WBA Middleweight Champion Felix Sturm had a close call last night at Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle, Germany as challenger Randy Griffin pushed the popular Hamburg man hard for twelve rounds.
Griffin had Sturm on the defensive for much of the bout but in general could not get past the champion’s jab to mount any type of effective sustained effort.
Both had their moments and shared some thrilling exchanges but Sturm managed to keep Griffin from getting into a rhythm and slowed things down during the later rounds to his advantage.
At the end of twelve rounds, a draw was declared by scores of 115-114 Sturm, 117-114 Griffin and 114-114 tie.
Sturm keeps his WBA Title and sees his record to 28-2-1 (12). Griffin drops to 24-1-3 (12).