By Jim Dower: WBO super middleweight champion Roberto Stieglitz (39-2, 23 KO’s) will be facing WBA World super middleweight champion Dimitri Sartison (27-1, 17 KO’s) on April 9th at the Bordenlandhalle, Magdeburg, Sachensen-Anhalt, Germany.

This is a fight that hasn’t been talked about much but is an important fight in Germany where Sartison and Stieglitz are well known and respected. Stieglitz, 29, is considered by many to be the paper champion in the super middleweight division because of how he captured the belt by beating Karoly Balzsay, who was considered another paper champion by boxing fans.

Stieglitz hasn’t faced anyone dangerous in the two years that he’s held the WBO belt and that won’t change by fighting Sartison. Since capturing the belt in 2009, Stieglitz has defended it three times, beating Ruben Eduardo Acosta, Eduard Gutknecht and Enrique Ornelas.

None of them are household names among casual boxing fans, and it would be hard pressed to see Stieglitz beating some of the better contenders in the super middleweight division, much less any of the champions like Carl Froch, Andre Ward or Lucian Bute.

Sartison, 31, is perhaps best known for having been beaten by Mikkel Kessler in 12th round knockout loss in June 2008. Sartison took a real pounding in that fight and failed to do much after the 5th round. Sartison has bounced back from that loss by winning his last five bouts over guys like Stjepan Bozic, a recent victim of Arthur Abraham, Khoren Gevor, Michal Bilak, Vasily Andriyanov and Edison Francisco Guedes.

Sartison is a good fighter against basic fighters but he looked bad when he stepped it up a level and faced Kessler. Sartison may be good enough to beat Stieglitz, but that’s not really saying much because Stieglitz is very beatable.