Martin Murray will look to fulfil his dream of becoming St Helens’ first ever world champion in Monte Carlo on February 1. The popular middleweight, 31, will take on Australia’s highly rated Jarrod Fletcher for the vacant WBA title at Salle des Etoiles and will be hoping to make it third time lucky.
Murray has contested world honours twice already, drawing with Felix Sturm in December 2011 and controversially being outpointed by Sergio Martinez in April this year.
“I’ve been unlucky before so I’m made up that I’ve got this opportunity on February 1,” Martin said.
“Jarrod Fletcher is a good kid. I’ve not seen too much of him, but we’ll working on that now we’ve got a date. He’s got a good pedigree and he beat James DeGale in the amateurs, which isn’t easy and proves he’s a good fighter.
“He’s going to be well up for this, but I think I’ll be the favourite and rightly so, given who I’ve fought before and how I’ve done against them.
“It’s going to be interesting for both of us, but I want everyone to know that there’s no way I’m coming home to St Helens without that world title.”
Fletcher lost inside two rounds to Billy Joe Saunders in 2012, but has won five fights since and is the WBA’s number three ranked contender.
Richard Poxon, Hatton Promotions’ director of boxing, said: “I can’t give any certainties in life, but one thing I guarantee is that Jarrrod Fletcher will be coming into the fight with every intention of taking that title back to Australia.
“Nobody should make the mistake that this is a walk in the park for Martin and all he’s got to do is turn up because that’s how people slip on banana skins and end up with nothing.
“This is a proper fight for a proper world title and Fletcher will be training hard somewhere now with the sole intention of beating Martin Murray on February 1st.
Murray v Fletcher is the chief supporting contest to Gennady Golovkin’s WBA ‘Super’ middleweight title clash with Osumanu Adama on Golden Gloves’ Night of Champions.
