Thirty days out from their highly anticipated world middleweight championship, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Martin Murray have both weighed in within the World Boxing Council’s (‘WBC’) required limits heading into their February 21 clash in Monte-Carlo.
From his training camp in Big Bear Lake, California, Golovkin, the WBA/IBO and WBC “Interim” middleweight champion weighed in at 172lbs. while top rated challenger Murray hit the scale at 169lbs on Wednesday morning in Johannesburg.
For middleweight world title fights, the WBC mandates that fighters must be no more than 176lbs 30 days prior to the fight.
“Both of these fighters are in excellent shape and boxing fans around the world will be in for an outstanding battle in boxing’s most glamorous division on February 21,” said Rodney Berman.
Said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions: “The interest from the fans and media worldwide has been extraordinary for this event. Golovkin and Murray are exceptionally well conditioned athletes and each will be ready on February 21 to prove who the best middleweight in the world is.”
The fight from the Salle des Etoiles in Monte-Carlo will be broadcast worldwide including live on SuperSport, HBO World Championship Boxing® and the UK’s Channel 5.
Golovkin holds the highest knockout percentage in world title fights of any active champion with a perfect 100%.
A native of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, now residing in Los Angeles, California, Golovkin has fought twice previously in Monte Carlo. In March 2012, he knocked out former world champion Nobuhiro Ishida in the third stanza, which earned him numerous “Knockout of the Year” awards from the international boxing media and scored a sixth round stoppage of former world title challenger Osumanu Adama in February 2013, both fights taking place at the Salle des Etoiles.
On October 25th, Martin Murray stopped Dominico Spada in the fifth round, also at the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo. Golovkin was ringside for the Murray/Spada bout and came away impressed by his performance. With the victory, Murray of Merseyside, United Kingdom improved his record to 29-1-1 (13KO’s).
