Smith came back later and had a good round in the 6th after hurting Abraham with a beautiful left to the body. But instead of continuing to go to the body in the remainder of the fight, Smith wasted his efforts in throwing shots into the high guard of Abraham. Those shots were blocked, and this enabled Abraham to dominate from the 7th round. The final judges’ scores were 116-112, 117-111, and 117-111.
Murray looked a lot bigger than Golovkin tonight, and that might be one of the reasons why he was able to survive for so long. Murray looked at least 180 pounds, and he appeared to have a significant weight advantage over Golovkin. The fight was like watching a talented middleweight take on a light heavyweight or a small cruiserweight without power.
Most fighters and their coaches cater their training and strategy to best increase their change of defeating their opposition. Many boxing trainers also spend a considerable amount of time watching videos, fishing for a tell that they might be able to take an advantage of.
Some fighters on the other hand, have had enough time in the ring to let their experience and ring IQ guide them in the right direction. From the first bell they feel out their opponent, while their corner is looking for flaws and repetitions.
For Floyd Mayweather Jr., who claims that he never takes the time to review the tapes, leaving it to his trainer, a bout against Manny Pacquiao might be a good reason to get more involved.
– Floyd Mayweather: What the world has been waiting for has arrived. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao on May … continue
photo by S. Heger – Paul Smith, 35-4 (20KO’s), travels back across enemy lines tonight when he faces WBO super middleweight champion Arthur Abraham, 41-4 (28KO’s), in Berlin.
It’s been 6 months since the absorbing first bout was marred by some confusing scorecards and in the case of Fernando Laguna’s 119-109 sheet – comical. But, the right decision has been arrived upon and the challenger aims to take full advantage.
“I always thought that this rematch would come. I would be lying if I didn’t think that it might not come off for one reason or another, the only doubt I had really was that he wouldn’t want the fight as he knows that he was in a hard and close fight.
In an era rich in superfluous World title variations the term ‘paying your dues’ just doesn’t carry the same weight as it once did.
Unless of course you’re referring to fighters like Martin Murray, 29-1-1 (12KO’s), who today challenges arguably the most feared man in boxing – Gennady Golovkin, 31-0 (28KO’s) – in Monte Carlo.
It’s Murray’s third World title tilt and his most difficult to date. To say that about a man whose previous attempts came against Felix Sturm in Germany and Sergio Martinez in Argentina illustrates the enormity of the task at hand.
Gennady Golovkin meets Martin Murray in a place very familiar to each with Golovkin’s middleweight titles on the line. Most of the debate stateside for the outcome of this bout is not about who will win but how long Martin Murray can last. The majority of experts feel Murray doesn’t have the right style or enough power to keep Triple G off of him. Many believe at some point Martin’s pipes will burst under Gennady’s constant pressure.
This fight will mark the third time Martin will have challenge for a world title, the first coming in a draw to former 160 pound champ Felix Sturm. The second came against the lineal middleweight champion at the time, Sergio Martinez. Both contests were razor close decisions that could have gone Murray’s way had he not be the road fighter in the champions home country. Monte Carlo isn’t a home affair for Martin it is however somewhere he’s comfortable with and could help him if this fight goes the distance.
Full list of weights below:
WBO World Super Middleweight Championship:
Arthur Abraham: 76.1 kg
Paul Smith: 75.1 kg
Heavyweight – 10 Rounds:
David Price: 114.8 kg
Irineu Beato Costa Junior: 119.5 kg
The HBO telecast from the Salle des Etoiles venue in Monte Carlo is a special presentation featuring reigning world middleweight title-holder Gennady Golovkin, seeking his 13th successful middleweight title defense, against challenger Martin Murray.
Official Weights from Monte Carlo:
US based Ghanaian welterweight, Emmanuel Lartey has vowed to stop unbeaten Sammy Vasquez in their 10-round scheduled fight at CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania later tonight.
33 year old Lartey of Brooklyn, NY by way of Ghana last fought in June last year when he ended a 2-fight losing streak (his only career defeats) with a unanimous points victory over Steve Forbes at the Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, Washington, USA.
But the Ghanaian remains unfazed, speaking tough after making a weight of 146.5 kilos to the 147.25 of home boy, Vasquez at yesterday’s pre-fight weigh-in.