Geale-Sturm: Irresistible Objects and a Finally Moveable Force

Published

12 years ago

September 4, 2012

Geale-Sturm If this was Felix Sturm's swan song, it was a doozy. Sturm-Geale was a rock-solid scrap.

OBERHAUSEN -Perhaps a draw was the most fitting verdict on an evening of cliches both apt and absurd, but Daniel Geale and Felix Sturm had fought far too hard for that, whatever it meant, with sanctions aside.

Rhineland boxing's gloved-up gourmet menu did not have any Deutschland “Hausmannskost” (home cooking) on the bill Saturday night as Geale earned a coin-flip split decision into another pay bracket, just a quick autobahn dash away from Sturm's home town.

Instead, patrons were treated to a big-bang buffet feast of fisticuffs, topped off with generous portions of grace, class, and personal insight for the duking dessert. It was exactly the type of stimulating fight scene, everywhere from the nearby train station to the makeshift smoking areas outside the bleacher areas, that ensures the sport's continued popularity in these parts.

Alongside emerging Gennady Golovkin's win over commendable Grzegorz Proksa, Arthur Abraham's surprising performance against Robert Stieglitz and the upcoming Andre Ward – Chad Dawson or Sergio Martinez – Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr fiestas, the 160 -168 pound rumbling range is currently the most prime territory in boxing, especially during the present 30 day stretch.

Were those the “boxing's dead” blabbermouths I saw sitting in a ditch with the “rock and roll” and “US world power” nitwit naysayers?

Considering the intense skill level exhibited by each title holder, Geale – Sturm was one of the better fights anywhere this year, and definitely a leader for Western Europe. Joan Pablo Hernandez – Steve Cunningham had wilder whaps, and David Haye – Derick Chisora in London was a bigger spectacle, but Oberhausen saw a near classic through the extended, exhausting best of each man brought out by the other.

Almost all ringside media in my informal postfight poll scored the contest for Sturm, never the case before in his most recent defenses. The trifecta of 116-112 scores by the official judges were too wide, whoever was favored.

Even allowing a discount for my personal bias I gave Sturm the last round, and the fight, 115-114. A one or two punch margin, folks.

“I knew it was very close, but I was never worried about the decision, I knew I had put in the work,(both) in training and tonight,” said Geale, gazing like it was all still sinking in as he came down the ring post steps.

The win was Geale's second title winning split decision over a German based fighter in Germany, as he added Sturm's WBA belt to the IBF version Geale took from Sebastian Sylvester.

“I give my congratulations to Daniel for a great fight,” said Sturm, “And for his great team. He fought superb and he was very tough. I am, of course, very sad about the decision. But I am glad it was as good a fight as we promised our fans and I wish him the best. Maybe we will have a rematch if he wants one.”

Two clinched cliches, “That's boxing” and “No losers”, were repeated in multiple languages by both competitors and almost everyone behind a microphone except the beautiful “Sat 1” TV babe who moderated the press conference sitting next to Sturm, her perfect blonde hair and makeup in sharp contrast to the dark bruises of Sturm's slumped profile.

Any boxing fan should want to see Geale – Sturm II. Plenty of carnage, plenty of class.

Almost all available Oberhausen seats were filled in the scaled-down Konig-Pilsner Arena with a somewhat glamorous, somewhat subdued swarm of approximately 7077. You could get a good sense of how the fight flowed back and forth through periods of studious silence or screaming in the Sturm stronghold.

For a usually polite German boxing audience to howl in protest after the debatable decision was announced showed both their passion and disappointment.

Geale came in to blaring power chords, fitting his fighting style.No one in the stands made a noise, but Geale was glad to keep them quiet.

Sturm's pyrotechnical entrance to a great intro by Swedish singing star Lykke Li had bizarre, almost scary irony as hundreds captured images with devices held straight up in an unconscious, very eerie one armed salute which hopefully illustrated of how far society has progressed in recent decades.

Sturm came out quick in round one, didn't land much but threw a lot. Geale looked a little stronger and little more aggressive behind good body shots. Sturm had a better second session as they started to alternate control. The fight was dead even at the halfway point, but Sturm looked much worse for wear. Geale landed bigger shots, Sturm landed more.

During the first half of the fight Sturm slipped most shots. Geale didn't but his aggressiveness proved effective.

It appeared strength would trump speed as Geale roared in rounds 7 through 9, but Sturm proved his championship heart and skill as he rallied back with stirring combinations down the stretch.

From second row center I had the bout dead even going into the final frame, the final minute, the final frenzied exchange.

Round 12 may well be the Round of the Year.

Geale's gritty, granite style and personable manner won him many fans, through a looming local melancholia as long time titlist Sturm was dislodged from the upper stratosphere.

Of more vital relevance for 31 year old Geale and the global boxing community, the result seemed to open the door a bit wider for a series of major middleweight matches. We may never see the “Four King” days of Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and others like Wilfredo Benitez and John Mugabi, but there are solid heirs to the throne throwing shots these days, plenty of potential punching princes.

It was almost as if the confident Team Geale brought in new addition promoter Gary Shaw to field negotiations for Geale's next giant step. That could mean a match with Golovkin, or the winner of Martinez – Chavez Jr, but realistically not until some softer defenses to build everybody's USA market recognition and purse potential.

Sturm looked much more marked at post fight press conference. Geale was relatively unscathed, though he looked just as exhausted.

“Everything went the way I planned it. We knew I had to fight the fight of my life and I did it,” said Geale, now 28-1 (15). “I'd be glad to have a rematch because it was a great fight, but I can't really say what's next. I'm happy I get to some rest, then sit down and look at my options. I think I'll have at least a few more big fights now.”

All four members of Team Geale that spoke sounded sincerely impressed with how Sturm the promoter treated them. It looked painful for Sturm to raise his shoulders and force a slight smile.

“I've known Felix for a very very long time. He has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of,” offered Shaw during a personal display that spoke well for US diplomacy, and of which a dejected Sturm seemed to be taking to heart. “I've been on that side of the table before and I know he's very down right now, but I know he'll be back if he wants.”

If it was the venerable, still relatively young (at 33 years old) Sturm's last big stand, it was certainly an excellent end to quite a run.

It's hard to assess how much mauling mileage Sturm has left, but Geale took lots of it.

Sturm's level of achievement is good in global terms, not just European records, but Sturm will always be faulted around North America for remaining inside a perceived protective zone in his adopted German homeland. Sturm still won't have to travel far for work unless he wants, but Australia ain't the worst place for a paid holiday.

Maybe the most obvious move for Sturm, now 37-3-2 (16), would be the huge, German extravaganza that could come with a bout against newly crowned 168 pound rival Arthur Abraham. That could probably provide Sturm with a nice, grand finale payday to his career inside the strands should those welts look a bit too purple for the face of a guy who still models for Calvin Klein underwear.

At this point, both Sturm and Abraham still have enough leverage and options beyond each other to continue their long running, no-budge negotiation stance.

For his part, it looked like Sturm is still one of the top five middleweights in the world, belt or not.

With his hard earned new hardware, Geale may prove to be the very toughest middleweight of them all.

Waning illumination from the remains of a so called blue moon glowed down upon cheerful figures of shadow and light, that hustled noisily to the trains from the arena. Whatever the fans' scorecards read, there was a pervasive sense that somehow, the strands held no injustice.

There was pain, there was glory.

There were no losers.

That's boxing.

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Phil Woolever

Stephen Fulton Nips Carlos Castro in a Prelude to Canelo vs Berlanga

Published

3 hours ago

September 14, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Stephen-Fulton-Nips-Carlos-Castro-in-a-Prelude-to-Canelo-vs-Berlanga

In his first fight back after being dominated and stopped by pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue in a fight for super bantamweight supremacy in July of last year, Stephen Fulton nipped upset-minded Carlos Castro, improving to 22-1 (8) in his first start as a featherweight. The verdict was split, with Fulton prevailing by 96-93 and 95-94 with the dissenter favoring Castro 95-94. The decision seemed fair although not in eyes of the predominantly Mexican crowd which booed the decision.

This was an entertaining 10-round fight between two evenly-matched 30-year-old campaigners. Long-time Phoenix resident Castro (30-3) put Fulton on the deck in round five with a counter right hand and Fulton rode his bicycle to shed the cobwebs as the round played out. But the Philadelphian, with new trainer Bozy Ennis in his corner, recuperated well and had a strong sixth round.

In round eight, Castro buckled Fulton’s knees with another straight right, but was unable to press his advantage. The bout served as the “main” prelim to the four-fight PPV card.

—

In a welterweight contest slated for “10,” Mexico City’s Ricardo Salas, a 6/1 underdog, scored a second-round stoppage of Roiman Villa. The end in this slam-bang and all-too-brief skirmish came at the 2:06 mark of round three when Salas, fighting off the ropes, nailed Villa with a perfectly-placed, short right hand. Villa went down for the count.

Salas, whose de facto manager is the ubiquitous Sean Gibbons, improved to 20-2-2 with his 15^th win inside the distance. From Colombia by way of Venezuela, Villa (26-3) was making his first start since being stopped by Boots Ennis in July of last year.

—

In the opener on the PBC YouTube channel, super featherweight Jonathan “Geo” Lopez, a 21-year-old Pennsylvania-born southpaw, won a wide 8-round decision over rugged San Antonio campaigner Richard Medina. Lopez pitched a shutout, winning 80-71 on all three cards, but this was hardly a stroll in the park for him.

Lopez, who improved to 17-0 (12), simply had too much class for Medina. A 20/1 favorite, the Eddy Reynoso-trained boxer hurt Medina at the end of round seven and put him on the canvas in the final round with a straight left hand, but Medina (15-3) kept on plugging away and maintained his distinction of never being stopped.

Also

In an off-TV fight, super middleweight Bek Nurmaganbet, a 26-year-old Kazakh, won his eighth straight inside the distance, improving to 12-0 (10) with a second-round stoppage of SoCal’s Joshua Conley (17-7-1).

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Rocky Hernandez Improves to 36-2 with a Controversial TD in Hermosillo

Published

24 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Rocky-Hernandez-Improves-to-36-2-with-a-Controversial-TD-in-Hermosillo

Matchroom was in northwestern Mexico tonight in the city of Hermosillo for a card that aired on DAZN. In the featured bout, super featherweight Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez was awarded a technical decision over Thomas Mattice when the bout was halted by the ringside physician at the start of the seventh round because Hernandez had severe cuts around both eyes. The first cut, over his right eye, developed in round four. Replays showed that the second cut, over his left eye, was caused by a right uppercut. However, in the eyes of veteran Texas referee Mark Calo-oy, the damage was caused by an accidental head cut. That sent the bout to the scorecards where Hernandez was deemed the victor by tallies of 59-55, 58-56, and 58-55 per ring announcer David Diamente who had trouble reading the results submitted to him by a boxing commissioner.

Hernandez, who turned pro at age 15 in Mexico City, is best known for his rumble with defending WBC 130-pound title-holder O’Shaquie Foster. Rocky was leading that fight with 30 seconds remaining in the final round when the roof fell in on him. He trained for tonight’s bout at the DLX and Top Rank gyms in Las Vegas under Kay Koroma and Brandon Woods, the latter of whom trains Trevor McCumby. Neither Koroma nor Woods was in his corner tonight.

It was the first fight outside the U.S. for Cleveland’s hard-luck Thomas Mattice who had won five straight heading in and appeared to be turning the bout in his favor. Mattice declined to 22-4-1.

Semi-wind-up

Twenty-four-year-old Hermosillo knockout artist Sergio Mendoza showed that he is a rising force in the flyweight division with a third-round stoppage of stocky Ensenada southpaw Angel Ramos. Mendoza crumpled Ramos with a short left uppercut in round two. Ramos attempted to rise, but it became a moot point when the match was waived off.

Mendoza improved to 24-0 with his twenty-first knockout. Ramos, a 12-year pro whose career has been slowed by injuries, falls to 30-2-2.

Also

A 10-round super middleweight contest that shaped up as a slugfest proved the opposite. Local product Julio Porras (12-0, 8 KOs) won a wide decision in a snoozefest over Venezuelan import Isaac Torres who had won all 10 of his previous fights by stoppage, none of which lasted beyond six rounds.

Torres turned timid after Porras decked him with a left hook in the second frame. He fought off his back foot for the reminder of the bout, seemingly content to simply last the distance. The scores read 100-89 and 99-90 twice.

It was hard to get a good read on Porras who trains in Seatle with David Benavidez and Diego Pacheco, but at age 22 he appears to have a bright future.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 296: Canelo vs Berlanga and More

Published

2 days ago

September 12, 2024

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 296: Canelo vs Berlanga and More

Never underestimate the Mexico versus Puerto Rico rivalry.

Undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez of Mexico has fought Puerto Ricans before and should know it is never easy. But this time he chose to toe the line against a young hungry Boricua.

Will this fight be his reckoning?

Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) defends the WBA, WBC, and WBO titles against Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) on Saturday Sept. 14, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. PPV.com along with Jim Lampley will stream the loaded TGB Promotions card. It’s also on DAZN and Amazon Prime.

Mexico’s Canelo has been the face of boxing ever since Floyd Mayweather officially retired. And though he lost to Mayweather in 2013, the dividends from that experience have boosted the redhead to a skill level not seen since Salvador Sanchez.

Not many Mexicans or Puerto Ricans fight at super middleweight. So, this is a first for the rivalry at this weight class. But in the lower weights war has been ongoing between the two countries for decades.

My up-close introduction took place with Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez against Sanchez in Las Vegas in August 1981. At the time the Puerto Rican was considered the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world with 32 wins and 32 knockouts.

Gomez was a Mexican killer and dispatched two future Half of Fame fighters in Carlos Zarate and Lupe Pintor. Only Sanchez could beat the Boricua and he was an underdog to the mustached fighter from Santurce, Puerto Rico when they met.

Never underestimate anyone.

Now Berlanga is attempting to do what no other Puerto Rican has been able to accomplish in defeating Canelo.

It’s a big task for the taller fighter.

“I could be the face of Puerto Rican boxing after Saturday night,” said Berlanga, 27, who hails from Brooklyn, New York.

The taller Berlanga has yet to face anyone that compares to Canelo, He’s defeated contenders like Jason Quigley and Padraig McCrory who formerly held the IBO light heavyweight title. But a killer like Alvarez he’s never faced before.

But he’s eager to find out.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for Team Berlanga,” Berlanga said at the press conference.

As a professional fighter he needs to take the opportunity.

“We’re gonna make history and become legends,” said Berlanga.

Alvarez has been in this situation dozens of times before. He’s heard all the rhetoric and the boasts and the predictions over the years. After facing the likes of Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Gennady Golovkin and so many others, he’s almost immune to the itchy nervousness of potential danger.

The Mexican champion has his jacket of confidence woven over the years from dozens of battles endured since the age of 15. Now he’s 34 and has he passed his limit?

“I always put 100 per cent into my fights and into training, no matter who I’m fighting. It’s the same mentality every fight. This is no exception,” said Alvarez, who is fighting on Mexican Independence day for the 11^th time in his career.

This, however, is different. This is Mexico versus Puerto Rico and the history between the two countries is fraught with upsets and fierce bloody battles in boxing that have mesmerized the boxing world.

Berlanga’s trainer said it best:

“Believe me, we are grateful to Team Canelo for the opportunity, because it’s the opportunity to knock the king off the throne,” said Marc Ferrait. “as I told Edgar, he’s not going to want to give it to no Puerto Rican, and if we think Canelo doesn’t have it, oh he’s coming. We want the best of him.”

It’s power versus power. All it takes is one punch.

Other Bouts

WBA middleweight titlist Erislandy Lara (30-3-3) defends against Philadelphia’s Danny “Swift” Garcia (37-3) in the semi-main event at T-Mobile Arena. It’s been four years since the Cuban southpaw faced elite competition. Now 41, does he still have it?

Garcia, 36, a former welterweight and super lightweight world titlist, has only fought once above 147 pounds but found success when he defeated Jose Benavidez at 153 pounds two years ago.

Both are experienced, skilled and dangerous.

Super middleweight contenders Caleb Plant (22-2) and Trevor McCumby (28-0) meet in a 12-round clash for the interim WBA title. Whenever Plant fights there is always extra personal incentive thrown in. McCumby knows it.

“I just go in there and handle business,” McCumby said.

Plant seems eager to return to the ring.

“We’ll see on Saturday,” said Plant.

Another former world titlist performing is Rolly Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) meeting Manuel Jaimes (16-1-1, 11 KOs) in a super lightweight match set for 10 rounds. It’s the first time I recall seeing Romero against someone bigger. Interesting.

A super bantamweight battle between former unified world titlist Stephen Fulton (21-1) and Carlos Castro (30-2, 14 KOs) is set for 10 rounds in a featherweight match. Fulton was stopped by Japan’s Naoya “Monster” Inoue a year ago. He’s eager to return.

Fights to Watch

Thurs. DAZN 5 p.m. Ardreal Holmes (15-0) vs Hugo Noriega (10-2).

Fri. DAZN 5 p.m. Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez (35-2) vs Thomas Mattice (22-3-1).

Sat. DAZN 3 p.m. Roiman Villa (26-2) vs Ricardo Salas (19-2-2).

Sat. PPV.COM, Prime ppv, DAZN ppv 5 p.m. Saul Alvarez (61-2-2) vs Edgar Berlanga (22-0); Caleb Plant (22-2) vs Trevor McCumby (28-0); Erislandy Lara (30-3-3) vs Danny Garcia (37-3); Stephen Fulton (21-1) vs Carlos Castro (30-2).

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