Monte-Carlo (January 21, 2015) 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, South Africa.
For middleweight world title fights, the WBC mandates that fighters must be no more than 176lbs. thirty days prior to the fight.
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.”
“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 of Golden Gloves of South Africa.
GOLOVKIN vs. MURRAY is presented by Golden Gloves of South Africa, K2 Promotions, GGG Promotions, Expo 2017 and Tsesnabank, Casino de Monte Carlo along with Monte Carlo SBM.
The fight from the Salle des Etoiles in Monte-Carlo will be telecast worldwide including Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 5:45 p.m. ET/PT in the United States.
Boxing’s Fastest Rising Superstar, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, 31-0-0 with 28 KO’s, scored his 18th straight KO victory and 12th defense of his WBA/IBO titles on Saturday, October 18th with a devastating second round knockout of WBC “Interim” Middleweight Champion, Marco Antonio Rubio in front of a standing room only crowd of 9,323 at the StubHub! Center in Carson, California, USA. The attendance was record setting, far surpassing any other previous boxing events held at the acclaimed West Coast venue where many world champions have fought including Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Andre Ward.
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, Golovkin 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).
In April 2012, Murray traveled to Buenos Aries, Argentina and battled hometown world champion Sergio Martinez. Despite dropping Martinez in the eighth round, he lost a highly controversial decision in a bout many in the media and ringside observers believe he was victorious in.
Three fights earlier, Murray headed to Mannheim, Germany in December 2011 to challenge also hometown world champion Felix Sturm. Outlanding Sturm throughout the fight with blistering power punches, most ringside observers and media members also thought he won this fight despite the scoring of a highly controversial split decision draw.
