Champ Arthur Abraham has redemption on his mind vs. Gilberto Ramirez

LAS VEGAS - For Arthur Abraham, this trip to Las Vegas from his home in Germany is all about redemption.

Yes, Abraham, 36, is the WBO super middleweight champion, and is putting his title on the line in the co-feature of the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on pay-per-view (HBO, 9 p.m. ET).

And yes, he faces a tall, young, powerful Mexican named Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez, who has never fought for a major title before.

And no, the redemption that Abraham seeks has nothing to do with Ramirez. This redemption is for his last two trips to the U.S. for the Super Six tournament. The first was a disqualification against Andre Dirrell in 2010, in which Abraham hit the American after he had taken a knee. Dirrell was knocked cold and suffered the after-effects for years.

It was just as devastating for Abraham. His promoter, Kalle Sauerland, recalls the scene in Abraham's locker room before the fight. Abraham had come into the tournament as the favorite, and he was undefeated after moving up from middleweight, a weight class he dominated.

He had gotten off to a good start, knocking out Jermain Taylor in Berlin. then he went to Detroit for Dirrell, a Michigan native.

"Before the fight, Arthur was in the locker room asking me to help him with his victory speech," Sauerland told Paste BN. "I said, 'Arthur, you're fighting Andre Dirrell, he's not bad, hey?' And he grumbled a bit."

"By the fourth round, he was on his ass," Sauerland recalled of his fighter. "And Arthur had never even been wobbled. It was a flash knockdown, but he was shocked. By the sixth round he was suddenly down six rounds on the scorecard. Then in the sixth through ninth, Dirrell was down and Arthur was coming. He was looking for a big finish. And that moment came. Stupidity or whatever, I don't know. He knew he had to win by knockout, he saw him there, and he did what he did. I'm not condoning it. But it changed his career.

"It took him a while to get over the fact that he lost. I know it was a DQ, but he was down on the scorecards. and along came the (Carl) Froch fight, where he froze for 11 rounds."

Suddenly Abraham, who came in at 31-0, was 32-2 and facing Andre Ward, the last American Olympic Gold medal winner, in Los Angeles at the StubHub Center. the WBA super middleweight title was on the line.

"In the first two rounds, it was the first time Ward was ever in trouble," Sauerland said. "Andre has said Arthur's the guy who hit the hardest.

"But in the next two rounds, Arthur went in a cocoon. He needed a sports psychologist at that moment. In boxing, mental toughness is a big component. It's not just about power, it's not just about speed, it's about all of these things."

Ward won by unanimous decision to take home his first title, and suddenly Abraham's career was on the ropes.

Abraham managed to get in position for a world title again later that year, and defeated Robert Stieglitz, who was making his eighth defense.

"Arthur made this remarkable comeback when everyone said it's over," Sauerland said. "Arthur has had these ups and downs in his career."

When this opportunity came along, Abraham had told Sauerland he needed challenges in every fight.

"Arthur said, 'if the terms are right, I'd love to go to Vegas and do this.' I said, 'we won the purse bid, are you sure?' He said, yeah, yeah, I want the chance to do right for American fans the way they see me. And now they see me as the guy in the Super Six who didn't live up to that favorite billing."

What he didn't realize is he would not be at the top of the card. He would be the No. 2 attraction behind Pacquiao and Bradley.

"He's not happy about it," Sauerland said, "He said, 'why am I not on the posters?'

"I said, 'yeah, but Pacquiao is fighting in the main event.' Arthur said, 'but who is Pacquiao?' "

Sauerland said he told Abraham (44-4, 29 KOs) that he had to build it back up.

"You win and come back again, there's a big Armenian community in California," Sauerland said. "He's huge in Germany. And I know boxing has had its ups and downs in the states, but it's still the mecca. It's still No. 1. You want to come to Vegas, you want to come to the Garden, you want to perform on those levels.

But first, Abraham has to show that he can handle the young lion Ramirez, who towers over Abraham by at least four inches. Sauerland seems confident his aging fighter can find that greatness again.

"This is Redemption Day for Arthur," Sauerland said.

(Photo of Abraham by Jeff Rebilas, Paste BN Sports)