Boxing: Sturm wants revenge over Geale by year’s end

German boxer and current WBA middleweight World champion Felix Sturm (L) and Australian boxer and current IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale (r) face each other during a press conference in Essen, western Germany, on August 27, 2012. AFP FILE PHOTO

BERLIN – Germany’s Felix Sturm has vowed to beat Australia’s WBA and IBF world middleweight champion Daniel Geale by the end of 2013 to regain the belt he lost last year.

Ex-world champion Sturm, 34, looked sharp as he enjoyed a fourth round technical knock-out against Montenegro’s Predrag Radosevic on Saturday in Dortmund, Germany, and now wants revenge.

Geale, who took Sturm’s WBA title with a split decision in Oberhausen, Germany, in September 2012, defends his title against Britain’s Darren Barker in New Jersey in August.

Now Sturm wants another shot at the champion.

“One more fight, then I’ll be back on the throne. At the end of the year, I’ll be a champion again,” boasted Sturm, presuming he will get a fight against Geale later this year.

“I want Geale and I want revenge.”

Having also won the IBF middleweight world title by beating Germany’s Sebastian Sylvester in May 2011, Geale, 32, holds both belts and Sturm has said he will not underestimate the Australian.

“Geale is stong and he is a different calibre, but I want to go up there and mix it with the best of them, I want to measure myself against the best,” said the German.

Having been put on the canvas three times by Sturm, Radosevic said the German can beat Geale with a similar performance.

“If Sturm boxes like that again, he will be world champion,” said the 28-year-old.

Having held the WBA middleweight title between 2006 and 2012, Sturm said he has been re-energised by his sport.

“I have finally refound my passion for boxing,” said the 34-year-old.

“I feel like a 26 or 27 year old and I see my future in the ring, there are still a few years left ahead of me.”

Sturm admits the defeat to Geale was a wake-up call, “perhaps it is a good thing when you really fall on your face”, and he had learnt from his mistakes.

“To focus only on the sport has had a positive effect on my life, it has brought me a lot of peace,” he added.