Felix Sturm

Skysports.com profiles Felix Sturm ahead of Friday's WBA middleweight clash against Martin Murray.

One of the longest-reigning world champions in boxing, Felix Sturm has built a career at middleweight that is second only to Sergio Martinez among active fighters. The 32-year-old German has suffered only two defeats and one draw in a 39-fight professional career that began in 2001. He has held the WBA world middleweight crown for the last four-and-half years, a title he also held for a short time in 2006. In addition, Sturm is a former WBO champion in the division. But before he started his illustrious career as a pro Sturm, who was born in West Germany to parents from the former Yugoslavia, fought at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. There he competed in the light-middleweight division and progressed to the quarter-finals, where he was beaten by future undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. After his professional debut a year later Sturm's career progressed at a rapid rate as he had claimed both the IBF Youth and WBO Intercontinental middleweight titles a little over two years following his debut. His first world title, the WBO middleweight strap, followed in September 2003 when, fighting as a replacement for compatriot and stablemate Bert Schenk, he edged out Hector Javier Velazco on points in Berlin. He would make one defence before losing the belt and his unbeaten record in highly-controversial circumstances. Sturm took on American superstar Oscar de la Hoya in Las Vegas and seemed to do enough to take a shock points win. But the judges elected to give De la Hoya, who already had a big-money showdown with Bernard Hopkins lined up, the decision. He would never get the chance to avenge that loss and instead went back to Germany, where he knocked out domestic rival Schenk before grabbing the WBA world title with a unanimous points win over Maselino Masoe. Again his reign was a short one, however, as he was stopped for the first and only time after a monstrous left hook from Javier Castillejo. Sturm would regain the title with a points win over the Spaniard in an April 2007 rematch. Sturm has been unbeaten ever since with his only setback - a draw against Randy Griffin - also being avenged in a rematch. The streak has allowed him to become the 'super' WBA champion. Arguably his finest performance was a dominant points win over Sebastian Sylvester, but in June 2011 it was Sturm's turn to be the beneficiary of controversy after a hotly-disputed split-decision victory over Matthew Macklin. He will go into the Murray fight, his 15th straight to be held in his home country and the 11th defence of the WBA title, looking to re-assert himself with a dominant display. Sturm is not known as a knockout artist and instead relies on technical quality and accurate shots to outpoint opponents over the course of 12 rounds.