Abraham-Ward bout may be called offApril 28, 2011 - 10:40 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Super Six World Boxing Classic semi-final clash between WBA Super-Middleweight Champion Andre Ward and former tournament point leader King Arthur Abraham will be called off – if the Californian Boxing Commission refuses to honor an existing agreement over neutral officials, fightnews.com reports. “Contrary to what has been previously agreed on, the Californian Commission all of a sudden insists on installing a Californian judge as well as a Californian referee. That is totally unacceptable,” Hall-of-Fame-Promoter Wilfried Sauerland said. “This turnaround comes as a huge and unpleasant surprise. Two months ago, everybody involved agreed that this tremendous fight would be served by neutral officials. We agreed to have one judge from California, one from Europe and one from neither Europe nor the US. The referee is supposed to be neither American nor European either. Unless this issue is sorted, King Arthur will not leave the country. We have put his flights on hold.” The 31-year-old German is currently shaping up on a small German island in the Baltic Sea. He was scheduled to leave for Los Angeles this weekend. “King Arthur is more than happy to challenge Ward in his backyard,” Sauerland added. “But we demand neutral officials as agreed on. We have learned our lesson from the Kessler-Ward fight. Back then the Californian Commission insisted on having a Californian referee. His performance was – to put it mildly – a joke.” And Sauerland added: “This is not some beach bar brawl but the semi-final of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, a sensational tournament that has captured global attention. It’s a shame that the clash is jeopardized just because a local commission refuses to honor existing agreements and basic rules of fair play.” Top stories Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. Partner news | Moody's upgrades IDBank's rating Moody's has upgraded ID Bank CJSC's (IDBank) long-term local and foreign currency bank deposit ratings to Ba3 from B1. U.S. “very clear” with Azerbaijan: “It’s time to make peace with Armenia” James O'Brien has said that the United States is “very clear” with Azerbaijani that it is a time to make peace with Armenia. Destruction of Armenian heritage raised at PACE Member of the Armenian delegation to PACE, MP from the “I Have the Honor” bloc Hayk Mamijanyan delivered remarks at a PACE session. PACE adopts resolution on Armenia's commitment to reforms PACE welcomed the electoral reforms implemented by Armenia in accordance with the recommendations of the Venice Commission. |