STURM BEATS GRIFFIN TO RETAIN TITLE

Felix Sturm retained his WBA middleweight title with a unanimous points victory over Randy Griffin in Halle on Saturday night. Nine months after fighting the American challenger to a surprise draw, the German eventually set the record straight in their second meeting in Halle with the judges ruling it 116-113, 116-112 and 118-110 in his favour. "I owed Randy the rematch and it really was a great fight," Sturm said. "That is what the sport of boxing needs - fights like this. He has my full respect for his performance." The 29-year-old controlled much of the action, cleverly picking Griffin apart with his jab. Griffin proved his heart as he constantly marched forward and tried to unload heavy combinations, but most of his shots were absorbed by Sturms defence. Sturm made good impact with his left jab on several fast... [read full story]