This afternoon on BoxNation (UK) and SAT1 (Germany), Fedor Chudinov will make the second defense of his WBA super middleweight title when he faces Felix Sturm in a rematch from Koenig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. The card will begin airing live at 2:00 pm EST on BoxNation, and 4:20 pm EST on SAT1. BLH will be here with live coverage for the main event.
Chudinov (14-0, 10 KO) beat Sturm for the vacant belt on May 9, 2015, winning a split decision in a fight where he was clearly the better man. Russia's Chudinov, 28, has youth and vigor on his side, while the veteran Sturm, 37, is past his prime but still competitive and still a fun fighter to watch, or at least he was when we last saw him. Sturm (39-5-3, 18 KO) hasn't fought since his loss to Chudinov last year. Chudinov defended his title successfully on September 26, beating Frank Buglioni in London.
The undercard is exceptionally weak, and we will not be covering those fights live, but BoxNation will have the slate of mismatches for your viewing pleasure.
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RESULTS
Felix Sturm def. Fedor Chudinov by majority decision (115-113, 115-113, 114-114)
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ROUND BY ROUND
FEDOR CHUDINOV vs FELIX STURM
Round 1: Referee is Luis Pabon, who is not good. Both guys throwing a little to start, Chudinov lands a nice body shit. This is a feeling out, but not one where they just look at each other. This is a feeling out start worth watching. Chudinov loads up on a right but misses. Right hand from Sturm. Sturm warned for a rabbit punch after that. Chudinov coming forward, Sturm throwing some heavy shots and getting through enough to count. Chudinov still pushing him back, though. Good start here. We'll see if Sturm can keep it up. Last time, he couldn't. Close round, could see it either way. Chudinov 10-9
Round 2: Chudinov with a nice combination, two shots to the body and one upstairs. But Sturm is standing his ground in the pocket. That is giving Chudinov openings to the body, and he's happy to take them. Chudinov landing a good amount of shots with Sturm more stationary in this round. His jab's working, the body shots are there, clean shots upstairs getting through. Sturm with a little offense at the end. Terrific exchange to end the round. Chudinov 10-9, 20-18
Round 3: Chudinov starting fast again this round. Sturm standing in there, shooting his jab back. Good body work again from Chudinov, and Sturm comes back with a bit of his own in combination. Sturm throwing some shots here. This is turning into a phone booth fight in round three. Another fairly tight round here. Good amount of punches being thrown, good pace. Sturm 10-9, Chudinov 29-28
Round 4: Somewhat slower round, not as many exchanges, but still active. Chudinov landing, but not really consistently. Neither of these guys has much power, so we're almost surely going 12 here, and the pace has been set. Close round again, I nick this one to Chudinov. Sturm laid off the gas a bit here. Chudinov 10-9, 39-37
Round 5: Crowd, of course, reacts big to everything Sturm does. Chudinov whacking away at the body again halfway into the round. Sturm really working hard but he's getting slowed down by the body work. Chudinov is doing a lot more work than BoxNation commentary is crediting. Chudinov 10-9, 49-46
Round 6: Chudinov taking this fight over in steps. It's just a pace Sturm can't really handle anymore for very long. He's still got guts and fights hard, but he tires routinely. Clear Chudinov round, despite some Sturm moments. Chudinov 10-9, 59-55
Round 7: Chudinov is in pretty firm control here. Sturm is slowing noticeably and trying to win rounds by flurrying late, and he does land a shot or two there, but it's just not enough. Or maybe it will be. It's Germany, and more important, it's boxing. Who knows? Chudinov 10-9, 69-64
Round 8: Sturm starting faster in round eight, staying in the pocket again, which isn't great for him, but frankly nothing is great for him in this matchup. This is an actual better round for Sturm but he's still getting worked over pretty well. There's really nothing eye-catching about what Chudinov does, nothing flashy or special, he's just a consistent attacker. I did like Sturm by a hair here. Sturm 10-9, Chudinov 78-74
Round 9: BoxNation commentary at this point is hilariously refusing to take a position. Judges may agree with him and "validate" it, though. Chudinov still doing the better overall work, but crowd wildly into every occasional clean shot Sturm gets in. Chudinov 10-9, 88-83
Round 10: Chudinov definitely back on the advantage in full this round. Heads clash a bit, Sturm backs down and has a small cut over his right eye, on the outside edge of the eyebrow. Well, might be more than a small cut. We'll see. Back to action, Sturm showing a bit of aggression. Chudinov 10-9, 98-92
Round 11: Chudinov still doing the better work, more damage. Sturm is having moments. I don't mean to say he's being blown out. He's really not. He's just not winning the rounds. Chudinov 10-9, 108-101
Round 12: Sturm is a brave, gutsy, tough fighter. He’s not winning this fight, but he doesn’t give up. Sturm coming forward and eating shot after shot, but throwing his own, too. Sturm really charging as much as he can in this round. He's tired, he's beaten up, and he's leaving it in the ring. And I do think he edges this round. But I see this fight wide for Chudinov. Sturm 10-9, Chudinov 117-111