By Jason Kim: Former WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (37-3-2, 16 KO’s) will be looking to put himself back in position to get a title shot on February 1st against Sam Soliman (42-11, 17 KO’s) at the ISS Dome in Dusseldorf, Germany. The fight is an IBF 160 pound eliminator bout and the winner of the fight becomes the automatic mandatory challenger for IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale.
It’s unclear now if Geale will still the champion by the time the winner of the Sturm-Soliman fight is ready to get a title shot because Geale has a tough fight on his hands next week against Anthony Mundine on January 31st, and that could prove to be a really tough fight for Geale. He lost to Mundine four years ago in a 12 round split decision loss, so it’s possible he could lose again.
Sturm, 33, is starting to show signs of age and ring wear in his past five fights. He lost his last fight against Geale by a 12 round split decision last September. Sturm also has a questionable win over Matthew Mack in June 2011 and a questionable 12 round draw against Martin Murray in December 2011.
Sturm also didn’t look really great in beating Ronald Hearns by a 7th round TKO in February of 2011. It just looks like Sturm is getting older and the effects of his many years in the ring seems to be starting to catch to him. He’s had it pretty easy during his career for the most part because he’s never really faced anyone that was really good at 160.
Murray, Macklin and Geale are easily the best guys that Sturm has fought during his 12-year pro career. He never fought Kelly Pavlik, Jermain Taylor, Arthur Abraham, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Sergio Martinez or Gennady Golokvin. Indeed, Golovkin had been trying to get a fight with Sturm for ages and just when it looked like he was finally on the verge of fighting him, Sturm was allowed to fight a unification bout against Geale last September, which he promptly lost.
Sturm will likely beat the 39-year-old Soliman to put himself in position to fight for a world title against Geale or possibly Mundine. Geale is probably the only guy that Sturm would have a chance at beating at this point because Golovkin would likely put a serious hurt on Sturm if that fight were to be made, and the same goes for WBO champ Peter Quillin and WBC champ Sergio Martinez.