by Cliff Rold - Fighters of exceptional talent don’t always become fighters of exceptional reach. In a sport full of markets insulated by geography, the evidence abounds. The bridge from national to international star is narrow and not everyone can pass.
Not everyone tries.
Felix Sturm has won three alphabet titles at Middleweight, one WBO and two WBA. He was an Olympic representative for Germany. In 2004, he tried. In the eyes of many, he got screwed and sent home.
Sturm put his WBO Middleweight belt on the line against Oscar De La Hoya, a Del La Hoya challenge of the then-real Middleweight king Bernard Hopkins hanging in the balance. There were some who saw the contest even, many more that felt Sturm won, and almost none were making a case for De La Hoya winning the fight.
De La Hoya won the fight.
Sturm hasn’t been back to the States since. He didn’t need to return. His fans back in Germany loved him even more after the De La Hoya debacle and his star grew. With quick hands and one of the game’s best jabs, Sturm could have tempted fate and found a road back towards Bernard Hopkins (or Jermain Taylor, or Kelly Pavlik, or Sergio Martinez). [Click Here To Read More]
Not everyone tries.
Felix Sturm has won three alphabet titles at Middleweight, one WBO and two WBA. He was an Olympic representative for Germany. In 2004, he tried. In the eyes of many, he got screwed and sent home.
Sturm put his WBO Middleweight belt on the line against Oscar De La Hoya, a Del La Hoya challenge of the then-real Middleweight king Bernard Hopkins hanging in the balance. There were some who saw the contest even, many more that felt Sturm won, and almost none were making a case for De La Hoya winning the fight.
De La Hoya won the fight.
Sturm hasn’t been back to the States since. He didn’t need to return. His fans back in Germany loved him even more after the De La Hoya debacle and his star grew. With quick hands and one of the game’s best jabs, Sturm could have tempted fate and found a road back towards Bernard Hopkins (or Jermain Taylor, or Kelly Pavlik, or Sergio Martinez). [Click Here To Read More]
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