Felix Sturm ended his career with a narrow points loss to Granit Stein—but many observers had the former world champion as the winner.
Felix Sturm ended his extraordinary career with a controversial loss. In the final fight of his career, the 47-year-old lost to Granit Stein—who is twelve years his junior—by split decision after ten rounds in Stuttgart. While judge Adrian Laschescu scored the fight 96–93 in Sturm’s favor, the other two judges scored it 96–95 and 95–94 in Stein’s favor. The decision sparked debate immediately after it was announced.
Although Stein appeared to be the more active boxer for much of the fight, many of his attacks were met with the former world champion’s solid defense. Sturm fought with composure from the center of the ring, landed his jab consistently, and, in the opinion of many observers, landed the cleaner shots. His opponent was warned in the sixth round after a headbutt and penalized with a point deduction.
The judge, who had seen Sturm as the winner, also defended his decision. “I saw Felix Sturm as the winner,” Laschescu explained after the fight. Matchmaker Hagen Döring and Sturm’s manager, Roland Bebak, assessed the action similarly. “As far as I’m concerned, Felix won the fight. He landed the cleaner shots,” said Bebak. Sturm, however, took the decision in stride. “You’d hope for a different ending, but that’s life. I’ve had a great career,” the former champion said.
His career led him to five world championship titles in the middleweight and super middleweight divisions, as well as numerous major bouts. His 2004 bout with Oscar de la Hoya, in particular, brought him international fame. With his retirement, one of the last great names of Germany’s golden generation of boxers is leaving the ring—albeit with a result that is likely to be debated for some time to come.
Text by Robin Josten