114-111 and 115-110 for Abraham, respectively, while American Michael Pernick judged it 113-112 in favor of the defending champion.
Stieglitz was the more proactive fighter, jabbing, pushing forward, with Abraham biding his time and launching counterattacks. These took their toll towards the end, with Stieglitz dropping to his knee in the final round.
Abraham, who beat Stieglitz by unanimous decision in their first bout in 2012, improved to 39-4 (28 KOs), while Stieglitz dropped to 46-4 (26 KOs).
