By Allan Fox: 39-year-old middleweight contender Sam Soliman (43-11, 17 KO’s) has reportedly tested positive for a banned drug for his last fight against former WBA World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (37-4-2, 16 KO’s) last month on February 1st in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Felix Sturm
Sturm bitter about loss to Soliman
By Allan Fox: Former WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (37-4-2, 16 KO’s) suffered a 12 round unanimous decision loss to #1 IBF Sam Soliman (43-11, 17 KO’s) in Dusseldorf, Germany on Friday night in an IBF middleweight eliminator bout.
Mares’ move to featherweight a bad idea; Golovkin vs. Sturm an option?
By Dan Ambrose: Former two division world champion Abner Mares (25-0-1, 13 KO’s) has decided to move featherweight after being rejected for a unification bout against WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire.
The 5’4 ½” Mares reportedly is having problems making the super bantamweight limit of 122 pounds, and that’s why he’s decided to move to 126 to go after the champions at that weight class.
Mares is making a big mistake in my view because he doesn’t have the power to mix it up with the top featherweights like Mikey Garcia, Jayson Velez and Daniel Ponce De Leon. Mares would be competitive against WBA champion Chris John and IBF champ Billy Dib.
Soliman defeats Sturm; Kentikian decisions Jah
By Jim Dower: 39-year-old Sam Soliman (37-4-2, 17 KO’s) bounced back from a 2nd round knockdown to come back and defeat former WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (37-4-2, 17 KO’s) by a 12 round unanimous decision in their International Boxing Federation 160 pound eliminator bout at the ISS Dome, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
Golovkin wants Quillin, Sturm or Geale in 2013
By Dan Ambrose: WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (25-0, 22 KO’s) is hoping he can get one of the champions to face him this year, and he’s got several fighters on his list that he’d like to take on in the near future if they’re game.
Golovkin says he’d be interested in fighting former WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm, IBF champ Daniel Geale or WBO champion Peter Quillin. Golovin is scheduled for a tune-up bout against Nobuhiro Ishida (24-8-2, 9 KO’s) on March 30th, in Monaco, but after that Golovkin is free, and he’s be willing to fight Sturm, Geale or Quillin if they’re looking for a big fight.
Weigh-in: Sturm 159.84, Soliman 159.84
Photo credit: Team Sturm) By Jim Dower: Former WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (37-3-2, 16 KO’s) successfully weighed in on Thursday for his IBF middleweight eliminator bout against Australia’s Sam Soliman (42-11, 17 KO’s) for their IBF middleweight eliminator bout on Friday night at the ISS Dome in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The 34-year-old Sturm weighed in at 159.84 pounds. Soliman, 39, came in at the same weight of 159.84.
Sturm is hoping to win this fight so that he can get another fight against IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale. Sturm was beaten by Geale last year in September by a very close 12 round split decision in Germany.
Sturm: Gennady Golovkin hasn’t proven himself
By Dan Ambrose: Former WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (37-3-2, 16 KO’s) thinks WBA World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (25-0, 22 KO’s) is still a fighter that hasn’t really shown whether he’s as good as what some boxing fans think he is. Sturm isn’t sure himself and he thinks he’s got a lot to prove before he’ll consider him a good fighter.
Sturm said to RingTV “He [Golovkin] hasn’t proved himself and backed up his talk and especially his management talk…there was never a real offer from his side for a fight against me, it’s just talk. He has to prove himself and get known before a fight would make sense, both financially and from a boxing perspective.”
Sturm vs. Soliman this Friday in Dusseldorf, Germany
By Allan Fox: 33-year-old former WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm (37-3-2, 16 KO’s) has a crucial fight on his hands against #1 IBF Sam Soliman (42-11, 17 KO’s) in an IBF middleweight eliminator bout at the ISS Dome in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Sturm needs this fight so that he can get a second crack against IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale after having been beaten by Geale last year in September in an upset loss in Germany. Sturm, who had previously had the judge’s side with him in a number of controversial fights, found himself finally on the other end of a decision in getting beat by Geale.
Sturm-Soliman in Dusseldorf, Germany: IBF 160 lb eliminator
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 vs. Soliman & Kentikian vs. Moreno on 2/1 in Germany
By Jim Dower: Former WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (37-3-2, 16 KO’s) goes at it against Sam Soliman (42-11, 17 KO’s) in an IBF middleweight title eliminator, and on the undercard former WIBF/WBA/WBO Female flyweight champion Susi Kentikian (29-2, 16 KO’s) will be facing WBA Female flyweight champion Carina Moreno (23-5, 6 KO’s) in a rematch to try and avenge her 10 round split decision loss to her on December 1st.
Sturm, 33, wants to quickly get another title shot against IBF champion Daniel Geale, who recently beat him last September in taking his WBA title.