Gennady Golovkin vs. Martin Murray
Lou Catalano, Senior Writer
Martin Murray just doesn’t have the power to keep this animal off of him for a sustained amount of time. The only way he has a chance in hell is if Gennady Golovkin is either completely overlooking him, or trained on a diet consisting of morphine and prostitutes.
I see Murray trying to land the jab and straight right hand, while Golovkin lands everything else. It will end badly for Murray. GGG by KO.
Prediction: Golovkin
Zuri Lopez, Contributing Writer
Finally, Saturday marks the return of GGG and the timing couldn’t be any better. Gennady Golovkin returns against middleweight Martin Murray who says he will come to give him a war.
Murray sounds very confident in doing this and I applaud him for taking the fight. Murray’s last fight against Domenico Spada was good, but I just don’t think he has what it takes to overpower GGG. I don’t see him giving Golovkin a war on Saturday night, not because he doesn’t try to act out on it, but because GGG won’t allow it.
Murray will try to go out and hurt GGG from the early rounds, he’ll be able to get a few punches in here and there, but nothing major. GGG will overwhelm him with his power shots and will dictate the pace of the fight. The fight will end in less than four rounds by a massive body shot from GGG.
Prediction: Golovkin
Alex McLeish, Staff Writer
I’m a believer that in order for somebody to beat Gennady Golovkin at this point, the fighter would have to either be a slick, very skilled defensive fighter with the courage and stamina to outbox Golovkin from a distance while moving backwards for 12 rounds, or have the power to hurt Golovkin enough to slow down his relentless, pressure attack.
Unfortunately for Martin Murray, he possesses neither of those attributes.
I see the first, possibly even the second round resembling your typical feeling-out rounds, but Golovkin will take over from that point. He’ll prove too strong and bullish for Murray, stalking him, cutting off the ring and putting Murray in positions where he’s on the ropes and in corners, where Golovkin will be able to go to work on the body, setting up proper work upstairs.
Murray, with his stable frame and toughness, could take Golovkin into the mid-rounds, but not much further than that. Make it 19 KOs in a row.
Prediction: Golovkin
Tony Calcara, Staff Writer
I don’t think it’s fair to take anything away from Martin Murray. He is a proven fighter, tested, tough and he’s a very good fighter.
The problem is GGG. Gennady Golovkin is a buzz saw and I don’t believe that Murray has the power the keep Golovkin at bay.
Prediction: Golovkin
Brandon Glass, Contributing Writer
Last time I saw Martin Murray fight I felt he was robbed in a sloppy, but gritty title bout against then undisputed Middleweight champ, Sergio Martinez.
His only professional loss. We all know about Gennady Golovkin, so let’s talk about Murray. He’s a salt of the earth kind of fighter; he’s pretty straight forward in his approach like most UK fighters and his durability allows it.
He’s going to try press Golovkin, by standing right in front of him (though he tries to use his feet) which is exactly what Golovkin wants.
Murray is the taller guy; add in his Sagat-like high guard and the way he keeps his elbows out, Golovkin is going to work the body early and often. Murray’s tough, but I doubt he makes it to the final bell. Golovkin by 10th round KO.
Prediction: Golovkin
Lauren Pinkerton, Staff Writer
Gennady Golovkin’s got his name all over this fight. Sure, Martin Murray isn’t a bad opponent for him, but I still don’t see enough going on for him to overtake GGG.
We see a lot of hard hitters turn into sloppy fighters, wailing their arms around praying that one of them lands, but Golovkin doesn’t fit into this stereotype. He hits hard, but he’s also smart about his combos and his footwork.
Generally speaking, there’s only two ways to win a fight, and that’s either through knockout or by intelligently working your way through all the rounds. I don’t see Murray being able to pull off either. He can’t outpunch Golovkin, and Murray’s ring IQ can’t outwit him in GGG’s own chess game.
Prediction: Golovkin
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
“Good Boy” season is back. Not much to say here, because while Martin Murray is good, he’s just not good enough to give Gennady Golovkin problems.
Murray does have a tight guard, but if he tries to hide behind it from the get go, this thing could be over quicker than the Golovkin vs. Marco Antonio Rubio fight.
I like Golovkin scores a mid-round KO and moves (hopefully) to a marquee matchup with a major name.
Prediction: Golovkin
