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| Geale becomes unified middleweight champ. |
Daniel Geale has done the unexpected and beaten Felix Sturm in his hometown to become the WBA "super" and IBF middleweight champion of the world. Not only is Geale now the first fighter to beat Sturm in Germany, he is also the only fighter to win two world titles against German fighters in Germany. He did the exact same thing as tonight against Sebastian Sylvester back in May of last year.
It was an impressive and solid performance from Geale throughout the whole fight and a slightly below par performance from Felix Sturm. Maybe it was the non-stop pressure that Geale was piling on him but there was just something about Sturm that wasn't right tonight. Maybe it was age catching up with him.
The first few rounds were close and could have easily been given to either fighter. From around the third round onwards Geale started to increase the intensity of his work rate and pile the pressure on Sturm. This was very effective and won the Australian most of the middle rounds. However, in the third quarter of the fight Sturm managed to pull himself back into the bout and win a couple of the rounds. When it came to the 11th, Geale was just slightly ahead and it was all in the last two rounds. It now depended on which fighter wanted it more. Both men stepped it up a gear but Geale was still producing more punches. The Aussie just won the 11th and performed fantastically in the 12th to leave most believing that he had won the fight.
Nobody was quite sure what to expect when the judges scorecards came in. We were all remembering the decisions that Sturm was gifted against the likes of Martin Murray and Matthew Macklin and we thought this was going to be the same. But it wasn't! Geale was announced the winner by a split decision. The judges scorecards were 116-112 to Sturm and then 116-112, 116-112 to Geale.
At this moment, the German crowd fell silent in disbelief. Their man had not been given the decision and he was not world champion for the first time in ten or so years.
The future for Sturm and Geale awaits to be seen, but one thing I am very sure of is that we can expect to see Daniel Geale in some very big fights in the near future!
It was an impressive and solid performance from Geale throughout the whole fight and a slightly below par performance from Felix Sturm. Maybe it was the non-stop pressure that Geale was piling on him but there was just something about Sturm that wasn't right tonight. Maybe it was age catching up with him.
The first few rounds were close and could have easily been given to either fighter. From around the third round onwards Geale started to increase the intensity of his work rate and pile the pressure on Sturm. This was very effective and won the Australian most of the middle rounds. However, in the third quarter of the fight Sturm managed to pull himself back into the bout and win a couple of the rounds. When it came to the 11th, Geale was just slightly ahead and it was all in the last two rounds. It now depended on which fighter wanted it more. Both men stepped it up a gear but Geale was still producing more punches. The Aussie just won the 11th and performed fantastically in the 12th to leave most believing that he had won the fight.
Nobody was quite sure what to expect when the judges scorecards came in. We were all remembering the decisions that Sturm was gifted against the likes of Martin Murray and Matthew Macklin and we thought this was going to be the same. But it wasn't! Geale was announced the winner by a split decision. The judges scorecards were 116-112 to Sturm and then 116-112, 116-112 to Geale.
At this moment, the German crowd fell silent in disbelief. Their man had not been given the decision and he was not world champion for the first time in ten or so years.
The future for Sturm and Geale awaits to be seen, but one thing I am very sure of is that we can expect to see Daniel Geale in some very big fights in the near future!
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