Murray insists that he does fear the power of GGG…
Where: Salle des Etoiles, Monte Carlo.
When: Saturday February 21, 21:45 (UK time)
TV: HBO (US) and Channel 5 (UK)
Gennady Golovkin will go in search of his 19th straight knockout victory on Saturday night as he faces Martin Murray in Monte Carlo.
The WBA and IBO middleweight champion is on the brink of breaking out on to the world stage with big fights against big names, but he won’t be looking beyond his next opponent.
The Brit is durable and a tough competitor that has been in the ring with elite level fighters previously, perhaps unfairly not getting the decisions against Felix Sturm and Sergio Martinez.
However, the 32-year-old is a huge outsider in this bout even though he insists that he isn’t afraid of Golovkin’s power and knows the secret to beating him.
Murray (29-1-1, 12 KOs) believes that GGG’s previous opponents have shown him too much respect and so he intends on taking the fight to his rival and putting the pressure on him rather than allowing him to dictate the tempo.
While that may sound simple, the Kazakh star’s brutal power and ability to cut off the ring and land his shots may well change that mentality and game-plan pretty quickly and Murray isn’t known for his knockout ability so will be risking an early night.
Nevertheless, it makes for an intriguing bout with Murray arguably offering up the sternest test that Golovkin will have faced so far in his career, and he will need to be on top form to continue to gain momentum before securing a dream fight with Miguel Cotto.
Prediction:
Murray will put up a brave fight, but the odds are stacked against him and rightly so. He doesn’t possess the quality or power to stop GGG and ultimately he will get walked down and eventually caught which will see this fight end early.
Golovkin is chasing a sensational 19th straight knockout, and he will find his spot in the middle rounds after some early resistance from his rival.
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