By Matt Stein: Middleweight contender Giovanni Lorenzo (29-2, 21 KO’s) is predicting that he’ll break WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm’s (33-2-1, 14 KO’s) tonight in their title fight at the Lanxess-Arena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Lorenzo, 29, is the underdog in this fight and few people think he has a chance of winning the fight due to Sturm’s superior boxing skills. However, Lorenzo, if nothing else, can punch and is probably the biggest puncher that Sturm has ever faced in his career.
Felix Sturm
Felix Sturm vs. Giovanni Lorenzo on Saturday
By Matt Stein: WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm (33-2-1, 14 KO’s) will be fighting number #7 World Boxing Association contender Giovanni Lorenzo (29-2, 21 KO’s) on Saturday night at the Lanxess-Arena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. This will be the first fight for Sturm in over 14 months, as he’s been out of action because of management squabbles with his old promoter Universum. But now that Sturm isn’t with them, the hope is that he’ll start facing some of the best fighters in the middleweight division with the time that he has left in his career.
Sturm vs. Lorenzo on Saturday: Felix could face Sylvester again if he wins
By Matt Stein: World Boxing Association middleweight champion Felix Sturm (33-2-1, 14 KO’s) will be making his first title defense in over a year on Saturday night when he faces number #7 ranked WBA contender Giovanni Lorenzo (29-2, 21 KO’s) at the Lanxess-Arena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Sturm, 31, hasn’t fought since defending his title in July against Khoren Gevor. What’s surprising is that Sturm hasn’t been stripped of his title with this much off from making a defense.
Sturm to fight Lorenzo on September 4th – News
By Jim Dower: World Boxing Association middleweight champion Felix Sturm (33-2-1, 14 KO’s) will now be facing middleweight contender Giovanni Lorenzo (29-2, 21 KO’s) instead of Ricardo Mayorga on September 4th at the Lanxess-Arena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. In some ways, this is a better opponent than Mayorga, because at least the 29-year-old Lorenzo is ranked at number #4 by the IBF. Oddly enough, Lorenzo isn’t ranked in the top 15 by the WBA, which makes me wonder why he was selected for Sturm. Perhaps a much better choice for Sturm would be number #2 ranked WBA middleweight contenders Gennady Golovkin or #3 ranked contenders Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam.
Sturm vs. Mayorga on September 4th
By Dan Ambrose: WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm (33-2-1, 14 KO’s) will be fighting for the first time in over a year when he takes on 37-year-old former WBA/WBC welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga (28-7-1, 22 KO’s) on September 4th at the Lanxess-Arena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Sturm has been embroiled with management problems for the past year and is now finally clear of them. Given the large amount of time off between fights, Sturm has decided to ease his way back into the thick of things by facing the ring-rusty Mayorga, who hasn’t fought in over two years since being stopped in the 12th round by Shane Mosley in 2008.
Sturm vs. Rubio on September 4th – News
By Matt Stein: Having been out of action for more than a year because of problems with his promotional company, World Boxing Association middleweight champion Felix Sturm (33-2-1, 14 KO’s) will finally be returning to action on September 4th against number #4 WBC ranked middleweight contender Marco Antonio Rubio (47-5-1, 40 KO’s), according to fightnews.com.
Sturm vs. Cintron on September 4th?
By Eric Thomas: In the latest boxing news, WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm (33-2-1, 14 KO’s) could be facing former IBF welterweight champion Kermit Cintron (32-3-1, 28 KO’s) in a fight that could be taking place on September 4th at a still to be determined location. Although Cintron, 30, looked horrible in diving through the ropes in his 4th round technical decision defeat to Paul Williams in May.
Jacobs could challenge for middleweight title against either Sturm or Sylvester – News
By Jim Dower: Unbeaten middleweight contender Daniel Jacobs (20-0, 17 KO’s) could challenge for the middleweight title against either Felix Sturm or Sebastian Sylvester, according to Sportsillustrated. Jacobs, only 23, destroyed Juan Astorga in two rounds last weekend on the undercard of the Amir Khan vs. Paulie Malignaggi fight at Madison Square Garden, in New York. Jacobs looked very impressive in that fight, and knocked Astorga down four times before stopping him in the 2nd.
Pavlik could be facing Martinez, Mundine or Sturm next
By Jim Dower: According to Cleveland.com, WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik’s co-manager Cameron Dunkin is saying that Pavlik (36-1, 32 KO’s) could be facing one of four possible opponents next, against either WBC light middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, Anthony Mundine, WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm and a 4th fighter that is still yet to be determined.
Will Pavlik fight Williams or Sturm in 2010?
By Jim Dower: WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (36-1, 32 KO’s) missed on a big fight with Paul Williams last year, and had to settle for a fight against number #3 WBC contender Miguel Espino in December. However, with Espino taken care of in an easy 5th round TKO, Pavlik, 27, can now focus on taking a live threat like Williams or possibly Sergio Martinez for his next fight. Pavlik missed a lot of action last year because of a nagging staph infection on his left hand that kept him out of action for 10 months in 2009 and limited his title defenses to only two for the entire year.