Martin Murray closes in on world title eliminator (From St Helens Star)

Martin Murray closes in on world title eliminator

10:41am Thursday 9th February 2012 in Boxing By Mike Critchley

ST HELENS world middleweight contender Martin Murray is close to sorting out a title eliminator with the date and venue still to be confirmed.

Having been shunned by World Champion Felix Sturm, despite scoring a creditable draw in Germany in December, and now turned down by one of the top British middleweights Darren Barker, Murray was beginning to feel as though he was being frozen out.

But his team at Hattons are trying to get Murray into a position that would make him the number one challenger for one of the belts.

Although the details are currently to be finalised, Murray said: ”I may have a fight in April, though not confirmed yet.

“Because Sturm picked to fight someone else, instead of giving me a rematch, we are looking to set up a world title eliminator.

“We have got to try and get ourselves into a mandatory position – and a world title eliminator will do that.”

With there being a number of belts available across the middleweight division it won’t necessarily be the one held by Sturm.

“There is a possibility, depending on who I fight, that I could be going down a different route, but I have left that with my team and so I will wait and see,” Murray said.

There is a nagging feeling that Murray was maybe too impressive in securing a draw in Sturm’s own backyard - hence there being no rush to get a rematch.

Murray added: “Sometimes you can’t do right for doing wrong.

“A couple of months before the fight they were only looking at Barker and Matthew Macklin as the top two middleweights.

“And then I came along – we have all fought for a World title, those two got beaten and I drew.

“But Macklin got straight back into a world title fight and Barker may have one as well, yet I am left here with nothing.

“That is just the way it is.

“My name is in the mix with a few world champions but they are all tied up.

“But in the next couple of weeks I should know more.

“If the worst comes to the worst I will be defending my British title, which is not a bad thing.”

Murray did, however, state that he was going to relinquish his Commonwealth title.