By Jake Donovan
Felix Sturm has aspirations of adding at least one more belt to his remarkable career. It just won't be the one immediately within reach.
The former four-time middleweight titlist has declined on the opportunity to face Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam for the vacant IBF middleweight belt. Both camps had until close of business day Monday to inform the IBF of their intentions, but Sturm's mind was made up well before the deadline.
"I will not fight at middleweight, that time is over," Sturm (39-4-3, 18KO) announced on Monday, instead confirming that he will now campaign in the super middleweight division.
The move was expected, as Sturm has been linked to a possible showdown with current 168 lb. titlist Arthur Abraham, a long-awaited matchup between two of Germany's favorite adopted sons. Abraham currently has in queue a February 21 rematch with Paul Smith, a fight for which Sturm will undoubtedly serve as an interested observer.
Meanwhile, the search goes on to fill the title vacancy at middleweight.
Jermain Taylor—who regained the belt with a 12-round decision win over Sam Soliman in October—was officially stripped of the crown due to his current incarceration, which prevents him from honoring his mandatory title fight obligations.
The former two-time champ was jailed on January 19th over disturbing and life-threatening behavior during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. While he made bail for the charges stemming from that day, the crimes committed were a violation of the terms of his bond release from a separate domestic shooting incident last summer, for which he's due to stand trial on June 23, with a pre-trail hearing set for May 29
Taylor's bond was revoked as a result, forcing the troubled boxer to surrender to the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department on January 21. He has since been transferred to a mental health facility for neuropsychological evaluation. He is due to appear before a judge on Tuesday, February 10 for the current charges.
The title vacancy propelled N'Dam N'Jikam to the top leading candidate to vie for the crown. The middleweight contender was guaranteed a title shot, but where he would've obtained a payday of 25% of the total available pot had the fight been subject to a purse bid hearing. As the top-ranked contender, he is due to receive no less than a 50% split under the same circumstances.
Sturm—ranked #3 by the IBF—was the highest rated available challenger to face N'Dam N'Jikam. The sanctioning body's middleweight rankings currently has the #2 spot vacant.
"The Championships Chairman (Lindsay Tucker) will continue to go down the list looking for the next available contender," IBF spokesperson Jeanette Salazar informed BoxingScene.com of the next steps.
Going down the list, unbeaten middleweight contender Billy Joe Saunders (ranked #4) is due to receive the next phone call from the IBF. Saunders is also the mandatory challenger to the WBO title, though having agreed to step aside to allow newly crowned titlist Andy Lee to make an April 11 optional defense versus former champ Peter Quillin.
David Lemieux is right behind Saunders in the rankings, though—given everyone's current plans—could quickly emerge as the frontrunner to land the vacant title fight. Lemieux—immensely popular in his native Canada—is now signed with Golden Boy Promotions and has the backing of American cable giant HBO, which makes him a lucrative attraction for any middleweight.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
