Martin Murray prepares for title shot and first southpaw (From St Helens Star)

Martin Murray prepares for title shot and first southpaw

10:00am Thursday 10th January 2013 in Sport

MARTIN Murray is now getting down to work ahead of April’s WBC title fight against champion Sergio Martinez – and he is treating it just like any other fight.

However, not only is it a massive one for the 30-year-old from Fingerpost, it is also going to be his first against a southpaw – a boxer who leads with the right and favours the left hand.

It that is something he is comfortable with and Murray already working on it with trainer Oliver Harrison.

Murray, fresh from his whirlwind tour of the Argentine capital, said: “Martinez is a great fighter, but he is also a southpaw and I have never fought one of those as a pro before.

“I have in my amateur days and have sparred against southpaws – and to be honest I have always handled them pretty well.

“The pace is slower – it is a lot more cagy with a southpaw and a bit more of a boxing match.

“You just have to out-think them because you are facing something you are not used to, from the position of their leg in front of yours to looking out for the shots coming from the other side. We have to learn to deal with that and be as smart as he is.”

Murray is now easing into his training and is being drip fed his game-plan by trainer Harrison, a plan that will see him in tip-top mental and physical condition for the Buenos Aires showdown.

Murray said: “Me and Oliver work well together both similar in what we do, how we approach things.

“We are in this massive fight, but it is just another fight to us and as silly as that sounds – it is just another fight. That is how we approach them – we can’t get over-awed.

“Oliver will already have his game plan, but he is clever and will only tell you little things at a time as we go in training camp. I turn up to training and follow his instructions and practise little things in the gym.

“He will take on the role of Martinez looking in and work on things that he would beat me with, and vice-versa.”

Murray was due to see a solicitor at the start of the week with a view to sorting out his visa for America. Last year problems with his saw him denied the chance for fighting for the title in the USA, but now he wants that sorting to enable him to attend press conferences in New York ahead of the Martinez bout.

But that trip to the London solicitors is just a small distraction from his now daily work in the gym.

But he is not doing too much, too soon.

He explained: “Going into the last few fights I could not have done anything more physically.

“I was completely dedicated, really focussed, never cut any corners. I can’t train any harder for this – but I will try and better myself.

I am going to ease into this – if I started training full on for Martinez now I would peak too soon.

“When I go to gym completely focused on the job. The other fighters must think I am ant-social because I don’t talk to them.

“Boxing is my job, get strapped up, do my training and don’t speak to anybody -then after I am showered I’ll have a little chat after.

“This fight is always there on my mind – there are times through day I think about it, more so the closer it gets, nothing you can do about it.”