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Felix Sturm returned to action Saturday night at Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, retaining his WBA middleweight title against challenger Ronald Hearns.
Hearns tried to leverage his advantages in height and reach but Sturm’s edge in quickness offset any momentum the challenger was trying to build and soon the champion was ahead on points.
The American tourist changed tactics after the first two frames and briefly gained control of the contest but Sturm made an adjustment and was soon back in the driver’s seat.
The champion had Hearns looking for answers after going to a fundamental jab, right hand offense that began to produce results by the fourth.
Sturm continued to pile up the points until Hearns was rendered near defenseless in the seventh, prompting referee Raul Caiz Jr to stop the contest.
Retaining the WBA strap for the ninth time, Sturm stands now at 35-2-1 (15), while Hearns loses his first attempt at z world title, dropping to 26-2 (20).
