His career is not over yet, Felix Sturm defends himself against the final knockout. – albeit with a flattering victory. Of course, the 44-year-old sees things differently and dreams of fighting other old masters. For his trainer he is a “genetic miracle”.
After his flattering comeback victory, not even Felix Sturm himself seemed to believe in a return to the World Cup throne. While still in the ring, the 44-year-old ex-world champion wished for boxing pensioner Roy Jones junior as his next opponent – and as if on order, the American, ten years his senior, appeared and confused the spectators in Stuttgart’s Porsche Arena with a rap Song.
“For me personally, he is the most talented and gifted boxer who has ever lived on our planet,” said Sturm about the ex-champion, who has not fought for five years and caused a stir by accepting the Russian passport. “Maybe you can use it to give German boxing a new boost.”
The duel between the two old masters might be entertaining, but certainly not a sign of departure for the local fistfight. That was not Sturm’s difficult 43rd victory in the 53rd professional light heavyweight fight against the Turks Sükrü Altay, who lives in Allgäu, in front of 5812 spectators. Even if the Leverkusen player is still “one of the best boxers in Germany”. Eleven months earlier, in March 2022, Sturm had boxed for the last time after serving a prison sentence.
As in his painful defeat eleven months earlier in the World Cup eliminator against Hungary’s Istvan Szili, Sturm was too passive against the much more active Altay. Only rarely did his old class flash in counterattacks from cover. After a flurry of blows in the seventh round, the five-time world champion almost looked like the loser, a loss would probably have the final knockout. his career means. But Sturm pulled himself together again and convinced in the final rounds – the unanimous point victory was still controversial.
Sturm, of course, saw things differently. “I also caught one or two, no question. But I would say that most of the rounds went to me,” said the German, who also has Bosnian-Herzegovinian citizenship.
Coach Maurice Weber also emphasized that his protégé had not been able to train for a few days due to a flu infection. “We debated for a long time whether we boxed at all,” revealed Weber. Sturm’s performance “under these circumstances and at this age” is all the more astonishing for him. For him, Sturm is “a genetic miracle”.
The storm, who always looked in top shape, didn’t want to justify the less than brilliant appearance. All in all, the boxing fans were “offered a great fight”, the people “got something for their money”, said the professional boxer with satisfaction: “You can build on that.”
The difficult way to recommend yourself via the world rankings for a world championship fight and possibly to be crowned world champion for the sixth time is “a nice option”, said Sturm. But it’s not particularly realistic. The ex-champion, who is pursuing a different strategy on the home stretch of his career, knows that too. You have to be open to new paths, fights of the “old guard”, as he called it, are attractive.
It was therefore no coincidence that alongside Roy Jones junior, Arthur Abraham, who had officially retired since 2021, was also in Stuttgart and congratulated Sturm on the victory after the final gong. Sturm did not want to answer specifically whether a fight against the ex-world champion, who would have electrified boxing fans a decade ago, is possible.
