Elusive Felix Sturm vs Arthur Abraham fight mooted in Germany

The German former champions are edging closer to a long-awaited showdown

Felix Sturm (right) during his victory over Benjamin Blindert in February (Getty Images)

It appears that Arthur Abraham and Felix Sturm may be moving towards a fight later in the year, according to remarks made by the former this past weekend.

The pair, who were dominant forces in the German scene between around 2005 and 2015, never met in the ring despite being in the same weight divisions at times. Aligned with different promoters, a fight between the pair – which would have filled a stadium around 2010 – never emerged from the ether.

But an interview on German television this weekend suggested that the two may be moving closer. Speaking at the MBS Arena in Potsdam on Saturday night, it was suggested to Abraham that he could fight the active-again Felix Sturm.

Abraham replied by saying that his promoters and Sturm’s should talk, adding that he was training a few times per week.

Such a match would be an intriguing, if slightly nostalgic, meet-up.

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Abraham’s last fight was in 2018 in Offenburg where he outpointed Patrick Nielsen over 12 rounds. Sturm, meanwhile, last fought in February when he stopped an overmatched Benny Blindert in three rounds in Ulm.

Abraham (47-6, 30 KOs) and now 45 years old, is best known for his reign as IBF middleweight champion, a run that began with a win over Kingsley Ikeke for the vacant belt in 2005. From there, Abraham defended largely on German soil until a fight was made in 2009 against Jermain Taylor in Berlin. Abraham knocked out Taylor in the 12th round, after which Taylor retired briefly following bleeding within his brain.

That fight formed part of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, which began with the aim of matching up six of the world’s best super-middleweights. These were Abraham, Taylor, Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler, Andre Ward, and Andre Dirrell.

However, the move from middleweight to super-middleweight worked against the relatively short Abraham, with him losing to Andre Dirrell, Carl Froch, and Andre Ward.

Arthur Abraham pictured during one of his two reigns as WBO super-middleweight champion

Following his lacklustre showing in the tournament, Abraham took his career back to Germany where he managed victories against a slew of second-rate performers. The UK’s Paul Smith looked to beat Abraham in 2015, but lost the decision in Kiel and lost another decision in Berlin five months after that.

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Abraham won more fights in Germany, a split decision over Martin Murray in November 2015 that many saw the other way. He then ventured back to the US, where he lost to Gilberto Ramirez in Las Vegas. Some minor victories followed in Berlin and Erfurt, before Abraham lost to Chris Eubank Jr in a fight at Wembley Arena.

Sturm, on the other hand, has never really gone away. Now 46 years old, the Leverkusen-based fighter has a record of 45-6-3 (20 KOs). He is best known within the US for a controversial decision loss to Oscar De La Hoya in 2004 in a warm-up for the “Golden Boy” as he prepared to face Bernard Hopkins. Sturm lost his WBO middleweight title in the bout by three scores of 115-113.

The De La Hoya loss sent Sturm back to Europe, where he has only ever fought since against a string of lesser opposition. The most-notable opponents in that time have been Matthew Macklin, Martin Murray, and Ronald Hearns. There has also been legal trouble; a failed drugs test following a fight against Fedor Chudinov led to charges of assault, and Sturm has served time in prison for tax fraud.

Sturm remained inactive for four years following the second Chudinov fight, but came back with small shows in Hamburg against non-descript opponents where he laboured to wins. He then lost a close, exciting contest to Istvan Szili in Dortmund in 2022, and then beat Sukru Altay in two fights in 2023.

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