Returning to the ring for the first time in 14 long months, former middleweight and super middleweight champ Felix Sturm scored a third round stoppage win over Benjamin Blindert in Neu Ulm, Germany last night. Fighting at light heavyweight, 46 year old Sturm scored four knockdowns as he got the third round stoppage win. Now 45-6-3(20), Sturm picked up the WBA gold strap at 175 pounds. Blinder, aged 38, falls to 14-2-2(10) and he is now winless in his last four bouts.
How far Sturm can go in this latest comeback we don’t know for sure, but the former champion who began his pro career way back in January of 2001 showed last night that he still has something to offer, at a certain level at least – while Sturm has got ideas of challenging for another world title. Sturm has obviously kept himself in good physical shape, and he did look pretty fast and powerful last night, especially when we consider the fact that he had not fought since December of 2023.
Sturm has now won his last three fights, spread apart by a substantial amount of time though these wins have been, and Sturm has been stopped just the one time during his long career. Going into last night’s fight, Sturm spoke about the way he has maintained his fitness.
“I always cope very, very well with these long breaks. [And] I keep fit, of course,” Sturm said. “When I’m in training, I give 100 percent. And then I get into it very quickly. You can’t unlearn boxing that quickly. I love this sport. I’m getting better day by day. My goal right now is to win the WBA gold title and then recommend myself for another world championship.”
It would be some stunning achievement if Sturm managed to win another world title, especially one at 175 pounds. Sturm showed he has something left, sure, but it’s pretty crazy to imagine the man who battled the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Javier Castillejo, Matthew Macklin, Martin Murray, Darren Barker, Sam Soliman and others all those years ago, going in with a light heavyweight beast such as an Artur Beterbiev or a David Benavidez!
How far can Sturm’s comeback actually go?
