Arthur Abraham vs. Tim-Robin Lihaug: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream and TV Info

For the first time in over three years, German boxing star Arthur Abraham (44-5, 29 KOs) will be fighting without a title to his name when he takes on Tim-Robin Lihaug (15-1, 8 KOs) at the Max Schmeling Halle in Berlin on Saturday. 

The winner will assume the vacant WBO International super middleweight title, so Abraham might not have to wait long to grab another belt, although it's of a lesser stature than the one he recently relinquished.

After five successful defenses of the WBO World super middleweight title, all of them on home turf in Germany, Abraham ventured out to Las Vegas on April 9 to fight undefeated 25-year-old Gilberto Ramirez, a rising star 11 years his junior. He ended up taking a sharp, comprehensive beating, as Ramirez won every round on all three judges' scorecards and stripped Abraham of the WBO World title.

The aging Abraham likely doesn't have much time left in his boxing career, while Lihaug, 23, is looking to make a name for himself and take a major step forward in his young career with a win.

Arthur Abraham vs. Tim-Robin Lihaug Fight Info

Date: Saturday, July 16

Time (ET): 10:45 a.m.

TV: SAT.1 (Germany)

Live Stream: Ran.de (Germany)

Abraham		Lihaug
44-5	Record	15-1
59%	KO Percentage	50%
381	Rounds	77
36	Age	23
5'9"	Height	N/A
72"	Reach	N/A
orthodox	Stance	orthodox

According to Odds Shark, Lihaug is an 8-1 underdog against Abraham. Though he sports a fine record, Lihaug hasn't fought anyone of note in his career, and he already has a blemish on his boxing ledger. That loss came via a knockout from Swedish super middleweight Oscar Ahlin, who is 11-2 and has mostly fought on the margins to this point in his career.

That said, Lihaug's overall resume isn't quite the type to get folks calling for an upset against a seasoned fighter like Abraham. This, of course, hasn't stopped Lihaug from projecting an aura of confidence, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael:

"

Abraham is 36 years old and has already won a lot of titles and made a lot of money, whereas I'm a young, hungry fighter, and I think that will give me an advantage. This is like a world title fight to me. It means everything. I've been in training camp since the beginning of January and I will be in the best shape of my life on July 16. I want to prove myself and there is no better way of doing that than by beating Abraham.

"

Indeed, Lihaug has had plenty of time to prepare for the biggest bout of his career thus far. The Norwegian up-and-comer packed his schedule and fought six times in 2015, the last of them a lopsided unanimous-decision victory over Jozsef Racz on December 12. 

With youth on his side and plenty of time to prepare, Lihaug should be as sharp and as fit as ever against Abraham. Whether or not this is enough to overcome a determined former champion fighting in friendly confines remains to be seen.

King Arthur should have no shortage of motivation for this bout. The humbling loss to Ramirez cast doubt on his abilities to fight away from the fiefdom he's carved out in Germany, and, of course, took away his world title.

Not yet ready to fade away, Abraham is looking to get back on that world-beating path, with the support of his coach Ulli Wegner, per RingTV.com's Tom Gray:

"

Mr. Wegner has shown great belief in me and I want repay his support by proving to him that I can become world champion again. He is not only a great coach but also a great person, and he is right when he says ‘we win together and we lose together’. Things did not go to plan in Las Vegas, but we have learnt from this, and I will come back stronger and more determined than ever.

"

Should Abraham lose, it could spell the end of his career, to say nothing of his late-stage world-title ambitions. He'll have to rely on his strength, punching accuracy and veteran guile to get the necessary result.

For Lihaug, he could look to Abraham's last bout as a blueprint to victory. Ramirez showed that movement and well-timed counterpunching could make it difficult for Abraham to muster any sort of offense from behind a typically high guard. If Lihaug has the legs and lungs, he should try to circle around Abraham and keep him off balance.

Even if Lihaug comes in in great shape and with the correct blueprint to unlocking Abraham's defense, he may not yet have the skill or punching power to pull it off.

It's far more likely that Abraham will neutralize Lihaug's offense—absorbing whatever blows may sneak through—and ride the support of a partisan crowd to a decision victory, extending the twilight of career in the process.