Photo by Martin Rose/Bongarts-Getty Images

Arthur Abraham conclusively beat Robert Stieglitz in their fourth meeting on Saturday in Germany but sustained a hairline fracture to his jaw in the process.

Abraham, (43-4, 29 knockouts) dropped Stieglitz (47-5-1, 27 KOs) in the fourth round and went on to close the show in the sixth, hurting his countryman with a combination before dropping him with a well-placed right hand. Abraham retained his WBO super middleweight belt in what was his 21st world-title fight.

The fight was billed as “Final Showdown” — the two were meeting for the fourth time in just under three years; Abraham took the series 3-1.

However, the 35-year-old suffered a hairline crack on the upper left side of his jaw. The injury happened in the second round from an accidental headbutt; it was also the reason Abraham’s nose bled later in the fight. He will wait a week to see how the fracture heals before possibly undergoing surgery.

It is not the first time Abraham has sustained an injury to his jaw. In 2006, he fought for several rounds with his lower jaw badly broken in two places against Edison Miranda.

Kalle Sauerland, of Sauerland Event, was impressed by his fighter: “Arthur is a fighter personified. I expect him to be ready to fight again by October/November, defending his title in top condition.”

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