A Gathering Sturm in Germany

The last- and probably only time- Americans witnessed Sturm in action, observers came away impressed by the calm demeanor he displayed in and out of the ring. Many boxing pundits assumed Sturm would be overwhelmed by the big fight atmosphere of a De La Hoya event in Las Vegas, unaware that many of Sturm’s bouts had the same feel in his native Germany. Despite his age, then a relatively unseasoned 25-year-old making the second defense of his title, Sturm was a decorated amateur boxing star who took part in the Olympics and did not fight with any sense of intimidation. Sturm was not in awe of De La Hoya or the bright lights, taking control of the fight early with a classy jab that reddened Oscar’s face almost immediately. While all three judges scored in favor of De La Hoya, 115-113, CompuBox counted Sturm landing 234 of 541 punches to De La Hoya’s 188 of 792. Despite losing the title, Sturm gained fans and recognition around the world for his performance.

The subsequent boost in fanfare and recognition never bore fruit for Sturm in America but he returned to Germany and rose to heights of popularity 99.9 % of American boxers would kill for. In his fifth bout after the De La Hoya setback, Sturm won the WBA middleweight title and is currently 8-0-1 in nine fights after an unexpected but avenged loss to tough Spaniard Javier Castillejo. Because Sturm is charismatic and photogenic, he has the appeal to endorse products nationally and appears as a guest on many popular TV shows. Although, it must be said, Sturm did encounter some backlash for not answering the challenges of countryman and then fellow middleweight champion Arthur Abraham. That was somewhat deflected by reports Sturm’s promoter was chasing bigger fish and was in contract talks with HBO about fights with Kelly Pavlik and Bernard Hopkins on American soil.

There had been legitimate concern Felix Sturm would not fight at all in 2010, losing the title he has held since 2007 in the process. This stemmed from Sturm’s desire to break free of his promotional contract with Universum and form his own promotional company. The end result was a court ruling allowing Sturm to buy his way out of the contract for $1.2 million dollars, with Sturm stating he was "a free man" in the aftermath. The split was relatively free of personal hostilities. Sturm said, "I left with a good feeling and both parties are happy about the solution. And I am the happiest because I can finally go my own way with my gym and my team." Universum’s statement was presented with typical German efficiency. "Universum Box-Promotion and Felix Sturm have come to a settlement of the lawsuit and will amicably go our separate ways. Universum wishes Felix Sturm all the best for the future." That future is off to a good start; it appears Sturm will sell out the Lanxess-Arena in Köln for the Giovanni Lorenzo bout.

Now that Sturm has taken control of the business side of his professional life, he sees the other side of the promotion business. Sturm admitted it was hard to find a suitable opponent for his comeback. “We have negotiated with different fighters from overseas but, for some reason, most of them asked for crazy money. I don’t know what they’re thinking. Here in Germany, I got calls from fighters with decent records who wanted to fight me for free – just for the shot at the title.” While not mentioned by name, Ricardo Mayorga and Kermit Cintron were rumored to have been boxers involved in negotiations. Sturm is positive about his new role. "It’s a new situation for me because this is the first show I am doing all by myself. I promise all the fans that on Saturday, we will set a new standard for boxing events in Germany." To that end, Sturm asked German national soccer team hero Lukas Podolski carry his belt into the ring and brought in rock band Linkin Park to serenade him during the ringwalk.

Sturm’s split with Universum caused a second more immediate problem. A new trainer would lead him into battle since Michael Timm trains Universum boxers exclusively. In February, Freddie Roach was announced as the man to retool Sturm. When asked about Sturm, Roach told writer Wolfgang Schiffbauer, "He is a great fighter. I mean, he came to America and basically beat a prime Oscar De La Hoya. He’s got all the skills in the world; I think he needs a little more offense and I am an offensive-minded guy. There isn’t really a need for improvement. We have to adjust a couple things, so he can throw more combinations and use his natural skills to their full extend." That deal was never consummated, perhaps because of logistical reasons, allowing Sturm to hire on highly respected Fritz Sdunek. The German training legend taught Sturm in the amateurs and guided the likes of Dariusz Michalczewski, Zsolt Erdei, Artur Grigorian, and the Klitschkos to world titles.

The run-up to this title defense has had contentious moments, stemming mostly from statements made by New York City-based Dominican Giovanni Lorenzo. Before leaving for Europe, Lorenzo said Sturm would not last six rounds and that he had been "robbed" by judges the last time he challenged for a title in Germany. This time Lorenzo says, "I have prepared better. I got this; Sturm couldn’t even look me in the eye at the press conference. Just look at the press photos and you can see he was looking down. He is not mentally fit for this battle; he looks weak." Lorenzo also believes Sturm is distracted by the aspect of promoting his own show. "I can see he was more focused on planning this mega-fight to feed his ego by hanging larger than life posters of him all around Germany. These 500-feet-high posters tell me he is insecure. He would have been better off leaving the promotion for someone else and just focused on what he does best." If nothing else, Lorenzo is planting the seeds of doubt in a fighter who has not boxed for 14 months.

In the past year-and-a-half, Sturm and his wife have added a child to the family and, along with other distractions, Sturm had been widely reported to have hit the 200-pound mark in weight. Sturm does not deny any of those stories but assured everyone he was already at the middleweight limit last week. "My physical condition couldn’t be better. I make middleweight quite well. I already eat and drink normally. Now we’ll train in short, quick bursts of 45 minutes to an hour." There are some signs Lorenzo’s trash talk could be getting under the skin of Sturm; at the very least, he has been taking note of his opponent’s remarks. "Talk is cheap. I heard he said that he will stop me within five or six rounds. We will see who will be on the receiving end on Saturday. He only speaks in bold statements. We will see in the end if can cash those verbal checks."

If Sturm is true to his words, it should be an all-action fight. "I have never been so eager for this fight. My fans are in for a real treat; I will put the pressure on Lorenzo from the first round. He will not be able to handle this as he needs some breaks to regain strengths. And I will not give him these breaks." Such a course of action seems to favor Lorenzo, who is perceived as the stronger and harder punching of the pair. Sturm’s offense is based on a world-class jab and timing, out of which he mixes in combinations or a straight right hand. Sdunek says everything has shaped up nicely for the fight, with five-hour training days and sparring up to four times a week. The sparring was generally ten rounds against three different boxers. Sdunek is happy with the results. "I joined Felix four weeks ago. He [Sturm] is in outstanding shape and in the last training sessions, we set a hellish tempo in sparring."

Fight night reveals the better prepared boxer and no amount of talk overcomes superior strategy. The duo’s final press conference statements do not leave room for excuses either. Lorenzo surmised, "Sturm has always been protected by Universum and ducked fights against tough middleweights like myself. Now the world will see him getting destroyed; I am certain he will not be able to hold my shots for more than six rounds. I will break him down and crush him.” The champion was equally definitive and surprisingly foreboding, given Sturm’s otherwise even-tempered personality. "Whoever wants to beat me must kill me. This may sound brutal to some but that is my mental attitude. Anyone concerned about defeat has already lost.” A dangerous statement but if this Sturm wants to do damage in America, it is the attitude he must bring with him.

You can contact Marty at mmulcahey@elpasotel.net or visit him at www.facebook.com/fivedogs