MIDDLEWEIGHT contender Martin Murray will be in prime mental and physical condition when he challenges the formidable Gennady Golovkin for the world crown.

Having spent the last six weeks training at altitude in South Africa, cut off from his home comforts and family life, Murray is confident that he can make the pundits and the bookmakers eat their words.

The 32-year-old Fingerpost fighter has gone close in his previous two world title bouts, drawing with Felix Sturm in Germany and then suffering a controversial points defeat to Argentine Sergio Martinez in his own back yard.

But the clash against the unbeaten Golovkin, whose pure destructive punching power that has seen him knock out 28 of his 31 opponents, is Murray’s most testing fight to date.

Murray knows full well what he is up against – he is neither daft, nor a blind optimist. But he is not a defeatist either and won’t be going in there already beaten and counting his losing purse.

The world will be watching when the pair go toe-to-toe for Golovkin’s WBA Super World middleweight, interim WBC World middleweight and IBO middleweight titles at the Salle des Étoiles concert hall in Monte Carlo on Saturday night.

The bookmakers have already made up their minds with Golovkin listed by some at 1/33, with Murray’s lowest price being 7/1.

But Murray has not spent the last six months being intimidated by the You Tube collections of GGG’s biggest hits and has that inner belief that he can take the three belts from the fearsome Kazakh fighter.

He views it as a win-win situation.

Murray said: “Golovkin is favourite, but I have been in this position before, against Martinez.

“I don’t focus on what people say, the more people who think he’ll beat me the better.

“This is going to be a war and I’m willing to do anything it takes.

“Golovkin is a punching power machine, but I have the tools to beat him.”

Promoter Rodney Berman is one of a number of boxing figureheads who believe that, like with Mike Tyson before, Golovkin’s opponents are out-psyched by his reputation long before they start trading punches.

With 18 consecutive knockouts to his name, Golovkin is statistically the biggest puncher among boxing’s world champions.

Berman, meanwhile, is attempting to push Friday’s weigh-in out to midday to accommodate the Murray Barmy Army.

Murray’s family is also on a flight that is due to arrive in France around 11am and have chartered helicopters from Nice to Monaco to get to the weigh-in venue as fast as possible.

Golovkin’s camp has agreed to the extension, although the Casino de Monte Carlo, venue of the weigh-in, needs to be cleared out by 2pm, which requires a tight turnaround.

“It’s a good problem to have,” said Berman, who arrived in Monte Carlo on Monday morning.

“There’s already a great sense of excitement five days out. The boxers and their camps are streaming in, as is the press corps and boxing officials. We’re in for a massive weekend.”

Saturday night’s fight is being broadcast all over the world.

Channel 5 is broadcasting it live from 10pm, with the main event scheduled to start at around 10.45pm – but subject to change.