Strong Geale spruiks smarts
DANIEL Geale has declared his intention to drag German superstar Felix Sturm out of his comfort zone as he stands on the threshold of making Australian boxing history.
Early on Sunday (our time) at Oberhausen in Germany, IBF middleweight champion Geale will try to become the first Australian-born boxer to unify two major, globally recognised titles in a division.
He must dethrone WBA Super champion Sturm (37-2-2, 16 KOs), who is unbeaten over 14 fights stretching back six years. The sole blot on Geale's record (27-1, 15 KOs) is a contentious 2009 points loss to Anthony Mundine.
At 31, Geale, who has made two defences of the title he won from Sebastian Sylvester in May 2011, believes he is entering his prime.
"I feel my body is just that little bit stronger, but the mental strength comes into it a lot as well," Geale said.
"I believe I'm as mentally strong as I've ever been ... knowing that I can push through just about anything.
"I feel probably over the last 12 months or so, I've started to develop better accuracy. My strength is definitely better, so I feel that I'm getting better power out of my punches.
"I know back home, a few people know about Felix Sturm. He's got a bit of a reputation around the world: he has a great jab and his defence is very, very good.
"We've got to work around that. We've got to be smart -- we've got to be willing to take him out of his comfort zone.
"I don't mind telling people that because that's pretty much common knowledge -- that's the reason why he's won so many of his fights -- because he has such a great jab and he's really, really hard to hit -- let alone hurt."
Sturm 33, rates the unification fight as the biggest of his career, even above his 2004 bout with Oscar de la Hoya, which he lost on points.
He had plenty of complimentary things to say about Geale.
"He is a great fighter, but I'm quite sure that I'll win on Saturday night," Sturm said.
"Daniel can move, he can box and he can put pressure on you. I'm sure he will have a great game plan as well, but we will see if he will be able to follow this plan with me opposite him."
A heavy work rate over 12 rounds will be a cornerstone of Geale's strategy, his trainer Graham Shaw said.
Early on Sunday (our time) at Oberhausen in Germany, IBF middleweight champion Geale will try to become the first Australian-born boxer to unify two major, globally recognised titles in a division.
He must dethrone WBA Super champion Sturm (37-2-2, 16 KOs), who is unbeaten over 14 fights stretching back six years. The sole blot on Geale's record (27-1, 15 KOs) is a contentious 2009 points loss to Anthony Mundine.
At 31, Geale, who has made two defences of the title he won from Sebastian Sylvester in May 2011, believes he is entering his prime.
"I feel my body is just that little bit stronger, but the mental strength comes into it a lot as well," Geale said.
"I believe I'm as mentally strong as I've ever been ... knowing that I can push through just about anything.
"I feel probably over the last 12 months or so, I've started to develop better accuracy. My strength is definitely better, so I feel that I'm getting better power out of my punches.
"I know back home, a few people know about Felix Sturm. He's got a bit of a reputation around the world: he has a great jab and his defence is very, very good.
"We've got to work around that. We've got to be smart -- we've got to be willing to take him out of his comfort zone.
"I don't mind telling people that because that's pretty much common knowledge -- that's the reason why he's won so many of his fights -- because he has such a great jab and he's really, really hard to hit -- let alone hurt."
Sturm 33, rates the unification fight as the biggest of his career, even above his 2004 bout with Oscar de la Hoya, which he lost on points.
He had plenty of complimentary things to say about Geale.
"He is a great fighter, but I'm quite sure that I'll win on Saturday night," Sturm said.
"Daniel can move, he can box and he can put pressure on you. I'm sure he will have a great game plan as well, but we will see if he will be able to follow this plan with me opposite him."
A heavy work rate over 12 rounds will be a cornerstone of Geale's strategy, his trainer Graham Shaw said.
Tomorrow morning Daniel Geale could become the first Australian boxer to unify two globally recognised world titles as the Tasmanian takes on German Felix Sturm. Picture: MARK EVANSAlso in Sport
Strong Geale spruiks smarts Sport - The Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania
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