Gennady Golovkin v Martin Murray: Fifty shades of black and blue
By Gary Todd
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 20 Feb 2015
When Martin Murray steps into the ring this weekend in Monte Carlo, he will be without doubt, be ready to fight. He knows this is not just any fight. This is his third attempt at a world title. Murray fought the fight of his life against Felix Sturm in Germany, a couple of years ago, and some felt he did enough that night to realize his dream of becoming a world champion in the sport he has dedicated himself to since he was a young boy. When I watched the fight, I felt it was a close fight, but Murray seemed to fade in the 12th round, to allow the experienced German superstar to throw eye catching , hurtful combination punches. I scored it a split decision for the champion, but it was announced as a draw.
Murray travelled to Argentina to face Sergio Martinez for his world title and fought well but lost on points . Murray was bitterly disappointed, but gained valuable experience at the very highest level.
This time around, he will be facing his biggest challenge thus far, when he faces the fearsome Gennady Golovkin.
Murray has done the work, trained in isolation in South Africa, and spent weeks away from his family. By all accounts, he has left no stone unturned in his preparations for the man from Karaganda, Kazakhstan.
It?s no secret that Gennady Golovkin is the most feared fighter in the world today, and why wouldn?t he be. Since turning pro in mid 2006, After fighting and campaigning in the amateurs, he racked up a tremendous 345 - 5 career, fighting in the world championships, and ultimately winning a silver medal at the Olympics, Golovkin has beat en up, dismantled, and broken down every fighter he has faced, and it seems he is just getting started.
Golovkin [ w31 [ kos 28 ] with no losses] has a 90% knock out ratio, and is now going for his 19th straight stoppage . Experienced, tough, fighters in Matthew Macklin, Daniel Geale, Marco Antonio Rubio, Osumanu Adama, and Curtis Stevens, all fell in as many rounds , as Golovkin pressurized each of them so much so, that they all panicked when he touched them, and once they felt his power, they either gave up, or their corner, or the referee, saved them from further punishment.
I have been following Golovkin since the amateurs, and his time fighting in Europe, and I always knew he was special. He reminded me of a young Kostya Tszyu. The amazing thing about Golovkin, is you cant really compare him to another fighter, past or present. He is a perfect pressure fighter, a destruction and destroy fighter, with super power in both hands, but he is also a tremendous boxer who is so fluent and perfectly balanced on his feet that he can fight on the inside and cut the ring off and closes the distance with a few calculated steps, putting himself in the kill zone anytime he chooses to. Golovkin uses his great jab to gauge his accurate punches, and wastes very little doing so. He is calculated and cool as ice , setting traps, before he unleashes his variety of punches. He is the ultimate fighting machine.
Martin Murray [ w29 [ kos 12.] lost 1 draw 1 ] is a solid fighter. He has achieved so much since turning pro in 2007, and some would say that the man from St Helens, Merseyside, has fought the higher calibre of fighter, but I don?t really see it that way. There is no doubt that he fought great fights when stepping up , but in my mind, Martinez was injured and Sturm was on the slide as a fighter.
For me, this fight is basically what can Martin Murray do to win this fight. What can he do to survive being dismantled like Macklin and Rubio. ? Murray isn?t a big puncher. He throws a lot, and stands in front of you, and he can box at a world class level, so it?s a safe bet he will be going for a points win.
To do that, he will have to use his double jab, tie Golovkin up and smother him , to frustrate him, and rough him up on the inside, and im talking low blows and head butts. He cannot let Golovkin settle, or it?s over . Murray will be the bigger man on the night, and he has a slight height and reach advantage, and he has to use these attributes to his advantage, and also as his main weapon. He will feel that the longer the fight goes , the better chance of success. Easier said than done against the boxer from Kazakhstan.
Murray can be a slow starter and you could say predictable when he throws, and he seems to retreat to the ropes, which would be fatal in this fight. He has been hurt and down, but he has always got back up so he has loads of ticker. He likes to throw left right hooks, then go downstairs to the body, but he does tend to leave himself open and he virtually has no head movement. He has a good tight defence, but drops his hands in the championship rounds. Im sure Abel Sanchez and his team would have saw this whilst watching the tapes in Big bear. He has a great work rate and he will need to against Golovkin.
Golovkin will do what he does, and use the jab. Right down the middle, targeting Murray?s chin and if he misses that, he will get his throat, or his chest, or his solar plexus. This will set up the power shots, and then take Murray?s legs away with body punches.
My prediction is Golovkin to win by a KO in the 8th round.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Gary Todd.
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