By Scott Gilfoid: John Murray (31-1, 18 KO’s) is displeased because he’s seen as an easy fodder opponent for WBA World lightweight champion Brandon Rios (28-0-1, 21 KO’s) this Saturday night at the Madison Square Garden, New York. Murray, 26, is especially unhappy because many of his fellow Brits aren’t backing him for this fight and are abandoning ship for some reason. I guess I don’t blame them.

Murray doesn’t stand a chance, but he doesn’t seem to realize that. It kind of reminds me of the character Ahmet, in the movie Midnight Express, who tells Billy Hayes, “The bad machine doesn’t know that he’s a bad machine.” I think Murray isn’t a bad fighter, but he’s going to find out the difference between him and Rios in a big hurry on Saturday night. It’s not going to be a pleasant experience for Murray to realize his limitations.

Murray told the Daily Star “I just think what have I done wrong? I always give 100 per cent, wear my heart on my sleeve and cannot believe people are supporting Rios when I’m a Brit fighting abroad. The negative people are putting fuel on the fire and making me more determined to shock the world.”

Oh boy, Murray really needs a reality check and bad. He’s really showing his youth there with that comment. He hasn’t learned yet that there are certain limits to what a fighter can accomplish and will power isn’t enough. Rios will give him a lesson in life. But I don’t know why Murray is surprised that a lot of Brits love Rios. What’s not to like? Rios is a pure brawler, with huge power, an iron chin and excellent boxing skills. Rios is the complete package. Who wouldn’t like him? There won’t be any shocking going on Saturday night, because Rios is the favorite, and is expected to easily get by Murray in five or six rounds. No shock there. If I was Murray, I’d just ignore the fans and understand my limitations. I think Murray is a swell 2nd tier fighter, a superb domestic level caliber fighter. But he’s not 1st tier in my book and never will be. He’s going to get spanked on Saturday night and there’s not a thing he can do about it but accept it as reality.

Murray continues with his sour grapes, saying “They seem to think it’s his [Rios], but I am here to win this title…He is very reckless and allows himself to be hit. We will exploit his recklessness.”

That sounds like his trainer talking rather than Murray. True, Rios allows himself to be hit, but he’s got a great chin and when he hits you back, he hurts you. Murray can’t trade with this guy. Murray showed that he doesn’t have a great chin when he was pulverized by Kevin Mitchell in his last fight. Murray won’t be exploiting Rios’ defensive flaws because he won’t be able to take the shots that Rios is hitting him with. Like last time, Murray’s face will swell up, one of his eyes will close and he’ll be crawling around on the canvas before you know it. I see December 3rd as a bad, bad night for Murray. Like I said, it’s going to be a sad flight home to Britain with a lot of soul searching.