MIDDLEWEIGHT Martin Murray has issued a direct challenge to new IBF and WBA Champion Daniel Geale to give him a shot at the belt – be it in St Helens or Down Under.

The Fingerpost fighter was in Germany at the weekend to watch Felix Sturm – the man he drew with in December – relinquish his crown on home soil.

After being denied a rematch by Sturm all year, British champion Murray hopes 31-year-old Australian Geale will give him a shot in 2013, with Saints’ Langtree Park thrown in as a possible venue.

After being allowed into the post fight press conference, 29-year-old Murray said: “I congratulated Geale and Sturm and put it to Geale, saying I’m not here to bad mouth you, but I’m available for the fight, whether it’s in Australia or over here.

“The right person got it. If it had been close, it would have been Sturm.”

“I was impressed by him; taking someone on in the own home. The fight was similar to mine. It was a close fight. Geale’s tactics were similar to ours.”

It would be an amazing night for St Helens – and a dream for Murray – if he was able to stage a title fight at Saints.

But it is likely Geale will want a home defence to start with and then the WBA may want Geale to face regular champion Gennady Golovkin.

However, Murray said there had been some discussions about staging a fight in St Helens.

“Hatton’s who promote me have been in contact with people at Saints, but it has to be the right fight. But to stage it here wouldn’t get any better for me,” he said.

“You would have to do the occasion proud and sell it out. People tell me you’d sell it two times over, but that’s a lot of seats to fill.

“As far as I’m aware, the club have backed it. I have spoken to board members and people seem keen to get it done.

“I really appreciate my fans in St Helens and they keep mentioning fighting here. I am very lucky to have the support I have. It’s very early days, but to be able to fight in front of thousands of St Helens people, in the town I love, would be a dream come true.”