Daniel Geale: New Unified WBA & IBF World Middleweight Champion

09/02/201209/01/2012 ESB

By Srithar Visuasam: Daniel ‘The Real Deal’ Geale (28-1, 15 KOs) has performed the unthinkable in world boxing and has won his second world title in Germany by defeating WBA middleweight super champion Felix Sturm (37-3-2, 16 KOs) via split decision in becoming the first Australian born fighter to unify world titles within a weight division.

continue

Sturm could vacate WBA title if he beats IBF champ Geale tonight

09/14/201609/01/2012 ESB

Sturm could vacate WBA title if he beats IBF champ Geale tonight By Dwight Chittenden: WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (37-2-2, 16 KO’s) will meet up with IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale (27-1, 15 KO’s) in a unification bout tonight at the Koenig Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. According to the German news publication bild.de, Sturm is expected to vacate his WBA 160 pound title if he wins the IBF title off of Geale tonight. Sturm would then keep the IBF strap and defend that title rather than the WBA belt he’s held for the past five years.

That move kind of makes a lot of sense for Sturm after the World Boxing Association came out yesterday ordering the winners of the Sturm-Geale and the Gennady Golokin vs. Grzegorz Proksa fights to face each other by December 31st of this year. This could potentially mean that Sturm would have to face the dangerous puncher Golovkin in a fight that Sturm would likely lose and lose badly. If Sturm vacates his WBA title, boxing fans are going to cry that he’s ducking a fight against WBA champ Gennady Golovkin.

Golovkin has the power to not only beat Sturm but knock him out. At any rate, it would be a very tough fight for Sturm to take at this juncture of his career. He’s not really had too many tough bouts since winning the WBA title back in a rematch with Javier Castillejo in April of 2007.

continue

Geale to have it tough against Sturm in Germany

09/14/201609/01/2012 ESB

Geale to have it tough against Sturm in Germany By Dwight Chittenden: IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale (27-1, 15 KO’s) has really got a tough task on his hands on Saturday night against the longstanding WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (37-2-2, 16 KO’s) when they face off in their unification bout at the Koenig Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Geale, 31, has never really fought anyone with the kind of boxing skills that the 33-yer-old Sturm has going for him, and it’s going to tough for him to try and beat Sturm at his own game.

Geale has battled his way to the top more because of of his boxing skills than his limited power. He doesn’t have the kind of strength that can give him an edge against if he’s unable to box his way to a decision. It’s going to be hard enough as it is trying to win a decision in Sturm’s home country of Germany, because the fans will be cheering everything that Sturm does in the fight. Getting a decision is going to be hard for Geale unless he can knock Sturm down two or three times to cement the victory.

It’s not good that Geale struggled to beat Sebastian Sylvester in the past in 2011. Against the same fighter, Sturm easily beat Sylvester without any problems in a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision victory in November 2008. Sturm picked Sylvester apart with his jab and never let him get into the fight.

continue

Oscar De La Hoya Says He Thinks About Coming Back “Every Single Day” – Almost Came Back For Return Fight With Felix Sturm

09/14/201608/31/2012 ESB

Oscar De La Hoya Says He Thinks About Coming Back “Every Single Day” - Almost Came Back For Return Fight With Felix Sturm By James Slater: Comeback fever must be in the air; only some fighters are able to resist the irresistible temptation. Right now, we have the very real possibility of former 140-pound king and Manchester, U.K legend Ricky Hatton lacing ‘em up again (even Boxing News, the prestigious trade paper and Boxing Bible in the U.K has Hatton, and his will he won’t he comeback, as a front cover story this week), and Oscar De La Hoya has just revealed to ESPNNewYork that he came oh, so close to coming back himself, this October.

De La Hoya, aged 39 and, like Hatton inactive since being badly and comprehensively beaten by Manny Pacquiao, said he “thinks about coming back every singe day,” and that he began training for a planned rematch with current WBA middleweight champ Felix Sturm, the man he controversially out-pointed over 12-rounds to win the WBO 160-pound belt back in 2004.

Oscar had hoped to push his body through one last training camp and fight Sturm this coming October 20th – as the headline to the Brooklyn card that will instead be topped by Danny Garcia-Erik Morales II.

“I went running, I went training, did that for a few days,” De La Hoya said. “But my body couldn’t handle it. I’m 39, but I’m an old 39. If I have the desire of coming back, I go and work out, and there go those plans.”

continue

Chavez Jr-Martinez, Sturm-Geale, Dawson-Ward: Three Significant Boxing Fights In September

09/14/201608/29/2012 ESB

Chavez Jr-Martinez, Sturm-Geale, Dawson-Ward: Three Significant Boxing Fights In September By James Stillerman – Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez, 49-2-2, 28 KOs squares off against Julio Caesar Chavez Jr., 46-0-1, 32KOs for the WBC middleweight title and the right to be claimed the best middleweight pugilist in the world on September 15th at the Thomas Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a twelve round main event. This is an intriguing matchup of a young towering undefeated and upcoming fighter in Chavez Jr. versus the smaller crafty season veteran in Martinez, who is considered by many boxing experts as the best fighter in the world not named Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao.

Adding excitement to this bout is the fact that both men greatly despise one another other and have repeatedly said that they will end the boxing career of the other fighter in the ring, making it appear that this fight will be an all out action packed event.

Martinez has a significant advantage in experience compared to Chavez Jr. He has fought the vastly superior competition against the likes of Paul Williams, Kelly Pavlik, Kermit Cintron, Serhiy Dzinziruk and Darren Baker.

Martinez won all of those bouts in convincing fashion except for a controversial draw with Cintron, a fight he should have won and a contentious loss to Paul Williams which he got revenge in the rematch by knocking out Williams in the second round. Chavez Jr. has defeated Andy Lee, Marco Rubio and Peter Manfredo and dominated these fights; however none of these fighters are on the same level as Martinez`s competition.

continue

Arthur Abraham-Felix Sturm – The Super-Fight For Germany Makes All The Sense In The World

09/14/201608/26/2012 ESB

Arthur Abraham-Felix Sturm - The Super-Fight For Germany Makes All The Sense In The World By James Slater – They are both mega-stars in Germany, and reigning world champions Arthur Abraham and Felix Sturm have seemingly been on something of a collision course for years. Now that “King” Arthur is back where he belongs and has done his job against the classy Robert Stieglitz, all that remains for the super-fight to happen is Sturm taking care of his business this coming Saturday.

Sturm, the long-reigning WBA middleweight king, faces IBF champ Daniel Geale, 27-1(15) and if the 33-year-old can come though okay, it would be a natural for him to move up to 168 (Sturm has struggled to make 160 for some time) and get it on with Abraham.

32-year-old Abraham, 35-3(27) now a two-weight ruler, against Sturm, 37-2-2(16), would attract an absolutely monstrous audience in Germany. Simply put, both guys are total legends in their homeland (Abraham being born in Armenia but living in Berlin for a number of years). In separate fights the two stars bring in huge crowds, together the box-office records would likely be smashed.

Both men have enjoyed long, likely Hall of Fame-worthy careers, and the two veterans are closing in on their last few years. What we need to see now is a showdown between the two, to finally find out who is the best. Abraham has those heavy hands and he is rock-solid and tough.

continue