FELIX STURM plead his innocence after testing postive for the anabolic steroid, Stanozolol, following his contentious February rematch win over Fedor Chudinov. It is the same steroid found in the system of disgraced sprinter Ben Johnson at the 1988 Olympics.
The 37-year-old veteran, who won the WBA super-middleweight title in beating Chudinov – eight months after losing their first bout – was told of his failed test via email.
“At first I was shocked,” Sturm says. “This is a very strange result, especially as it has taken eight weeks to be informed of the result. Also, the Association of German professional boxers (BDB), who hosted the bout, were not informed – only my trainer and I. I’ll definitely have the B sample opened, I have had my blood and urine tested hundreds of times. Nothing has ever been found. I have an absolutely clear conscience. I’ll be getting a lawyer, I haven’t worked for 26 years for this.
“I’ll fight like a lion, like I do in the ring… I will make a complete listing of everything I took in the 12 weeks before the fight. There will be nothing on it which could explain the findings.”
Sturm looks set to lose his WBA title if he’s found guilty. It would also taint an incredibly successful pro career that dates back to 2001.
