By Scott Gilfoid: #4 WBC Martin Murray (27-1-1, 12 KO’s) will be fighting for the vacant WBC Silver middleweight strap against fringe contender Max Bursak (29-2-1, 12 KO’s) on June 21st this month at the Casino de Monte Carlo Salle Medecin, Monte Carlo, Monaco.
If the 31-year-old Murray wins the Silver strap, he feels like he should get another crack at WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez or get a fight against Miguel Cotto if he comes out victorious in the Cotto-Martinez fight this Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Murray fought Sergio last year in April in a fight that took place in Argentina. Martinez had a torn up knee that he went into the fight with, and he broke his left hand early in the fight while punching Murray on top of his head. Never the less, Martinez was still able to beat Murray with one good hand and one good leg. The reason why was because Murray pretty much just covered up for 12 rounds like a sparring partner and gave away chance he might have had to win by not throwing punches.
“I think Martinez is going to win. I’ve seen them at the press conference beside each other and Martinez looks a lot bigger,” Murray said to BoxNation. “I’ve got to get past my next fight, so obviously I don’t want to look too far ahead…I win my fight, put in a good performance, and that pushes me forward to a fight with the winner of those two [Cotto and Martinez], which I would take all day long. My next fight is for the WBC Silver title so maybe that might help. I just leave it to my team but hopefully we can get the winner.”
I think it’s safe to say that neither Cotto nor Martinez will waste time fighting Murray unless he becomes the mandatory challenger. Cotto won’t fight him because there’s absolutely no money in a Cotto-Murray fight like there would be for Cotto against better known guys. If Cotto beats Martinez, he’ll likely vacate the strap soon after, because Cotto just wants to win the strap just for the heck of it as a badge of honor. He’s not into defending it against obscure guys like Murray and most of the little known contenders the WBC has ranked in their top 15.
Martinez won’t bother either righting Murray because he can get better fights than this against guys that boxing fans have heard of in the U.S. I hate to say it but casual boxing fans in America have no idea who Murray is, and I doubt HBO would bless a second fight between the two. If Martinez wants to fight Murray again, which I highly doubt, then I don’t think HBO will bother televising it. That in itself will be enough for Martinez to go in another direction until he finds someone that HBO will approve.
“I would fight Cotto and would love to share the ring with him, but I’ve got unfinished business with Martinez. There are two blemishes on my record that I want to put right – Sturm and Martinez,” Murray said. “I would like the chance to right the wrongs on my record. I want the rematch with Martinez and hopefully we can get it made,” said Murray.
There was no wrongs involved with the Martinez vs. Murray fight. Murray simply didn’t throw enough punches to get the win, as he covered up behind his crab-like defense for 12 rounds without throwing punches. If there was any wrong in the fight it was from Murray not having the sense enough to let his hands go in his 15 minutes of fame.
Comments are closed.