Fedor Chudinov vs Felix Sturm Preview February 20th
Felix Sturm of Germany will be taking on the undefeated Fedor Chudinov of Russia at the Koenig Pilsener Arena over in Germany this Saturday, February 20th in a WBA Super Middleweight Championship fight. This is a rematch of their May, 2015 bout which saw Chudinov upset the former world champion by a 12-round split decision for the vacant title in Frankfurt, Germany. Fans in the UK can catch this 12-round scrap on BoxNation. This is a crucial fight for Sturm if he hopes to keep fighting at the world-class level.
Chudinov vs Sturm Betting Odds
Here are the winner odds from online sportsbook 5dimes.eu
- Felix Sturm +360
- Randy Caballero -320
My Pick
The 37-year-old Sturm enters the ring with a record of 39-5-3 along with 18 Kos. He’s been struggling lately as he’s winless in his past three outings with two losses and a draw and has just two victories in his past nine bouts. Sturm is a skilled veteran who knows how to control a ring and has a fine jab. He’s smart and has a lot of experience, but isn’t the boxer he used to be. He’s solid defensively and has a dependable chin as he’s been stopped just once in his career. However, he’s winless since 2013 and seems to be going in circles at this point in his career. He isn’t a power puncher and needs to throw a large volume of punches to be successful.
Sturm stands just over 5-feet-11-inches tall and has a reach of 73 inches. He turned pro back in 2001andhas 375 rounds under his belt since then. He’s fought outside of Germany just three times during his career. Sturm’s knockout ratio currently stands at just 38 per cent. His biggest wins have been against Javier Castillejo, Matthew Macklin, Sebastian Zbik and Darren Barker. Sturm has lost to Oscar De La Hoya, Daniel Geale, Soliman, Castillejo and Chudinov. Castillejo was the only one to stop him back in 2006. Sturm’s draws have been against Martin Murray, Randy Griffin and Robert Stieglitz.
The 28-year-old Chudinov has a perfect mark of 14-0 with 10 Kos. He’s two inches shorter than Sturm and has an inch shorter reach at 72 inches. He was last in the ring in September when he beat Frank Buglioni by 12-round unanimous decision to retain his title at Wembley Arena in London, England. He’s known as a heavy puncher and owns a knockout ratio of 71 percent. Chudinov turned pro in 2009 and has gone 63 rounds since then. His biggest win was against Sturm as the rest of his opponents were relatively unknown other than Andy Perez and Ben McCulloch.
Chudinov proved he could handle a step up in class though when he edged Sturm last May. He wasn’t able to stop the durable German, but did enough to take the decision. He’s a short, stocky guy who needs to get inside when possible. If he sees a chance to attack he usually takes it. He should be confident since he’s already beaten Sturm, but may find the rematch to be a bit more difficult. Sturm will once again have the hometown advantage, but he needs to beat the top of his game to regain the title.
Prediction……
At this stage of their careers it would be safe to say that Chudinov is the more aggressive boxer and should be hitting his prime. Sturm is getting on at 37 years of age and his recent performances have shown that he’s on the downslide. Still, he can take a punch and has the skills to give anybody a hard time. But that being said, look for Chudinov to retain his crown by another close decision or possibly by late stoppage.
This fight should be close enough to justify betting on the underdog Sturm
Play: Chudinov -320 @ 5dimes.eu
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Fedor Chudinov betting • Felix Sturm betting