Fedor Chudinov-Felix Sturm II: Pre-Fight Report Card

by Cliff Rold

He has been an exemplar of maximizing the (really, really) split title era.

He’s also been pretty fun to follow.

In another time, Germany’s Felix Sturm might have ridden his controversial 2004 loss to Oscar De La Hoya into a showdown with Bernard Hopkins. He probably wouldn’t have won but that would have been his best course of action at middleweight with less options.

Instead, Sturm fought at a time when the WBA was happy to have more than one ‘world’ champion. Hopkins was the ‘super’ champ. There was another ‘world’ title belt to be had. Sturm could market what he did as world championship boxing, pack houses at home, and carve out a nice place in the market without having to worry about messing with a Hopkins.

Or a Golovkin.

When Sturm did go for something more, well after Hopkins’ unified crown was split in many directions again and the WBA’s ‘super’ tag moved to Sturm, he lost. We got a good unification fight with Daniel Geale when he did.

That’s the thing about Sturm. Criticized outside Germany for being too protected, he’s been in several good fights. His battles with Javier Castillejo, Geale, Matthew Macklin, Randy Griffin, Martin Murray, and recently Robert Stieglitz were all crowd-pleasing.

He was never the best middleweight or now super middleweight in the world. But here he is, stepping in with a younger man, Fedor Chudinov, who has beaten him once and is expected to again. Sturm fought on his own terms, is largely going out on them, and tended to give fans their money’s worth.

That’s not too shabby. Does Sturm have one more in the tank? 

Let’s go the report card.

The Ledgers

Fedor Chudinov
Age: 28
Current Title: WBA “Super” Super Middleweight (2015-Present, 1 Defense)
Previous Titles: None
Height: 5’9 ½
Weight: 168 lbs.
Hails from: Serpukhov, Russia
Record: 14-0, 10 KO
Rankings: #6 (BoxingScene, BoxRec), #7 (TBRB), #8 (Ring), #9 (ESPN)
Record in Major Title Fights: 2-0, 1 KO
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 1 (Felix Sturm SD12)

Vs.

Felix Sturm
Age: 37
Title: None
Previous Titles: WBO Middleweight (2003-04, 1 Defense); WBA Middleweight (2006; 2007-12 Defenses); IBF Middleweight (2013-14)
Height: 5’11 ½
Weight: 167 lbs.
Hails from: Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Record: 39-5-3, 18 KO, 1 KOBY
Rankings: #8 (BoxRec)
Record in Major Title Fights: 15-5-2, 5 KO, 1 KOBY
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 10 (Hector Velazco SD12; Oscar De La Hoya L12; Maselino Masoe UD12; Javier Castillejo TKO by 10, UD12; Sebastian Sylvester UD12; Daniel Geale L12; Sam Soliman NC, L12; Darren Barker TKO 2; Robert Stieglitz D12; Fedor Chudinov L12)

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – Chudinov B; Sturm B
Pre-Fight: Power – Chudinov B; Sturm C+
Pre-Fight: Defense – Chudinov B; Sturm B
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Chudinov B+; Sturm B

Sturm was never a big hitter and as he has aged his speed has ebbed. It’s normal. It’s not been good for his chances. He couldn’t keep Sam Soliman outside, was forced to sit down and war with Stieglitz, and was outworked by Chudinov.

Sturm still has his jab. It’s not as snappy as it was in his prime but remains a weapon. Sturm always had an excellent jab and if he can establish it here, there is always a chance of an upset. The crowd will be pulling for him. He’s been a popular attraction in Germany. They will want to see him win one more big one.

Chudinov will have a lot to say about it.

The Russian isn’t that fast, and he’s hittable, but he’s busy and changes speeds on his shots. Chudinov blocks well with the gloves and in the first fight made Sturm chase him early. Sturm had success in spots but was often frozen in place waiting for Chudinov to finish working when the Russian was punching. Sturm landed plenty in the first fight. Chudinov just kept landing more.

Chudinov needs to do the same things again. At 28, he has less wear on him and is continuing to improve. If there was a flaw he could improve on from the first fight, it would be even more work to the body. He landed well there but seemed more comfortable head hunting. Not just for another victory here but looking towards his continued development, consistent work downstairs would serve Chudinov well. As he moves along at 168 lbs. the competition is about to get younger and faster.

This is a place where he can work not only on a win but the future.       

The Pick

Chudinov is the sort of sleeper who could really make noise in the division. He’s steady, professional, and fairly accurate with his punch placement. There aren’t a lot of special effects. His fundamental soundness is his strength.

It should be more than enough Saturday. Sturm isn’t what he once was and he isn’t going to turn back the clock here. He is at the point in his career where the reflexes just aren’t the same. Chudinov isn’t going to be outworked and he’s not likely to suffer the big knockout.

That means Chudinov wins again and Felix Sturm gets to tip his cap to the German fans for all their support over the years. It’s not storybook. It might not even be the final chapter with a long overdue showdown with Arthur Abraham always possible win or lose.

It will at least be a fitting move towards the finish line. 

Report Card and Staff Picks 2016: 5-1

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel, the Yahoo Pound for Pound voting panel, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com