Felix Sturm retains WBA middleweight title

KREFELD, Germany (AP)—Felix Sturm easily retained his WBA middleweight title, stopping Japanese challenger Koji Sato in the seventh round Saturday night at Konig Palast.

Sturm dominated with his left jab, nearly closing Sato’s right eye, and referee Luis Pabon stopped the fight with 14 seconds remaining in the seventh round and with Sato’s corner poised to throw in the towel.

“It went the way I wanted,” Sturm said.

Sturm (32-2-1, 14 KOs) hasn’t lost in his past eight fights. The only blemish during that stretch came when he only managed a draw against Randy Griffin in October 2007, and he beat Griffin by unanimous decision less than a year later.

The 28-year-old Sato (14-1) lost for the first time in his career.

From the first round, Sturm established control with his quick left jab, and parried most of Sato’s attempted combinations. By the end of the fourth round, Sato’s right eye was swelling, and he was bleeding from cuts on both sides of his face when the bout was stopped.

“The champion was very strong tonight,” Sato said.

Sturm has defended his title six times against relatively easy opposition, and could now be looking at a much stiffer challenge: a unification fight against fellow countryman and IBF champion Arthur Abraham.