Fedor Chudinov vs. Felix Sturm In Play, 5/9 In Germany

By Alexey Sukachev

According to Bild, WBA interim super middleweight champion Fedor Chudinov (12-0, 10 KOs) will defend his belt for the first time on May 9—most probably in Frankfurt-am-Meine, Germany—against middleweight star Felix Sturm (39-4-3, 18 KOs). This information has been additionally confirmed by R-Sport, Russian media agency.

WBA #1 ranked 168lber Chudinov, 27, has started his professional career overseas but has been competing since May 2012 under Vladimir Hryunov’s promotion. He has rapidly risen in the WBA rankings, firstly beating established veterans like Jimmy Colas and Stjepan Bozic, and then with a couple of quick knockouts against fellow unbeaten Andy Perez and Ben McCulloch, the latest being a KO of the year candidate in 2014.

WBA #2 and WBC #11 super middleweight Sturm, 36, has been slowly relocating himself to a new weight, while still being rated in the 160lb division. Presently Sturm (whose birth name is Adnan Catic) is still ranked #3 middleweight by the IBF. He is also double-rated by the respective Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, being placed #6 at super middleweight and #8 at middleweight.

All four career losses for Sturm have come at the championship level, each loss bringing an end to his four separate title reigns. His first stay at champ was way back in Sept. ’03, outpointing Hector Velasco for the WBO title. The run lasted nine months before his infamously controversial split decision loss to Oscar de la Hoya in June ’04, marking the lone stateside fight of his career. 

Sturm’s return to glory came in March ’06, defeating Maselino Masoe to win the WBA belt, though losing the belt in his first defense in suffering a shocking 10th round knockout loss to Javier Castillejo just four months later. 

The sweet taste of revenge came the following April, when Sturm scored a unanimous decision over Castillejo to reclaim the title. He went on to make 12 defenses before dropping a debatable split decision to Daniel Geale in their Sept. ’12 unification bout. 

Sturm was believed to be done following a loss-turned-no-contest versus Sam Soliman in his ring return the following February. Instead, a career resurrection came of his 2nd round knockout of Darren Barker in December 2013 to win the IBF belt for his fourth middleweight title reign. The glory was short-lived, losing in his first defense against Soliman, this time in a verdict that survived the post-fight drug test. 

The bout was Sturm’s last at middleweight, having moved up to face former super middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz in an all-German showdown last November. The two battled to a draw in their catchweight bout, but the performance convinced Sturm that he belongs at super middleweight. Confirmation came in his turning down a shot at a vacant middleweight title, instead declaring his intentions to purse a title one division north.

Despite the WBA handing out various belts per weight class—thus further complicating the alphabet title picture—chances are the winner of this proposed bout can claim something more glorious than interim title status. 

Andre Ward is the recognized World super middleweight champion and also the WBA’s “Super” champion. The “regular” belt belongs to veteran brawler Carl Froch, whose immediate plans are in question. Ward has not fought since Nov. ’13, while Froch’s last piece of ring action came in his repeat knockout of George Groves last May, with nothing on the horizon at present moment. 

According to R-Sport, that can lead to a regular WBA belt being at stake for this bout.