posted November 1, 2008 at 12:35 in Other Betting Trends
Boxing Betting – Sylvester Aims to Offer “Sturm” Test
BetUS Sportsbook sports bettors who enjoy a little of the "sweet science" will appreciate the quality of the matchup before them on Saturday, when Felix Sturm, the WBA middleweight (160-pound) champion, defends his title against Sebastian Sylvester in an all-German world championship fight that is scheduled for 12 rounds at Koenig Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
BetUS boxing betting odds:
WBA Middleweight title
November 1 -- Oberhausen, Germany
FELIX STURM -230
SEBASTIAN SYLVESTER +180
For betting purposes, let's size up the contestants:
STURM (30-2-1, 13 KO's), the -230 favorite in the BetUS boxing betting odds, had a long amateur career, highlighted by a European light middleweight title and an appearance at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where he lost in the third round of competition to eventual middleweight champion Jermaine Taylor. Sturm turned pro in January of 2001 with a decision over Antonio Ribiero, and quickly moved up, winning the IBF "Youth" middleweight title over Javier Alberto Mamani in March 2003. In September of that year he won the WBO world title at 160 pounds with a split decision over Hector Javier Velasco, and that put him in a position for a big payday, as Oscar De La Hoya was looking to win a title belt in another division, to set up his own fight with Bernard Hopkins. Sturm fought well, and the minds of many, deserved the decision, but De La Hoya got the nod from the Las Vegas judges, each by two points (June of '04). Sturm won the WBA title in March 2006 with a decision over Maselino Masoe, then lost it in his first defense as Javier Castillejo stopped him in ten rounds. Sturm regained the title on decision in April of last year and has defended it four more times since, the latest being a 12-round decision over Randy Griffin on July 5. With just a couple of exceptions (including the De La Hoya fight) he has fought exclusively in Germany.
SYLVESTER (29-2, 14 KO's), the +180 underdog at BetUS, had a rather inauspicious pro debut, as he was knocked out in one round by Yury Zaytssev (May 2002). He then went on a 21-fight winning streak, beating Morrade Hakkar among others, until he was stopped by Amin Asikainen in an attempt to win the European middleweight title in June 2006. He stopped Asikainen to win that belt in June of last year, which was probably his most significant win, considering Asikainen was 21-0 at the time. In Sylvester's last bout, which was also a WBA title eliminator, he scored a 12th-round TKO over Javier Castillejo (who had beaten Sturm). That was on April 12.
There has been a lot of "bad blood" as part of the buildup surrounding this one. Sturm has not demonstrated a lot of respect for his opponent, and has not consented to posing for pictures with him. Sylvester only refers to Sturm by his former name - Adnan Catic. And so there is tremendous drama and interest in Germany as the bout approaches.
Sturm is not known as an all-action fighter; in fact, his style has often been somewhat less than pleasing, as he demonstrated against Masoe in winning the WBA crown., He is reluctant to stand and trade with opponents, and that is probably justified, since he doesn't bring a lot of power. But there is no question that by virtue of fighting someone like De La Hoya, Sturm has been in with the better all-around level of opposition and has been on the bigger "stage."
Sylvester, a former sparring partner of Arthur Abraham, has never gotten an awful lot of attention, and maybe that works to his advantage. But there are some fundamental things he has going against him. For one thing, he is going to have a hard time getting inside against Sturm, who is rather adept at staying on the outside and using his jab and movement to his advantage. Does Sylvester have the requisite experience to be able to handle what could be a frustrating experience in being able to catch up to his foe?
Remember that Sylvester, with 14 knockouts in 31 fights, is not the kind of fighter who can end it or change the tide with one big punch, at least not as a matter of custom. His hope is to make Sturm fight every minute of every round, try to close the distance between the two, and perhaps wear Sturm down to where the stamina questions being asked of the champion have to be answered. My own feeling is that Sylvester is not ready for prime time yet, and Sturm ekes out a decision win. So it's Sturm, the -230 favorite in the BetUS boxing sports betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: STURM TO WIN -230 **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)(Charles Jay of www.ebookies.com is a former manager, matchmaker and color commentator in professional boxing. He currently pulls no punches in the BetUS Locker Room)
