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09/14/2004 Archived Entry: "Sturm wants to face winner of Hopkins vs. De La Hoya"
Sturm wants to face winner of Hopkins vs. De La Hoya
Felix Sturm (left) is is on a mission
Leverkusen - Former WBO middleweight champion Felix Sturm, 20-1 (9), has a clear agenda in front of him. On Saturday he wants to get rid of American Robert Frazier, 30-5-3 (15), then he demands to face the winner of the Oscar de la Hoya vs. Bernard Hopkins clash.
The 25 year-old Sturm will be back between the ropes on September 18 in Leverkusen, Germany, the very same day of De La Hoya's challenge versus Hopkins for the undisputed 160lb crown in Las Vegas.
“There is only one man against who the winner of the De La Hoya vs. Hopkins fight must defend his title against: Felix Sturm”, Universum promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl said. “Felix is THE man who can beat every middleweight fighter in the world. Everybody could see he beat De La Hoya clearly on June 5. He should be the one who is fighting against Bernard Hopkins on Saturday for the undisputed middleweight world title.”
It’s Sturm’s first f ight since losing a highly controversial decision to Oscar De La Hoya on June 5. Felix Sturm was stepping into the ring that night as reigning WBO middleweight champion, a title that he won in September 2003 from Argentine Hector Velasquez and defended it successfully against Spaniard Ruben Varon.
The 30 year-old Robert Frazier is a nephew of hall fame boxer and former heavyweight world champion Joe Frazier. He is currently on an eight-fight winning streak after losing a title challenge to Ronald 'Winky' Wright at 154 pounds. The WBO intercontinental title will be at stake in the Sturm vs Frazier contest, with Universum promoting the clash. ZDF will broadcast live in Germany.
After losing his title to De La Hoya, Felix Sturm has reentered the WBO rankings on position #1, making him mandatory challenger of the Hopkins-De La Hoya winner. He is now also ranked WBC #3 and IBF #5. Fightnews.com is ranking Felix Sturm as third best middleweight behind Hopkins and De La Hoya.
Photo courtesy of http://www.boxing.de
