Any doubts about Martin Murray’s mental state ahead of this weekend’s middleweight championship fight against Gennady Golovkin, boxing’s biggest puncher, can be laid to rest.
“This is going to be a war and I’m willing to do anything it takes,” the WBC number one contender has told promoter Rodney Berman.
The pair square off for Golovkin’s WBA Super World middleweight, interim WBC World middleweight and IBO middleweight titles at the Salle des Étoiles concert hall in Monte-Carlo on Saturday.
Having spent time with MARTIN MURRAY in Johannesburg at the weekend, South African promoter RODNEY BERMAN says he expects a fierce contest when Murray and GENNADY GOLOVKIN square off in Monte Carlo for Golovkin’s WBA Super World middleweight, interim WBC World middleweight and IBO middleweight titles next weekend.
Berman’s Golden Gloves is promoting the Monte-Carlo “Thunderbolt” show in association with K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions.
Golovkin (31-0, 28 KOs) is on a record 18 consecutive knockouts and will be seeking another against Murray (29-1-1, 12 KOs), the highly-regarded WBC number one contender.
Abel Sanchez, the trainer for WBA Super World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, isn’t too worried about Golovkin’s opponent Martin Murray having a size advantage over Golovkin in their February 21st fight at the Salle des Étoiles, Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Sanchez figures that Golovkin will take away Murray’s size advantage by knocking him down to his size with his big power shots. This could mean that we’ll see Golovkin throwing a lot of body shots to get Murray to bend forward more to keep from getting hit with them as much.
The deal has been signed – unbeaten WBA, IBO and WBC Interim middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (31-0, 28 KOs) of Kazakhstan will fight top-rated Martin Murray (28-1-1, 12 KOs) of the UK in Monte Carlo on February 21.
Golden Gloves and K2 Promotions announced the bout minutes after Murray’s successful WBC Silver belt defence against Domenico Spada in Monaco on Saturday.
Golovkin will go in search of his record 19th straight stoppage while Murray will be hoping it is third time lucky after two previous title bids were rebuffed by the judges.
England’s Martin Murray continued his march towards a world title shot with a dramatic seventh-round technical decision win over rugged Domenico Spada of Italy in the main bout on the Golden Gloves “Title Tornado” card in Monaco on Saturday night.
The fight was called off due to an accidental head butt, leading to a premature calling of the judges’ scorecards.
WBC Silver middleweight champion Martin Murray (29-1-1, 12 KOs) may not have put in an impressive performance tonight in beating #7 WBC Domenico Spada (39-6, 19 KOs) by a 7th round technical decision, but he did earn a potential title shot against WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin with the win.
In a gritty performance, former two-time world title challenger Martin Murray (28-1-1, 12 KO’s) grinded out a 12 round unanimous decision tonight over the tough but limited Max Bursak (29-3-1, 12 KO’s) to win the vacant WBC Silver middleweight title at the Casino de Monte Carlo Salle Medecin, Monte Carlo, Monaco.
The victory moves the 31-year-old Murray a little closer to another world title shot, which he hopes will be against WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in the near future. Murray won on the judges’ cards by the scores 117-112, 119-109, and 119-109.
Martin Murray (27-1-1, 12 KO’s) is making no secret to the fact that he wants another world title shot after losing to former WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in a fight that Murray feels he should have won.
Murray sees the WBC 160-pound title as belt that should rightfully belong to him, and that’s why he wants to fight the new owner of it Miguel Cotto. Murray believes that the smaller 5’7” Cotto would be vulnerable to his fists, and he wants to prove to the fans that he’s better than him so that he can take the WBC strap and bring it back to the UK.
“I know I could definitely beat Cotto. He didn’t dethrone the same Sergio Martinez that me or Julio Cesar Chavez [Jr] fought,” Murray said to Boxnation.com. “I’d also like Cotto because he’s got the WBC belt that I believe should already be mine. And never forget boxing is also business. That’s where the most money is.”
HATTON PROMOTIONS has taken the decision to allow Martin Murray’s contract to expire.
This means the company will no longer financially invest further in Martin’s career following the St Helens boxer’s unwillingness to commit to opportunities negotiated on his behalf.
Offers for world title fights with Gennady Golovkin and Felix Sturm have been on the table for a number of weeks, but Murray has decided to hold off signing any agreements.
Neither of these offers will be available indefinitely, with Sturm now looking at alternative opponents and Golovkin only likely to appear in Europe once more before pressing forwards with his career in the United States.
#1 WBA, Martin Murray (25-1-1, 11 KO’s) thinks he would give WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24 KO’s) a lot of problems if he were to face him next. Murray feels he’s a cut above the guys that Golovkin has been facing recently, and he thinks he’d give him a really difficult fight. Golovkin’s manager recently contacted Murray’s manager to find out the status of his visa problems in connection with a possible fight in the United States on November 2nd.
Murray still hasn’t ironed out the visa problems as of yet, so it’s unclear whether a fight between Golovkin and Murray would be a realistic option for Golovkin.
Murray said to Livefight “Look at Golovkin’s opponents…he’s not fought anyone like myself. That’s when you’ll see the best of me. Me and Golovkin would be a hell of a fight.”