Sturm (40-5-3, 18 KO) may be playing the spin game, as he is currently under investigation for doping following a positive test for stanozolol. His B-sample is set to be tested on October 12th, one week from today.
He seems rather confident that he’ll be exonerated.
My next fight May/June 2017 in Sarajevo https://t.co/u1KI91afRd
— Felix Sturm (@SturmBoxing) October 5, 2016
This would be a golden opportunity for the WBA to dispose of the "Super" belt as part of their belt-culling project, but we're probably going to see a fight for it. On paper, the likeliest candidate to face Chudinov for the vacant title is WBA number-three-ranked George Groves. Regular champion Giovanni De Carolis is booked to rematch number-six Tyron Zeuge in November, while number-two Stanislav Kashtanov and number-four Patrick Nielsen have yet to defeat a world-class opponent.
Early picks for Chudinov vs. Groves, anyone?