Felix Sturm retained his WBA middleweight title by beating Khoren Gevor in a unanimous decision at Ring Arena in Nuerburg on Saturday.
The fighters spent much of the bout locked with their gloves and heads nearly touching. At the end of the third round, Sturm fell to the mat when Gevor (30-4, 16 KOs) took a swing. Referee Jean-Louis Legland ruled it a slip.
All three judges called the fight for Sturm, 115-113, 115-113, 117-111. Many in the arena were disappointed, including Gevor.
PHOTO: AFP
“I have as much power as he does,” the Armenian challenger said. “No one won that fight.”
Sturm (33-2-1, 14 KOs) was less impressed with Gevor’s moves.
“He wants to be world champion, like everyone, but you have to do more than push with your head,” Sturm said.
It was Sturm’s seventh successful defense of the title since he regained it from Javier Castillejo in April 2007.
All three judges scored the fight 115-114.
■AGBEKO RETAINS TITLE
AP, SUNRISE, FLORIDA
Ghana’s Joseph Agbeko retained his International Boxing Federation bantamweight title with a unanimous decision over Armenian-born Australian Vic Darchinyan on Saturday.
Using solid rights to the head Agbeko spoiled Darchinyan’s goal of winning his third world title in a different division. Two judges scored the bout 114-113 for Agbeko, while the third had it for the native of Ghana, 116-111.
“I have always said I would carry the greatness of Ghana with me to the top and that’s what I have done,” Agbeko said. “I want to be considered among the top pound for pound fighters in the world. I think I have earned it.”
■ADAMEK SILENCES GUNN
AP, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY
Tomasz Adamek successfully defended his International Boxing Federation cruiserweight world championship on Saturday with a fourth-round technical knockout of Bobby Gunn.
Polish-born Adamek, who now lives in the US, dominated the fight from the outset and improved his career record to 38-1 with 26 knockouts. America’s Gunn fell to 18-4-1.
Adamek stunned Gunn with a powerful overhand right in the fourth round, buckling the challenger’s knees, but he signaled to Adamek that he was not seriously hurt by shaking his head.
Adamek appeared shocked that Gunn didn’t go down, especially after ending the round with a flurry of 17 unanswered punches. After the bell, referee Earl Brown went to Gunn’s corner and stopped the fight, giving Adamek the victory.
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