Arthur Abraham Claims He Drank His Own Blood on WELTMeister Podcast

It was five years ago in January that he drew a line in the sand. At that point he hadn’t been in the ring for almost three years anyway. All that was missing was the official announcement of the end of his career – and Arthur Abraham finally did that on January 21, 2021. After 90 boxing matches as an amateur, of which he won 81, and after 53 fights as a professional, of which he was successful in 47, the multiple world champion virtually retired.

The 45-year-old has remained loyal to boxing to this day. Although he no longer fights himself, he passes on his experiences to the next generation. The family man, who fought the last eight rounds of his title defense in 2006 in a controversial fight in Wetzlar, bleeding profusely with a double broken lower jaw, looks back on an eventful career – into which he gave deep insights as a guest on the WELT podcast WELTMeister. A small excerpt.

Arthur Abraham about…

… about his new life

I still train a lot per week – sometimes 34 times, sometimes just five times. I take care of my family because I have three children with whom I want to spend a lot of time. I’m trying to catch up a bit because I used to be away a lot because of boxing. I also take care of my mom – and my business. I have invested in hotels – and receive inquiries from companies where I do motivational training. That means I speak to people who either don’t feel like working or are at the bottom. Then I push them up like my trainer used to push me up. I have experienced many stressful situations myself and know how to push through, get back up and regain my strength. But my training isn’t just about the mental, it’s also about the physical – many people sit a lot these days. This puts particular stress on your back. It’s important to exercise and strengthen certain muscles.

… about his love for boxing

There was always this one motivation for me: when you’re in the ring and up to 15,000 people are cheering for you. They are there for you – and then you show them that you are the best person, the best boxer in the whole world. Your hand will be raised at the end of the fight. You can’t buy that with money, you have to work for it with sweat and blood.

… love for his children

There is nothing better than holding my three children, that’s why I try not to make my appointments in the morning so that I have time for them, because nothing is more valuable than the time I have with them.

… about deprivation

Of course, I earned well as a boxing world champion. I know that. But I had no youth. I was in training camp for 7.8 months. Our room was maybe 15 square meters, one bathroom. We trained three times a day – 7 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Then sauna and massage. Dinner was at 8:30 p.m., that was it. And that every day. This is how our life passed. We spent our youth in one room – in jogging suits. We didn’t even put on jeans because there was no time to go anywhere else. Besides, we weren’t allowed to do that. Our trainer Ulli Wegner also paid attention. Train, eat, sleep – that’s how it went. Every day.

… via running units

We walked a lot. Ten kilometers a day – it always had to be under 45 minutes, if not, there were problems. My time was always the best of all. I always did it in 39 minutes.

… about pain and discipline

My coach taught me that. I wasn’t as disciplined as many other athletes at first, but he forced me to become disciplined – and he taught me how to deal with pain. You can control pain with your head. If you want something and have a winning attitude, then there is no pain. Even if your finger is broken – it doesn’t matter, you can continue. When I broke my jaw in a fight, I drank my own blood so the referee wouldn’t see how badly I was hurt. Ulli Wegner always said: “Boy, that’s only 36 minutes. You have to endure it. Afterwards you can be proud of yourself.” But it was hard.

… about his career

When I was 15, that was in 1990, I went with my parents from Armenia to my aunt in Bavaria. I was initially a cyclist, but I quickly realized that I was mediocre and didn’t have the talent to be like Jan Ullrich. … And yes, then I watched boxing fights. The one where Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear. I was so motivated and wanted to box in front of a lot of spectators. When I was 16 I started at ETSV 1930. After two years, my brother and I were international German champions, Bavarian champions, Franconian champions and South German champions. It happened very quickly, very quickly. … After we were back in Armenia and I had to join the army there, I looked at how I could gain a foothold in Germany as a boxer. I introduced myself to Wilfried Sauerland’s boxing stable. There were a lot of good boxers there, but Uli Wegner liked what I did in sparring. Then they gave me a contract for two weeks, which was then extended again by two weeks, another four and then another two months. I was a good sparring partner for boxers like Sven Ottke and Markus Beyer. But at some point I told Uli Wegener that I no longer wanted to be a sparring partner but wanted to box myself. After a three-month trial period, he gave me a professional contract. Then I went back to Armenia because I only had a tourist visa and now needed a work visa.

… about the bloody battle in 2006

I told the trainer that my jaw was broken – and Uli said: Nothing is broken, keep going. In the end I couldn’t even hold the belt anymore. I gave it to my brother and then ran to the cabin. There was already a stretcher prepared by the ambulance, then they injected me and a few minutes later I was already asleep. The next day I woke up. The operation was already over by then. They basically took me straight to the hospital, where Professor Doctor Hell operated on me. A great professor, I’m still good friends with him to this day. But after the operation he said: “Arthur, your nerve is damaged, you will never feel this area”. Arthur Abraham points to the left corner of his mouth during a conversation.

… about a possible job as a boxing trainer

Honestly, I can’t be a coach. As an athlete, I was in training camp seven to eight months a year, and as a coach I would have to do the same. I don’t want that. But I can imagine working as a manager. I want to help bring boxing back to the top in Germany. I just need some good investors. If I find it, I’ll work as a manager because I’ve recovered well now. … Boxing is my life, I love it. When you go into boxing you are a completely different person. Others may not be able to imagine how awesome that is – when you’ve been training for so many months for a few rounds in the ring.

Lars Gartenschläger is a football editor. He has been reporting on the national team since 2004 and has been to six European Championships and five World Cup tournaments. He also writes about DFB and Bundesliga topics – and is host of the WELTMeister podcast with Lutz Wöckener.