Germany's Felix Sturm edged a tough contest against Irishman Matthew Macklin's in their WBA middleweight title fight in Cologne.Mackin who played hurling with Tipperary

Sturm won a split decision after a superb fight with two judges favouring Sturm by 116-112 and the other seeing it 115-113 for Macklin.

Sturm's sharper work in the second half of the contest swung the fight his way.

Macklin made a blazing start which gave him genuine hope of an upset before fading late on.

Sturm is unbeaten in five years and was making his 10th defence in his second reign as WBA middleweight champion, on his own show in his home city.

But if the odds were stacked against Macklin, who had himself not tasted defeat since 2006, he shrugged them off in an explosive start in which he slung hooks to Sturm's body and made the champion cover up.
i watch the fight and would have giving the fight to mackin in a interview to sky after mackin said said he won the fight. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,195...005256,00.html