INQUIRER Sports

BERLIN ? 'King' Arthur Abraham is relishing putting his unbeaten record on the line when he takes on Jermain Taylor as the Super Six tournament begins in Berlin on Saturday.

Abraham, 29, returned his IBF middleweight belt after ten defenses to step up to super-middleweight.

He will take on former WBC and WBO middleweight champion Taylor in the German capital the same night WBC super-middleweight champion Carl Froch fights Andre Direll in Nottingham, England, as part of the Super Six.

Moving to a heavier division has been a blessing for Abraham, who used to have to starve himself before fights to make the weight.

With an unblemished 30 wins and 24 knock-outs, Abraham exuded confidence for the fight, while Taylor suffered a last-round defeat to Froch in April which meant the Englishman retained his WBC crown.

In a world of tough characters, Abraham earned respect for defending his IBF title in 2006 against Columbia's Edison Miranda despite having his jaw broken in two places.

He has yet to claim a big scalp, unlike Taylor, who has back-to-back wins over Bernard Hopkins from 2005 to his credit, although he has since lost twice to Kelly Pavlik.

Taylor added fuel to the fire before Saturday's expected 14,000-sell out here by questioning Abraham's class.

"There is nothing special about him. He has some power and I know he will be prepared to do battle, [but he is] just a normal fighter," said Taylor.

"I would not rank him at the top with some of the other fighters I have fought."

But Abraham advised the United States fighter to save his energy until the first bell rings on Saturday.

"He can say what he likes. I am sure he will have a different opinion once I have caught him for the first time," said Abraham.

"I really look forward to Saturday. This is a special fight, the first of many big fights in the Super Six tournament. I am ready and prepared and cannot wait to get in the ring with Taylor."

Taylor, 31, dismissed the popularity of Abraham, who was born in Armenia, in his own adopted town.

"I have been in Berlin for about a week and a lot of people have come up to me on the street and let me know they will be cheering for me," said Taylor.

"There's a lot who want him to lose. I don't think that everybody likes him."

Abraham is using the Super Six as a springboard to bigger things in the United States and the 29-year-old wants some big money fights as he aims to win the overall title.

"I want to be a star in America and the Super Six tournament will help me to accomplish my goals. I am thrilled to get started," he said.