Martin Murray interested in Matthew Macklin fight

By Boxing News - 03/23/2015 - Comments

murray5By Scott Gilfoid: The recently knocked out #4 WBC middleweight contender Martin Murray (29-2-1, 12 KOs) is interested in facing former three time world title challenger Matthew Macklin (31-6, 20 KOs) in a domestic level clash if the 32-year-old Macklin is up for the fight.

Both guys are coming off of knockout losses, and both guys are kind of staring at a bleak horizon of dwindling opportunities. Murray, 32, is talking about wanting to move up to super middleweight, and his chances of making things happening in that weight class are arguably even less than they were at 160.

It’s extremely doubtful that Murray will be able to work his way into a couple of title shots in the 168 pound division like he did in the middleweight division unless he steps up the level of opposition he’s facing. In other words, I don’t see Murray getting title shots at super middleweight with wins over the likes of Ishmael Tetteh, Max Bursak, Karim Achour and Jorge Navarro. He’s going to have to face someone a lot better than those guys if he wants a crack at the likes of Andre Dirrell, Anthony Dirrell, Carl Froch, Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham.

“If that fight is there with Macklin, why not?” Murray said via IFL TV. “I have always wanted that fight. I would fight anyone, and he, to be fair to him, has proved the same. The fight has to be at the right time and after his last fight he needs a fight to see where he is, a nice easy fight to get back into it. Obviously that’s what he wants to do.”

Macklin was blasted out by Jorge Sebastian Heiland by a 10th round knockout defeat last November. It was kind of a surprise loss for Macklin, because a lot of boxing fans believe that Macklin was capable of stopping the little known Heiland. To be sure, Heiland did not look that impressive in the Macklin fight.

It just seemed like a case of Macklin getting tired in the second half of the fight and then getting stopped in the 10th round on exhaustion alone more so than anything that Heiland was doing in the ring. Heiland isn’t a big puncher, but he had one thing going for him in the fight – he was in shape.

Macklin has a fight scheduled on May 9th against an opponent still to be determined at the Barclaycard Arena (formerly NIA), Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom. I really don’t expect Macklin to take on anyone with a pulse, not after the way he was brutally knocked out by Heiland with a single right hand shot in the 10th. It’s going to likely be a 2nd or 3rd tier guy that Macklin faces in order for him to get his confidence back. After he picks up the victory, it’ll be up to Macklin to decide if he wants to face the hulk-like Murray for a fight.

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“If he wants the fight I am game. I always wanted the fight I accepted it a couple of times before. If it can get made and it makes sense for both of us, why not?” Murray said.

If I were Macklin’s promoter or manager, I would agree to take the Murray fight under one condition; he would have to agree to a rehydration clause to keep him from ballooning up to the 180s for the fight. I don’t think Macklin could beat a guy that’s weighing in the 180s. If Murray came into the fight weighing no more than 170, I think Macklin would have a chance of beating him, but not if Murray balloons up to near 180 or over 180.

That’s just too much weight for Macklin in my view. Murray looked like a light heavyweight in the ring with WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in his last fight in February. Granted, Murray didn’t show any power in the fight, but just his size alone made him a slight problem for Golovkin. I think Macklin would have a problem with Murray’s size if he came into the fight around 180. That’s just too big. If Macklin can get Murray to agree to a rehydration limit of say 168, I can see Macklin winning the fight. The question is could Murray keep from going over 168 after he rehydrates after the weigh-in? I don’t see it happening. Murray would likely be totally weak when he steps out into the ring, and he’d have to go into his clam-shell defense almost immediately to try and fend of the incoming bombs from Macklin.



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