2.05.2013
By @John_Evans79
As hostile situations go, it will take some beating. As Martin Murray left his dressing and made his way to the ring to face Argentinian folk hero and WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez last Saturday night, his entrance into the Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield Stadium was greeted by thunder, lightening and the jeers of 45,000 fanatical fans.
The occasional snatch of Murray’s walkout song ‘You Fill Up My Senses’ by John Denver echoed above the boos bringing both a touch of home and a sense of the surreal to the occasion. Although Murray, now 25-1-1 (11), ultimately came out on the wrong end of a close, controversial points decision it is a moment that will stay in the 30 year old’s mind forever.
“It was an unbelievable experience and I loved walking out,” Murray told Livefight from his St Helens home earlier. “The entrance was brilliant. Obviously we were being spat on and people were throwing cups of God knows what over us. It was a change from what I’m used to! I’m used to coming out with everybody being all for me. I knew from day one it was gonna be like that though. With the rain as well, it was mad. I love things like that and everyone being against me though. They’re the fights I raise my game for.”
In December 2011 former British and Commonwealth champion Murray travelled to Germany to face Felix Sturm for the WBA middleweight title. Although scoring a creditable draw, he was forced to contend with a number of tricks and situations seemingly designed to throw him off his game. This time, although the atmosphere on fight night may have been hostile, in the week leading up to the bout the Argentinian people played the perfect hosts.
“I was expecting all kinds after that one [the Sturm fight] but they were so professional,” he says. “Everything beforehand and afterwards; we got treated brilliantly by everyone. We had around the clock bodyguards who were there constantly. The hotel and food were brilliant too. I really can’t fault it.
“There was a full police escort to the stadium,” he laughs. “Luckily my dad, my brother, my father-in-law and the rest of the lads who were over got escorted back afterwards too. When they announced the result, the Argentinean fans sat behind them started turning, picking up their chairs and throwing them at them so they had to get out. That was after Martinez winning! God knows what’d have happened if it had gone the other way. Everybody got out safe though and loved it.”
On to the fight. After a cautious opening, Murray began to ramp up the pressure and – from the third round onwards – continued to gain momentum. By the midway point of the fight he had floored Martinez with a straight right hand and was bullying the middleweight champion. To steal a phrase from Michael Buffer, ‘the thousands in attendance and the millions watching around the world’ may have been shocked, but for Murray and his team things were unfolding in exactly the manner they expected.
“I thought I’d win from day one,” he says. “I was going back to the corner after rounds saying to Oliver [Harrison, his trainer] ‘I’ve got him here’ and he was moaning, complaining and looking for a way out but he was crafty and he’d come back. He’d throw a combination that wasn’t getting through but I knew they’d score it for him.
“I’d boss it and then he’d get through with a shot and it’d stop me in my tracks and get me thinking ‘Hey up, I don’t wanna be getting stupid here’. Oliver always tells us that when things are going good, that’s when you’ve gotta be at your most alert. When things were going well, I didn’t wanna jeopardise things and walk on to a shot.
“Overall, I thought we won but we were never gonna get a decision in Argentina. If you could see my face now, you wouldn’t have thought I’d been in that fight last week. There was swelling after the fight but that went down the day after. He wasn’t hitting me much. We’ve got one of the best defences in world boxing and we made him look average at times. We know how intelligent Martinez is and we out-fought him and outboxed him. I bossed him for the full fight from start to finish. I might have started a bit slow but I didn’t give anything away. There was no way I was gonna get that decision over there. I could have bossed it even more and I wouldn’t have got it.”
The HBO commentary team made a huge issue of the torrential rain sweeping into the ring, soaking the canvas and making life uncomfortable for the fighters. Murray was right there on that canvas and insists that the situation wasn’t quite as bad as was made out.
“It wasn’t coming in under the cover and I didn’t even know it was thundering and lightening until I watched it back,” the former British champion says. “I remember getting up after one round and thinking I felt a little bit cold but obviously you soon forget about that. Apart from that, it felt no different to fighting inside really.”
In their infinite wisdom, the WBC have decided to remove all drama from their championship fights by introducing their open scoring system. Although seemingly resigned to coming up short on the scorecards in Buenos Aires, Murray was actually unaware of his progress as the fight wore on.
“To be honest, I never got told the scores once,” he reveals. “Obviously it was up to my corner to tell me but I never once got told them so I don’t know if they did. I knew they were going to do it but I wasn’t aware of it going on.”
Martinez spent a lot of time complaining on Saturday night. ‘Maravilla’ is still a brilliant fighter and he has proven his heart and courage on many an occasion but the constant carping about head clashes, low blows and alleged roughhouse tactics began to become frustrating. Murray feels that the complaining may have paid rich dividends and bought Martinez a few crucial seconds in the tenth round when a right hand caught the champion on the top of the head and floored him. Inexplicably, the referee ruled it a slip, robbing Murray of the opportunity to rush in and take matters out of the judge’s hands.
“I knocked him down and he should only have had an eight count, instead he had about 16 or 17 seconds,” Murray told me. “He was whinging and complaining and buying time and that was when he was most hurt [after the second knockdown]. The first knockdown, I put him down with a shot that caught him flush but it was more of a shock knockdown. The second one, I caught him on the top of his head and he took his time getting up. If he’d only had eight seconds I could have jumped on him but he’d recovered a bit more by the time they told us to fight on.”
Looking back and wishing will do no good and Murray is aware that he now needs to press on and take advantage of the momentum he has created. The draw with Sturm was followed by a frustrating period of inactivity. Murray is promoted by Hatton Promotions and although their current lack of a TV deal could make things difficult, the man at the head of the company seems determined to get Murray the big fights he deserves.
“Ricky Hatton was brilliant over there and he said he’ll do whatever it takes to get me a world title,” Murray says. “He’s gonna be jumping all over it now. HBO liked it and they want to see me fighting over there [in America]. Good things have come from it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m gutted I lost but I lost in the best way possible.
“You should have seen it going through the airport,” he continues. “I just got mobbed. All the Argentinean’s were coming up to me telling me I was the new champion and I should have won. They did a poll on Argentina and 72% of people thought I won. I was unlucky but it’s done me no harm. A massive audience in America saw me and now when it comes to big fights in America, they won’t be saying ‘Who is he?’ and we’ve got more bargaining power now.”
In Murray’s two forays into genuine world class have involved travelling into the lions den to take on heavily favoured champions. He has performed admirably and can conceivably count himself unlucky not to be a unified champion. Having seen him evolve over the years, the impression is that he is now fully confident in his abilities.
“Next time!” he say’s cheerfully. “Third time lucky!”
Follow Martin on twitter - @MartinMurrayBox
