MARTIN Murray believes he has the capability, courage and game plan to pull off what would be one of the biggest shocks in world boxing at the weekend.

The St Helens man has confidence in his abilities nevertheless it is understandable to see why Sergio Martinez, with a record of 50-2-2, is such a formidable opponent.

A veteran at 38, but still a master of his craft, Martinez has already rattled Britain’s other two leading middleweights in the past 18 months.

The way the big-hitting Argentine southpaw knocked out Darren Barker with a devastating clout across the side of the head was pretty brutal, but his two straight lefts that floored Matthew Macklin and persuaded him to stay on his stool at the end of the 11th were equally enough to make the viewers wince.

But there is no sign of anxiety or fear from Murray over the way those bouts ended, rather he believes his two compatriots exposed some weaknesses in the champion that he now plans to exploit.

Murray said: “Some people are obviously going to draw conclusions about the fight after what Martinez did to Darren Barker and Matthew Macklin.

“But what those fights did show was that he is beatable.

“Martinez can be beaten and I have got the style, the boxing brain and the right mindset to go over there and beat him.”

It is a view shared by his promoter – and former World Light Welterweight champion – Ricky Hatton.

Hatton believes that Murray’s hunger and freshness can help dethrone the champion in his own back yard.

Hatton said: “Martin catches a lot of shots on the arms and has a good defence. “He needs to make Martinez use those 38-year-old legs and build the pressure, make him do more and more and hopefully he’ll get him down the straight.”

“I always thought Martin would have murdered Chavez Junior. (A bout that fell through last June) But Martinez just got over the finishing line by the skin of his teeth.

“Martin is better than Chavez and no disrespect to Macklin and Barker, I think he is better than them as well.

“I think Martin is fresh and hungry, he has done the Commonwealth, he’s done the British, he has had a world title shot in the lion’s den (in Germany).

“He has got everything under his belt to go out to Argentina and show them that it is his time.”