The WBO recently ordered a world title eliminator in the super middleweight division involving its former champion Arthur Abraham.
The governing body recently announced that Abraham must fight Robin Krasniqi. The purse bid is scheduled to take place January 4 in Budapest, Hungary with a minimum bid of $300,000. The winner of that title eliminator will become the mandatory challenger to current champion Gilberto Ramirez, who won the title off of Abraham back in April of 2016 on the Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley undercard in Las Vegas.
Abraham is a two-time WBO super middleweight title and was the IBF's middleweight champion from 2005-2009. After losing to Ramirez, Abraham quickly got back to his feet with an eighth-round TKO victory over TIm Robin Lihaug a little more than three months after the loss to win the vacant WBO International super middleweight champion. Abraham has a 45-5 record with 30 KOs.
Krasniqi recently won the WBA and WBO Intercontinental super middleweight title in his last fight back in July against Juergen Doberstein via majority decision. It was the third straight win for Doberstein since losing a WBA light heavyweight title match against then-champion Juergen Braehmer in 2015. Krasniqi sports a 46-4 record as a pro boxer with 17 KOs.
In accordance with the WBO Championship Rules & Regulations, WBO Vice President of Europe Istvan Kovacs will preside over the purse bid.
