Arthur Abraham (R) in the process of winning the WBO super middleweight title against Robert Stieglitz on March 1, 2014. Photo by Sebastian Heger.

Arthur Abraham will defend his WBO super middleweight title against Nikola Sjekloca on May 3 at the Velodrom in Berlin, Sauerland Events announced on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old Abraham (39-4, 28 knockouts) was last in the ring on March 1 for a split-decision victory over rival Robert Stieglitz, earning the belt from the man who dethroned him by fourth-round knockout on March 23, 2013.

The win over Stieglitz was the third straight for Abraham since falling to his nemesis, against whom Abraham had won a unanimous decision in August 2012.

"Finally, I have the WBO belt back around my waist, and I don't plan on giving it up anytime soon," said Abraham. "I gave so much blood, sweat and tears for my last fight, and it made me a world champion again. I will need to do the same to prepare for Sjekloca on May 3."

The 35-year-old Sjekloca (26-1, 8 KOs), of Montenegro, has mostly fought in his home country and neighboring Serbia, his most recent trip abroad being a unanimous-decision loss to Sakio Bika last February in Atlantic City.

"Sjekloca has a good jab and tries to be very active. In his fight against Sakio Bika, he also showed that he can take a punch, so Arthur cannot rely only on his power," said Ulli Wegner, Abraham's trainer.

"If Arthur is able to put in another performance like he did against Stieglitz, he will prove that he is one of the best super middleweights in the world. He has clearly shown me that he is still ready to progress as a boxer."