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Sturm-Chudinov 2: Fine Fight, Questionable Call

Sturm-Chudinov 2 – OBERHAUSEN – Those who agreed with Felix Sturm’s majority decision over Fedor Chudinov, around ringside at least, were in the minority. Most people did agree that it was an exciting, hard fought contest.
The controversial rematch for Chudinov’s WBA Super-middleweight title was worthy of championship designation, though not a true slugfest.
“We can talk about this or we can talk about that, a decision is still a decision,” reflected a bruised Sturm. “I know he’s disappointed but what can I say, let us go to the after party, drink something together, then we can talk about the fight. I respect Fedor, he’s a strong, tough guy. He’s young and he will be champion again. I’m 37 years old, one or two fights more, maybe, maybe not. It was very hard to prepare for this fight, so I have to let everything sink in before I decide about the future. If I retire, this was a nice way to say goodbye.”
Anybody who works as hard and is as classy as Sturm doesn’t deserve any criticism, still it’s hard to say that he clearly deserved the decision. Chudinov appeared in control during most of the middle sessions. As early as the fourth frame there were times it looked like Sturm was in trouble, hanging in there by superb conditioning and courage alone.
My scoring read 117-113 Chudinov (2 rounds even). Many rounds were very close, and fondness for Sturm could have created a “reverse bias” since I scored for Chudinov in a couple of coin-flips, just to make sure I wasn’t favoring Sturm.
Remember, there’s a big difference between stealing a fight and a robbery. Sturm’s strong opening and inspired finish may have bookended the victory in what became a classic clash of experience against youth. However you scored it, the aging warrior Sturm was very impressive while boxing on even terms against an emerging talent with the similar traits of a young Gennady Golovkin.
Something about Sturm’s style makes for very close fights. Fair or not, he is now the current poster boy for controversial decisions in Germany, not to mention the debatable Vegas loss to Oscar de la Hoya that introduced Sturm to a global audience. I had Sturm ahead in his split-decision loss against Daniel Geale in the same building, but that was also very close. Both Sturm’s longevity at the top and his margins of victory or defeat are somewhat unique.
There was much less of a noticeable Russian presence than in Frankfurt last May. Tonight was a rare situation where a losing fighter got top billing over the defending champion in a rematch, but Sturm was the promoter and his name does sell the tickets and the TV rights. Perhaps for conking karma though, if there’s an episode 3 it should be called Chudinov – Sturm.
Sturm came out busy and scored early with the jab while Chudinov threw compact shots from each side with cross-hooks that looked like a hug but landed with a thud. Sturm stayed aggressive, making sure he countered every Chudinov lead. Sturm wasn’t so successful with that during some bruising trades but he was consistent, and that might have earned him the nod.
I’ve sat by plenty of TV monitors, but during tonight’s undercard I noted that from my sightline perspective something about the blue lighted background and large screen uniquely highlighted differences between seeing a fight live or by image. I can’t say what it looked like via webcast or on the reportedly 2.8 million TV sets that tuned in, but nine adjacent feet from Chudinov’s corner, the tangible energy that emits from a boxing ring indicated he was in control.
Sturm complained about head butts, then repeatedly turned and stepped away without much reaction from ref Luis Pabon, who otherwise handled the action well. When Sturm was cut over the right eye from an accidental butt in round ten, it looked like he needed something dramatic to win.
Sturm definitely made things dramatic for the screaming audience of around 9,080 with some stinging combinations. Whether he rallied enough during some wild final exchanges remained a question.
I asked Chudinov in private what he thought when he heard the 114-114 score and why he didn’t go after Sturm during those “protect yourself at all times” when Sturm turned away, with his defense down.
“I didn’t want to kill him, and that’s what I would probably have to do to win,” grinned Chudinov like a proud schoolboy, seeming much less upset about the verdict than his colleagues. “I like Felix, he is a great fighter who was stronger than before. When I heard the draw announced I knew they gave it to him. Even during the fight I thought I would have to knock him down, but I couldn’t do it because he kept punching so much. But I did not deserve to lose this fight and I would meet him again, even in Germany.”
Team Chudinov was fuming and pressed for a May rematch. Chudinov’s ensemble included some fashionable Russian beauties, scowling and prowling the backstage post fight in the arena’s grey brick corridors as if they were ready to morph into some X-men type character and melt the place down. One woman chided Sturm from about five feet away with scolding questions while he bit his tongue with a stage smile, licked his fat lip, and answered politely.
Beaming like a subtle winner, Chudinov had a grape sized welt over his left eye and some lesser swelling over his right, but at times under the bright camera lights he appeared almost unmarked. Sturm looked like he had been in a car accident, but discounted any comparisons to who looked more like the winner.
“My face looks like this because of all the head butts,” claimed Sturm.
“There were butts,” said Chudinov. “Some because of me, some because of him.”
“We have fought Sturm two times, both in Germany. You saw what happened,” said a gentleman introduced simply as Chudinov’s manager. “If Sturm is all they say he is, he will come to Russia.”
“No problem, no problem,” Sturm replied immediately, sounding sincere. Almost everyone on Chudinov’s side of the dais jumped over to Sturm to shake his bandaged hand, and then for a confirming picture of the handshake. Chudinov was still grinning as he placed his mitt on top of the finger scrum, like the captain of a warmup exercise shout.
“No problem,” repeated Sturm, looking less subdued. “I love Moscow. As long as they can pay me, we come.”
Almost everyone in the cramped makeshift conference room laughed, even Chudinov’s entourage, angry Russian girls and all.
Check out The Boxing Channel‘s video with results and highlights.
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A Fresh Face on the Boxing Scene, Bryce Mills Faces His Toughest Test on Friday

“He wants to test himself and find out just how good he really is,” said International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz regarding super lightweight Bryce Mills. Peltz, who has dealt with a wide range of fighters throughout his lifetime in boxing, recognized the fire that burned inside Mills at a local show in Philadelphia in early 2022. At the time Mills had less than ten professional fights under his belt.
Mills hails from Liverpool in upstate New York and trains in nearby Syracuse. Currently 17-1 (6 KOs), he’s undefeated in his last 11 since losing a split decision to a Puerto Rican fighter from the Bronx who had fought much stiffer competition.
The fight in question that caught Peltz’s eye was arranged by the well-known and respected matchmaker Nick Tiberi who paired Mills in an intriguing fight against Daiyaan Butt, a tough and skilled fighter from the Philadelphia area. They fought at LIVE Casino in South Philadelphia on Feb. 24, 2022.
Although the crowd on hand that night favored Butt, Mills, although then only 20 years old, wasn’t intimidated and was the clear-cut winner at the end of their exciting, back-and-forth battle. This showed Peltz that Mills was serious about seeing just how far his ability could take him.
That’s why Peltz decided to join forces with Mills. Despite being semi-retired, Peltz is still active enough to help guide fighters through the ever-changing wild west landscape that is boxing. Since their union after Mill’s victory over Butt, Mills has been on a nine-fight winning streak heading into what Peltz believes is the toughest test of his career this Friday against Alex Martin 18-6 (6 KOs) of Chicago.
“I didn’t want him to take this fight, it’s a dangerous fight for him. Martin is a southpaw and is tricky, he’s a veteran and is experienced. His father (Mills’s father) called me and said that Bryce wanted the fight, to his credit,” says Peltz. One look at Martin’s resume and it confirms what Peltz stated. All six of Martin’s losses came against fighters with outstanding records including a former world title challenger. Martin also holds some quality wins over undefeated prospects that were at similar points in their careers to where Mills currently is in his development.
Bryce Mills looks like a fighter (he’s always in shape), acts like a fighter (testing his craft against all comers), walks the walk of a fighter, and fights with a fan-friendly pedal-to-the-metal style. That is a winning combination that could be the breath of fresh air the boxing world could surely use and on Friday night at the Wind Creek Events Center in Bethlehem, PA, live on DAZN, Mills is going to have the opportunity to put the boxing world on notice.
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DAZN will televise the Mills-Martin fight along with a main event that features undefeated middleweight Euri Cedeno (10-0-1, 9 KO’s) against Ulices Rivera (11-1, 7 KO’s). Knockout artist Joseph Adorno (20-4-1, 17 KOs) and undefeated Reading, PA super featherweight Julian Gonzalez (15-0-1, 11 KOs) appear in separate bouts on the undercard. Tickets for the Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotion show are still available through Ticketmaster. Lobby doors open at 5:00 pm. First bell is at 7:00.
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High Drama in Japan as ‘Amazing Boy’ Kenshiro Teraji Overcomes Seigo Yuri Akui

Overshadowed by countrymen Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani, Kenshiro Teraji embossed his Hall of Fame credentials in Tokyo tonight with a dramatic 12th-round stoppage of Seigo Yuri Akui. At stake were two pieces of the world flyweight title. A two-time world title-holder a division below (108), Teraji (25-1, 16 KOs) was appearing in his 16th world title fight.
This Japan vs. Japan matchup will go down in Japanese boxing lore as one of the best title fights ever on Japanese soil. Through the 11 completed rounds, Akui was up 105-104 on two of the cards with Teraji up 106-103 on the third. However, judging by his appearance, Akui was more damaged. The stoppage by Japanese referee Katsuhiko Nakamura, which came at the 1:31 mark of the final round with Akui still standing, struck some as premature but the gallant Akui was well-beaten.
A second-generation prizefighter, Kenshiro Teraji, 33, came bearing the WBC 112-pound belt which he acquired this past October with an 11th round TKO of Nicaraguan veteran Cristofer Rosales. The 29-year-old Akui (21-3-1) was making the second defense of the WBA strap he won with a wide decision over previously undefeated Artem Dalakian.
Although Teraji keeps on rolling – this was his seventh straight win which began with a third-round blast-out of Masamichi Yabuki, avenging his lone defeat – things aren’t getting any easier for the so-called “Amazing Boy.” In his last three fights, which include a hard-earned majority decision over Carlos Canizales, he answered the bell for 35 rounds.
By and large, fighters in his weight class don’t age well. While Teraji is starting to slip, he has no intention of retiring any time soon. His goal, he says is to unify the title and eventually move up a notch to pursue a world title in a third weight class. The other pieces of the 112-pound title are currently the property of Mexico’s Angel Ayala who defends his IBF diadem against Yabuki later this month and LA’s Anthony Olascuaga who was in action on tonight’s undercard.
Other Bouts of Note
Olascuaga, a stablemate of Junto Nakatani, trained by 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year Rudy Hernandez, advanced to 9-1 (6) with a hard-earned unanimous decision over Hiroto Kyoguchi. The judges had it 118-110 and 117-111 (scores condemned as too wide) with the third judge having it 6-6 in rounds but scoring it 114-113 in acknowledgement of the knockdown credited to Olascuaga in round 11, the result of a short left that produced a delayed reaction.
Olascuaga was making the second defense of his WBO belt in his fifth straight trip to Japan. In his lone defeat, he was thrust against the formidable Teraji as a late sub, acquitting himself well in defeat (L TKO 9) despite having only five pro fights under his belt and having only 10 days to prepare. Kyoguchi (19-3) had previously held titles in the sport’s two smallest weight classes.
In a big upset, Puerto Rico’s Rene Santiago, thought to be well past his prime at age 32, wrested the WBO light flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Shokichi Iwata who was making the first defense of the title he won with a third-round stoppage of Spain’s previously undefeated Jairo Noriega. Tokyo’s Iwata was a consensus 9/1 favorite.
Santiago, who advanced to 14-4 (9), won by scores of 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112. It was the second loss for Iwata who had knocked out 11 of his first 15 opponents.
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Keith Thurman Returns with a Bang; KOs Brock Jarvis in Sydney

The combination of age and ring rust made Keith Thurman a tricky proposition against Brock Jarvis, but the 36-year-old Floridian, a former WBA and WBC world welterweight champion, had too much firepower for the overmatched Aussie, knocking out Jarvis in the third round tonight in Sydney and setting up a massive fight with Tim Tszyu.
Thurman’s career has been repeatedly interrupted with injuries. He missed all of 2023 and 2024 and this was only his second fight back since being out-pointed by Manny Pacquiao in 2019. He was slated to fight Tszyu in March of last year in Las Vegas with two 154-pound straps on the line, but pulled out with a biceps injury and was replaced by Sebastian Fundora who saddled the snakebit Tszyu with his first defeat.
Against Brock Jarvis, Thurman started slowly. The TV commentating team, which included Tszyu and Shawn Porter, had the busier Jarvis winning the first two rounds. But the savvy Thurman was simply “processing data” and found his grove in the third frame, smashing Jarvis to the canvas with a combination climaxed by a wicked uppercut. Jarvis staggered to his feet but was a cooked goose and the referee waived it off immediately when Jarvis hit the deck again after absorbing a harsh left hook. The official time was 2:19 of round three.
It was the second bad loss for Jarvis (22-2), a noted knockout puncher who had previously been stopped in the opening round by countryman Liam Paro. He hails from the Sydney suburb of Merrickville which also spawned Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech, Jarvis’s former trainer.
Thurman advanced to 37-1 with his twenty-third win inside the distance. According to Tszyu’s promoter George Rose, the match between Thurman and Tszyu will finally come to fruition on July 6, likely at the Gold Coast Convention Center in Broadbeach. That’s predicated on the assumption that Tszyu wins his next fight without complications which comes on April 6 against Minnesota’s 19-1 Joey Spencer at Newcastle, Australia.
Other Bouts of Note
Melbourne Middleweight Michael Zerafa, who also covets a match with Tim Tszyu, improved to 33-5 (21 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of Germany’s obscure Besir Ay (19-2) who was on the deck twice before the referee waived it off. This was the second fight back for Zerafa after getting pulverized by Erislandy Lara who stopped him in the second round in March of last year. Ay, 35, is recognized as the middleweight champion of Germany.
In a middleweight match slated for 10, Tim Tszyu’s longtime sparring partner Cesar Mateo bombed out Sergei Vorobev in the fifth round, ending the match with a spectacular one-punch KO. The 26-year-old Mateo (18-0-1, 11 KOs) is a native of Tijuana. Vorobev (20-3-2) is a 30-year-old Sydneysider born in Russia.
Thurman vs. Jarvis, a pay-per-view event in Australia, aired in the U.S. on a tape-delay on the PBC youtube channel.
Photo credit: Grant Trouville / No Limit Boxing
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