By Scott Gilfoid: Number #2 ranked WBC lightweight contender John Murray (31-0, 18 KO’s) wants a world title shot in 2011 against the WBC lightweight champion Humberto Soto. Murray recently defended his EBU lightweight crown last weekend with a less than impressive 12 round decision over Karim El Ouazghari.

Murray showed little in the way of hand speed, power or head movement in that fight. I saw nothing in that performance that suggests that Murray belongs in the same ring with a fighter like WBC lightweight champion Soto or any of the other lightweight champions.

Murray looks like a nice bottom 16 to 20 fighter, not a #2 ranked guy. I rank the following fighters above him: Brandon Rios, Michael Katsidis, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Roberto Guerrero, Miguel Vazquez, Jorge Linares, Mike Alvarado, Miguel Acosta, Juan Diaz, Antonio DeMarco, Kevin Mitchell, Urbano Antillon, Anthony Peterson and Paulus Moses.

I see Murray as a bottom dweller, someone that is a good gatekeeper type fighter, but not someone that should ever be fighting for a title. I think Murray should take on Mitchell next, and try and learn something from that fight. I don’t see him winning, of course.

Mitchell appears to be a much more advanced fighter and has learned well from some of his fights against guys like Breidis Prescott. Murray needs to take the Mitchell fight and try and get some things from him to keep progressing. If they put Murray in with Soto right now, Murray is going to get massacred quickly and not get much from that fight. He needs a lower level guy like Mitchell that can teach him some stuff.