Fedor Chudinov vs. Felix Sturm: Winner, Scorecard and Reaction

In an entertaining, 12-round super middleweight bout from the Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany, Russian sensation Fedor Chudinov (13-0, 10 KOs) dusted off old hand Felix Sturm (39-5-3, 18 KOs) with a split-decision win on Saturday.    

The WBA announced the result:

The judges scored the bout 116-112, 118-110 and 112-116, per BoxRec.

Chudinov captured the vacant WBA world super middleweight title in the process and set himself up as one of the most promising boxers on the European circuit. 

"It was a tough bout, but I'm world champion now, and that's fantastic," Chudinov said, per the Associated Press (h/t ABC News).

Sturm, whose best days are long behind him, couldn't overcome Chudinov's superior speed and power. This defeat marks his third loss in his last seven bouts, a span that also includes a draw and a no-contest. 

Ran Sports provided a look at the fighters touching gloves at the start of the bout:

Chudinov came into this bout in quite the run of form. His last four fights all went five rounds or less, and he showed off his lethal power in beating then-undefeated Ben McCulloch with a second-round knockout in December 2014. According to the Australian Associated Press (h/t the Guardian), McCulloch wound up in the hospital after that devastating bout.

Despite his opponent's burgeoning reputation as a rugged slugger, Sturm opted to brawl with Chudinov early on, much to the chagrin of freelance sports reporter Carolin Bluechel:

Sturm acquitted himself well throughout the fight, spurred on by the partisan, home-country crowd. FightNews.com noted that several rounds could have gone either way:

In changing up his boxing style as the fight wore on, Chudinov showed he is not a one-dimensional fighter. Bluechel noted later on that Sturm was taking quite a bit of punishment:

A punishing combo in the ninth staggered Sturm, and the German boxer looked the worse for wear in the 10th as well. However, he made a minor resurgence in the final two rounds, but it was too little, too late.    

Sturm, 36, should find it difficult to get back into championship form this late in his career. Losing his IBF world middleweight title to Sam Soliman in May 2014 may have signaled the beginning of the end for him as an elite fighter.

He's still an effective boxer when he's on his game, as surviving 12 rounds against Chudinov is no easy feat. 

Chudinov is a titleholder after just 13 professional bouts, and his excellent power should make him a top draw in Europe. With a couple of more high-profile wins, Chudinov might be able to draw crowds on bigger cards across the pond in the United States, where he hasn't fought since 2010.