Billy Joe Saunders bowed out of his June 23rd title defense against Martin Murray, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Apologies for any inconvenience, but due to the injury, I had to withdraw from the fight on June 23,” Saunders said. “You have your ups in boxing, but for me, the last three months have been downs. Sorry to Martin and the fans. I’ll be back soon.”

“There’s nothing I can do. I’m obviously gutted,” Murray said. “My management team is working on alternatives, so hopefully I’ll have a new date in the next couple of weeks. Thanks to everyone for their continued support.”

“He’s s— out again. The first time it was his hand, now it’s his hamstring,” Murray said. “We know that he’s trying to make a big money fight with [Gennady] Golovkin or Canelo [Alvarez] and I’m too risky to fight. He just don’t want to fight me, but there’s nothing I can do. This is the second time I’ve took myself away from my family, got my body in this condition — ready to fight — and I get told last minute it’s canceled.”

Promoter Frank Warren said he would announce the status of the card on Monday.

“Due to an injury suffered by Billy Joe Saunders, unfortunately he has had to withdraw from his June 23rd fight with Martin Murray at the O2 Arena. A full statement on the show will be made [Monday],” Warren said. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”

(May 10, 2018) — A middleweight title will be at stake on Saturday, June 23, live and exclusively in the United States on ESPN+ — the recently-launched multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International segment, in partnership with ESPN.

From the O2 Arena in London, Billy Joe Saunders will defend the World Boxing Organization (WBO) middleweight title against veteran Martin Murray, undefeated heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (7-0, 7 KOs) will take on Tom Little for the vacant British title, and unbeaten light heavyweight Anthony Yarde (15-0, 14 KOs) will face an opponent to be named. Saunders-Murray coverage will start at 5 p.m. ET, while undercard action will be shown beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.

“I’m delighted that the WBO middleweight world title showdown between Billy Joe Saunders and Martin Murray will be shown live in the United States on ESPN+,” said Frank Warren, the event’s promoter. “I’d like to thank Bob Arum and Todd duBoef of Top Rank for making this happen. There’s a lot on the line for Billy Joe and Martin and I’m predicting a brilliant fight for the fans. This is a brilliant opportunity for our young guns Daniel Dubois and Anthony Yarde to showcase their skills to the American audience.”

Saunders (26-0, 12 KOs) will be making the fourth defense of his world title against Murray (36-4-1, 17 KOs,), a four-time world title challenger riding a three-bout winning streak. Saunders won the world title with a majority decision over Andy Lee on Dec. 19, 2015 in Manchester, England and has gone the distance in each of his title defenses.

In his last bout, on December 16 of last year, he put on a boxing clinic in befuddling the hard-punching David Lemieux en route to a clear unanimous decision. Saunders possesses the only middleweight world title not held by Gennady Golovkin.

Murray, who lost a split decision to Arthur Abraham for the WBO super middleweight title in November 2015, has had three previous cracks at middleweight world titles. He was held to a controversial draw against Felix Sturm for the WBA crown in 2011, lost a disputed unanimous decision to WBC champion Sergio Martinez in 2013, and was knocked out in the 11th round by unified champion Golovkin on Feb. 21, 2015 in Monte Carlo.

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Two exciting domestic match-ups have been confirmed for the undercard of Billy Joe Saunders’ WBO Middleweight World Title defence against Martin Murray at The O2 on June 23.

Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (7-0, 7 KO’s) takes on Hatfield’s Tom Little (10-5, 3 KO’s) for the Vacant English Heavyweight Championship and undefeated Guisborough Super-Lightweight talent Josh Leather (13-0, 6 KO’s) squares off with highly-ranked Hackney man Ohara Davies (16-1, 13 KO’s).

Dubois will be aiming to continue his seven fight KO streak when he fights at The O2 for the first time next month. Little is looking to return to winning ways after a loss against Hungarian 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Filip Hrgovic.

“I’m looking forward to fighting in my hometown of Greenwich on June 23rd,” said Dubois. “Tom is another step up in level for me on my journey to the top of the Heavyweight division. I’m determined to add the English belt to my collection in front of my home crowd.

“I’ve seen that he’s been very vocal towards me on social media but I do my talking in the ring. I seem to remember Tom making similar claims ahead of his fight against Filip Hrgovic back in January and look what happened to him there.”

“I’m delighted to get the opportunity to stop the hype machine in its tracks,” said Little. “This is a fight that I truly believe I will win. I’m not taking anything away from Daniel, he’s very talented but I’ve seen gaps in his armour and things that I can exploit, he’s tailor made for me!

“This is the perfect time for me to face Daniel. I see him as a child trapped in a man’s body and on June 23 I’m going to outman him and stop him late.”

Leather was last in action in a 12-round war against local rival Glenn Foot and the Metro Radio Arena Newcastle in November, edging a close points win to keep hold of his IBF European belt.

Davies has been out of the ring since his explosive sixth-round stoppage win over Tom Farrell in September and is set to make his return against Christopher Sebire at Elland Road on May 19th.

“This is a great fight and one that that I’m very confident of winning,” said Leather. “I possess the skill, speed and power to see me past him. Ohara is a slick boxer but I’ll have too much for him. He won’t know where I’m coming from and I’ll do exactly the same as what Josh Taylor did to him.”

“I admire Josh’s grit and heart but I don’t see him making it past the eighth round,” said Davies. “He does the basics very well and has a great engine but my skill and focus will win me this fight. I can’t overlook my fight at Elland Road on May 19th but I’ve already started adjusting my training for June 23rd. I won’t be taking Josh lightly.”

Dubois v Little and Leather v Davies are part of a huge night of boxing at The O2 on June 23rd.

An unmissable card also features rising Light-Heavyweight star Anthony ‘The Beast’ Yarde; Darryll Williams defending his English Super-Middleweight title against Lennox Clarke and Erith Featherweight Lewis Pettitt taking on Birmingham’s undefeated Raza Hamza over eight rounds.

Peckham Welterweight Johnny Garton, Southampton Featherweight Ryan Garner, Welling Super-Featherweight Archie Sharp; Ilford Super-Middleweight Umar Sadiq; Chigwell Flyweight Harvey Horn and Erith Flyweight Jake Pettitt complete a stacked card with the professional debut of Hainult Cruiserweight James Branch.

Tickets for Saunders v Murray priced from £40 (Tier) to £300 (Hospitality) are available to purchase via www.axs.com.

Promoter Frank Warren has confirmed that talks are in progress for WBO Middleweight World Champion Billy Joe Saunders to face WBA, WBC and IBF Champion Gennady Golovkin in the autumn, should he come through his fight with Martin Murray at London’s 02 Arena on June 23rd.

Golovkin was due to fight Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on May 5th in Las Vegas, but the Mexican withdrew from the rematch on Tuesday, causing widespread rumours that Saunders would step in as a late replacement.

However, Saunders’ promoter has confirmed that the undefeated Hatfield star will make the fourth defence of his World Title against domestic rival Murray on June 23rd as originally planned.

“I’ve spoken with Golovkin’s promoter Tom Loeffler and Golovkin v Saunders is in play for this Autumn,” said Warren. “May 5th was never going to happen because of Bill’s hand injury and Golovkin’s team are going ahead with a fight on that date so couldn’t make a fight in June.

“Bill will definitely be defending his belt against Martin Murray on June 23rd.

“If he comes through his fight against Martin then we are hoping he will get the chance to unify the Middleweight division against Golovkin in the autumn. That would be a huge fight and one we would love to make here in the UK.

“Golovkin has said many times that he wants to add the WBO belt to his collection and it’s a fight that Bill would jump at. There should be no problem making it – on paper it is a brilliant fight and one fans have been calling for.

“This is a fight that will define Bill’s legacy and I genuinely believe he will win. If anyone can beat Golovkin then it’s Bill, he has the style and the boxing skills. But first he has to deal with Martin on June 23rd.”

Tickets for Saunders v Murray priced form £40 (Tier) to £300 (Hospitality) are available to purchase via www.axs.com.

WBO Middleweight World Champion Billy Joe Saunders has suffered an injury to his hand that has scuppered his plans to defend his title against Martin Murray on Saturday 14th April at The 02 in London.

Saunders, who suffered his injury during a training session, is devastated that he will not be fit to box on April 14th as he was looking forward to producing another masterclass after his career-best performance against David Lemieux at the Place Bell in Laval, Canada in December.

He will now make the fourth defence of his WBO crown against Murray at The 02 on Saturday 23rd June, topping an action-packed card that features Anthony Yarde, Daniel Dubois, Ohara Davies and a host of other exciting match-ups.

“I’m gutted for Martin and I’m gutted for the fans,” said Saunders. “I felt my hand go during a session this week and sought medical advice immediately. Unfortunately I’ve been told that I can’t punch anything for four weeks so we’ve been left with no choice but to withdraw from the date.

“I’d like to thank my promoter Frank Warren for quickly sorting a new date for the fight. My trainer Dominic Ingle will make sure that I’m fit and prepared to put on another show on June 23rd.

“This is an extremely tough sport and these things can happen. It is vital that I’m firing on all cylinders heading into this fight but for now it’s all about recovering properly and focusing on the new June 23rd date.”

“It is extremely frustrating as tickets were going very well and we were all geared up for a fantastic evening of boxing on April 14th,” said promoter Frank warren. “I apologise to all of the fans that have bought tickets for the April 14th date but all original tickets will be valid for the new June 23rd date.

“We are also working on a new date for the WBO Super-Lightweight World Title fight between Terry Flanagan and Maurice Hooker. I am speaking with Hooker’s representative Dino Duva and we will be making an announcement this week on where and when this fight takes place.

“It is not straightforward as this is an ordered fight for a Vacant Title but we are working hard to get everything sorted and our priority is to secure Terry his chance to become a Two Weight World Champion”.

All original tickets will be valid for new Saturday 23rd June date. If you are unable to make the new date, fans can contact their point of purchase should they require a refund during the next 14 days.

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Hall of Fame Promoter Frank Warren will stage a double World Title card on Saturday 14th April at The 02 in London featuring Billy Joe Saunders’ defence of his WBO World Middleweight Championship against domestic rival Martin Murray, alongside Terry Flanagan’s challenge for the vacant WBO World Super-Lightweight title against unbeaten American Maurice Hooker.
Saunders, fresh from a 12-round masterclass against David Lemieux in the Canadian’s home town, returns to the UK to face long-time rival Martin Murray. Saunders’ career-best performance in Canada has seen him risen to be considered by many the top active boxer in the UK and the Hatfield man is looking for 2018 to be the biggest year of his career.

Murray is the final hurdle for Saunders in obtaining a complete domestic whitewash of British and Irish Middleweights that already includes Andy Lee, Chris Eubank Jr, Spike O’Sullivan, John Ryder and Nick Blackwell. Should Saunders overcome Murray on the 14th April it is likely to clear the path for a blockbuster showdown for all the World Middleweight Titles against the winner of the highly-anticipated rematch between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez.

In the other World Title clash on the card, unbeaten former WBO World Lightweight Champion Terry Flanagan faces unbeaten American Maurice Hooker for the WBO World Super-Lightweight Championship, in his first contest at the weight. Flanagan had defended his 135lb World Title 5 times before relinquishing the belt to move to Super-Lightweight, a more comfortable weight class for his stature.

02 presale tickets for this blockbuster evening of action are available via www.axs.com from 10.00am on Friday 25th January.

General sale tickets are available to purchase from AXS, Eventim and Ticketmaster from 10.00am on Monday 29th January.

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Hall of Fame Promoter Frank Warren will stage a double World Title card on Saturday 14th April featuring Billy Joe Saunders’ defence of his WBO World Middleweight Championship against domestic rival Martin Murray, alongside Terry Flanagan’s challenge for the vacant WBO World Super Lightweight title against unbeaten American Maurice Hooker. The card will be broadcast live in the UK on BT Sport and BoxNation.

Saunders, fresh from a 12 round masterclass against David Lemieux in the Canadian’s home town, returns to the UK to face long-time rival Martin Murray. Saunders’ career best performance in Canada has seen him risen to be considered by many the top active boxer in the UK and the Hatfield man is looking for 2018 to be the biggest year of his career.

Murray is the final hurdle for Saunders in obtaining a complete domestic whitewash of British and Irish Middleweights that already includes Andy Lee, Chris Eubank Jr, Spike O’Sullivan, John Ryder and Nick Blackwell. Should Saunders overcome Murray on the 14th April it is likely to clear the path for a blockbuster showdown for all the World Middleweight Titles against the winner of the highly anticipated rematch between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez.

Saunders said: ‘ Martin Murray is a good fighter and I have got the greatest of respect for him. But he’s in the way of what I’m aiming for this year and that is to become Undisputed Middleweight World Champion. He’s coming try and win my world title and I’m sure it’s going to be a good fight!’

Murray who many felt did enough to become a Middleweight World Champion against both Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm, only to be undone by the judges’ scorecards, is coming off a big win against Gabriel Rosado and will be out looking to scupper Saunders’ plans of facing Golovkin or Canelo and grab that blockbuster undisputed World title showdown for himself.

The St. Helen’s man said, ‘ I rate Billy Joe as a fighter, he’s one of slickest out there and he is coming off of a great win and will be very confident. But I’m very confident, this is my time to become World Champion, as it’s the only thing I have left to do.

I’ve fought everyone and in my opinion at Middleweight I have only one genuine loss which is against Gennady Golovkin who is the best out there.

I don’t count Martinez or Sturm as genuine losses because of the scorecards. But this time around, in my first World Title fight at home, as we are both British fighters fighting on home soil, I know the best man on the night will get the win and leave the arena as World Champion.’

In the other World Title clash on the card, unbeaten former WBO World Lightweight Champion Terry Flanagan faces unbeaten American Maurice Hooker for the WBO World Super Lightweight Championship, in his first contest at the weight. Flanagan had defended his 135 lb World Title 5 times before relinquishing the belt to move to Super Lightweight, a more comfortable weight class for his stature.

Flanagan said: ‘Hooker is a very good unbeaten fighter, he fights on the back foot and looks to catch you from distance. However I’m very confident I’ll be able to deal with anything he throws at me to become a two-weight World Champion. Winning this fight will prove I’m a legitimate 140lb fighter I’ll be looking to unify the belts later in the year.’

Whilst undefeated American Maurice Hooker said: ‘I’m looking forward to coming to the UK to fight Flanagan and to become World Champion. We are both undefeated fighters and I’m sure it’s going to be a fantastic fight!’

Details of the venue that will stage the event, the full announcement press conference and ticket information will all follow next week.

Martin Murray wants to prove he’s back with a bang at Middleweight and ready for another World title crack as he takes on Gabriel Rosado at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on April 22, live on Sky Sports.

Murray is back at Middleweight for the clash with the Philadelphian, and it’s a battle that promises to be brutal and compelling with both men known for putting it all on the line in the ring.

Rosado has been involved in some brutal battles in his 11 year career, fighting twice for World Middleweight crown in 2013 against Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin, and the 31 year old will be gunning for a third crack at the big prize.

Murray has boxed for major belts three times at 160lbs against Felix Sturm, Sergio Martinez and Golovkin before moving up to Super-Middleweight to challenge Arthur Abraham. The 34 year old believes that he’s better suited at Middleweight and believes that a fifth World title shot is next if he can do the business on Merseyside.

“I know that I still have a World title in me,” said Murray. “Middleweight was all tied up with Golovkin but Super Middleweight was more so I moved up. Having gone up there and fought the best up there, they are big guys and I feel that I am better placed at Middleweight. Golovkin still has all the belts but he might have to move up to get the fights he wants and that could open things up once more.

“Rosado is a quality fighter and I don’t think his record does him justice. He’ll go anywhere and fight anybody and he’s been in with all the top guys. He’s tough and comes to fight, and that’s my style too, so that’s why I am excited about it and the fans are too because there’s no way that our styles won’t gel. It’s going to be a war.

“People have always written me off. I’ve moved to Super-Middleweight, I thought I should have won the title against Abraham, looking back I left it too close to call. Against Groves, I was far from my best but I left it all in the ring and nearly spun it on its head late on and that was me at only 60 per cent. I’m flying in the gym and I believe I am a level above him and it will tell on the night.”

Murray’s clash with Rosado is part of a huge night of action in Liverpool, as his Oliver Harrison gym-mate Rocky Fielding welcomes Islington’s John Ryder to his backyard where they clash for the vacant British Super-Middleweight title.

Tom Farrell and Tommy Carus for the WBA International Super-Lightweight title, popular Birkenhead man Sean ‘Masher’ Dodd is set for a major title bout, Rio Olympian Joe Cordina makes his pro debut and Paul Economides and Craig Glover are in action.

Tickets are on sale now priced at £40, £60, £80 and £100 from the Echo Arena at www.echoarena.com/whats-on/a-night-of-championship-boxing and on 0844 8000 400.

VIP tickets are priced at £200 and are exclusively available at www.matchroomboxing.com

Face value tickets for April 22 will also be available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ . StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua.

Martin Murray and Gabriel Rosado will clash at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on April 22, live on Sky Sports.

Murray and Rosado are famous for their all-action styles and their clash on Merseyside promises to be a thriller.

St Helens favourite Murray is back in the ring following his win in Monaco over Nuhu Lawal for the WBA Continental Super-Middleweight title and the 34 year old is gunning for a fifth World title shot

Philadelphian Rosado has been involved in some brutal battles in his 11 year career, fighting twice for World Middleweight crown in 2013 against Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin, and the 31 year old will be gunning for a third crack at the big prize.

A press conference in Liverpool on Monday February 27 will confirm further details on a stacked undercard that will feature Rocky Fielding, Sean ‘Masher’ Dodd and Tom Farrell, plus many more.

“This is going to be a brilliant fight,” said Murray. “Our styles are going to gel and the fans are in for a treat. We’ve both experienced massive nights and had plenty of World title bouts between us, and I think it shows that we’re hungry for me. I still feel that I can become a World champion and beating a class fighter like Rosado on a big Sky Sports bill will show that I am still well capable of landing a belt.”

“We wanted a fight in the UK,” said Rosado. “This is the perfect opponent for true fight fans, and I’ll meet Murray in the middle of the ring – it’s going to be a great war!”

“When I was approached from Gabriel Rosado to fight in the UK, the Murray fight came straight into my head,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Two absolute warriors renowned for their all action styles and I really believe this has all the ingredients for a fight of the year contender.

“I’m pleased that Martin is getting the chance to headline a big card so close to home, he has great support from St Helens and the card will be packed with talent throughout.”

Tickets will go on sale to Matchroom Fight Pass members at 10am on Tuesday February 28 and on general sale on Wednesday March 1 at 10am – tickets are priced at £40, £60, £80, £100 and £200 VIP.

Martin Murray will face Nuhu Lawal for the WBA Continental Super Middleweight title in Monte-Carlo on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports.

Lawal holds the WBA Inter-Continental Middleweight crown having stopped Istvan Szili inside six rounds for the title in June, moving to 23-0 with the win and crashing into the WBA rankings at number 12.

The Nigerian-born German grabs a golden opportunity to claim the prize scalp of Murray after doctors ruled Dmitrii Chudinov out of the bout with a virus.

Murray is looking for a big win to move back into World title contention in 2017, and the St Helens favourite says he’s firing on all cylinders again after defeat to George Groves where he revealed that illness during camp played a big part in his performance.

“Four weeks before I boxed George I was flying in the gym,” said Murray. “If I’d fought him then the outcome would have been completely different. I peaked and then I got ill, I took a couple of courses of antibiotics leading into the fight, so when I fought there was nothing in me. I was shocking and I felt flat.

“I’d been training for the whole year basically so that with the illness took a lot out of me, I didn’t do anything in the first half of the fight but I still nearly pulled it out of the bag at the end. I wasn’t expecting to lose so when I did, it took a lot out of me.

“I’ve had a few good holidays since then and took some time out of the gym as I knew that this date was coming, the loss to George did take a lot out of me though. When I lost to George the goal of becoming World champion slipped away a bit but the desire and hunger is still there and I know I am only one win away from getting another shot.

“I need a win that puts me right back into the mix to fight for a Word title and hopefully this fight will be that win. I would move down to Middleweight if I could get the right fights but I just can’t seem to get them and there are fights coming at Super-Middleweight.

“I am far from done as a fighter, it’s just not worked out right for me. When we do nail it, we know that the wins against the big names will be there. I’m not making any excuses or crying over spilt milk but it just didn’t work out for me at Middleweight and I thought I beat Arthur at Super-Middle, but that’s just the way it is, that’s boxing, the politics of the sport. I dint grumble about it because I know that the World title is still there and I believe that I can beat the World champions at Super-Middleweight.”

Murray’s clash with Lawal is part of a huge night of action in Monte-Carlo as WBA World Bantamweight as the most feared Heavyweight on the planet, ‘King Kong’ Luis Ortiz makes his European debut against Malik Scott.

WBA World Bantamweight king Jamie McDonnell defends his crown against Liberio Solis. It’s the fifth defence for the Doncaster ace, who followed his stoppage win over Javier Chacon with a pair of impressive wins over Tomoki Kameda in Texas last year and stopped Fernando Vargas in nine rounds at The O2 in London this April.

Stephen Smith has a second World title crack, challenging WBA Super-Featherweight kingpin Jason Sosa. Smith travelled to Connecticut to meet IBF ruler Jose Pedraza in April in his first outing for a World belt, and recovered from that points loss with a commanding win over Daniel Brizuela in his hometown of Liverpool a month later. Puerto Rican-American Sosa defends his strap for the first time having ripped the crown from Javier Fortuna in Beijing in June.

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Arthur Abraham hurt his elbow as he was training for his November 12th fight with Martin Murray and now the fight is off, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We’ll keep our cards open for the next [few] days to see what will be next,” said Abraham’s promoter Kalle Sauerland.

“My rematch with Abraham is off due to him being injured,” Murray said. “Just in the process of sorting another opponent now.”

Matchroom Boxing and the Casino de Monte-Carlo are delighted to announce a blockbuster night of World championship boxing on November 12 at Salle des Etoiles, Sporting Monte-Carlo in ‘Monte-Carlo Boxing Bonanza’ live on Sky Sports.

One of the world’s most dangerous and exciting Heavyweights, Luis Ortiz, tops the bill as he looks to add to his 22 KOs from 25 wins as he takes on Malik Scott for the WBA Inter-Continental title – with Ortiz making his European debut in his first fight since teaming up with Matchroom Boxing.
WBA World Bantamweight king Jamie McDonnell defends his crown against Liberio Solis. It’s the fifth defence for the Doncaster ace, who followed his stoppage win over Javier Chacon with a pair of impressive wins over Tomoki Kameda in Texas last year and stopped Fernando Vargas in nine rounds at The O2 in London this April.
Former Super-Flyweight World ruler Solis boxes for the second time to become a two-weight World champion having severely tested WBC king Shinsuke Yamanaka in Japan in March, with both men hitting the canvas before the champion outpointed the Venezuelan challenger.
Stephen Smith has landed a second World title crack, challenging WBA Super-Featherweight kingpin Jason Sosa. Smith travelled to Connecticut to meet IBF ruler Jose Pedraza in April in his first outing for a World belt, and recovered from that points loss with a commanding win over Daniel Brizuela in his hometown of Liverpool a month later. Puerto Rican-American Sosa defends his strap for the first time having ripped the crown from Javier Fortuna in Beijing in June.
There’s a tasty rematch on the bill as Martin Murray looks to avenge his World title loss to Arthur Abraham as the pair clash for the WBO International Super-Middleweight belt – with Murray looking for revenge after suffering a split-decision loss for the German’s World title in November.
The Sporting Monte-Carlo has held two huge World title nights in the last two years, with pound-for-pound Middleweight king Gennady Golovkin defeating Martin Murray in February 2015 and Randy Cabellero outpointing Stuart Hall for the IBF Bantamweight crown in October 2014.
“It is an absolute honour to bring this huge night of World championship boxing to Monaco,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “It’s been a wonderful few years for British boxing but to showcase this great sport in such a high quality environment is very exciting. This is going to be the most high profile fight night of the year and we are looking forward to putting on an exceptional night of boxing for Monte-Carlo, fans and all of our international broadcasters.”
“We are thrilled to host this new world class boxing event and to perpetuate the tradition of boxing in Monaco which had now become a major rendez-vous for the Casino de Monte-Carlo” said Pascal Camia, Executive Vice President, Casinos of Monaco. “From the gambling tables to the ring, the adrenaline will be flowing for a night of show and entertainment to be remembered.”
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About Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer
Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer proposes a unique experience uniting well-being and gastronomy, offering its clients a resort like no other in the world: 4 casinos including the legendary Monte-Carlo Casino, 4 hotels (Hôtel de Paris, Hôtel Hermitage, Monte-Carlo Beach, Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort), and 33 restaurants of which 4 on their own together make up 6 stars of the prestigious Michelin Guide. Known for its nightlife, the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer Group offers an astounding choice of bars and concert halls. The Group, which is a talent scout and committed supporter of artistic creation, programmes musical events with daring artistic choices at the Sporting Summer Festival, the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival, La Rascasse and the Buddha Bar. Its nightclub, Jimmy’z, is one of the most reputable in Europe and has been for the past 40 years.

Martin Murray says George Groves got his name from losing twice to Carl Froch – and believes he’ll look to shift the blame when he beats him in their clash for the WBA International Super-Middleweight title at The O2 on Saturday June 25, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Murray believes Groves is too focused on being the ‘a-side’ of their battle, rather than focusing on the fight itself, as the Brit rivals look to move into line for a crack at the World title in the second half of the year.

The St Helens star has fought the best of the best over the last five years in World title fights, meeting Gennady Golovkin, Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm in his Middleweight World title battles and tackling Arthur Abraham at 168lbs for the WBO World Super-Middleweight crown.

Groves holds three losses in World title scraps – twice at the hands of Carl Froch and most recently against Badou Jack in Las Vegas for the WBC title – and in their ‘The Gloves Are Off’ head-to-head on Sky Sports 1 at 10.30pm tonight, Murray says his resume at elite level outshines Groves’ and that the Hammersmith man passes the buck when he loses.

“I’ve been in bigger fights than him all over the world against better opposition,” said Murray. “The fact that his name comes first means nothing to me – I’m a 33 year old grown man, how’s that going to bother me?

“He got his name by losing twice to Carl Froch and that’s how he’s the a-side. If I’m not established enough as a World class fighter as it stands now, I’m going to get it when I beat George, even though I’ve been in the bigger and tougher fights than him, that’s the way it is. He thinks that the 80,000 tickets at Wembley were down to him, nothing to do with Carl.

“I don’t think he should’ve left Adam Booth. He finds it easy to pass the blame. He blamed the referee after the first Froch fight, he blamed a ‘punch from the gods’ for the second fight and blamed Paddy Fitzpatrick for the Jack loss.

“After Badou Jack I heard he was talking about retiring. He’s come back and had two fights where he’s been firing at sitting ducks where there’s been nothing coming back at him, so he’s got his confidence back now, and that makes now he thinks that this is an easy fight; but it’s not, and when it gets tough he will crumble. I want him to keep thinking that it’s easy, because he’ll find out next Saturday how wrong he is and I can’t wait to prove it.”

Murray and Groves clash on a huge night of boxing at The O2, as Anthony Joshua MBE defends his IBF World Heavyweight title against unbeaten American Dominic Breazeale.

Chris Eubank Jr defends his British Middleweight title against Welshman Tom Doran, John Wayne Hibbert clashes with Andrea Scarpa for the vacant WBC Silver Super-Lightweight title, Brixton Heavyweight Dillian Whyte returns to the fray, unbeaten Birmingham star Kal Yafai is in action, Olympic bronze medal man Anthony Ogogo continues his comeback from injury, Conor Benn fights for the third time in the paid ranks and there’s a debut for Team GB star Felix Cash.

Martin Murray has warned George Groves he’s going to drag him into deep waters and make him crumble when they face-off in an eliminator for the WBA World Super-Middleweight title at The O2 on June 25, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Murray and Groves meet in a huge domestic crossroads clash that puts the winner in line for a crack to land another World title shot, and for the St Helens ace, it’s the all-British showdown that he’s craved throughout his career.

Murray believes his stamina and work-rate will prove to be the difference in the bout against the Londoner and says he’ll force ‘Saint’ George to crumble late in the fight.

“I train for fights to go all the way and take my opponents into deep waters,” said Murray. “I’ve shown that I have got a good engine and can sustain a good work rate over 12 rounds. George has stamina issues, that’s well known, the fight favours me late on with him fading and my high work rate over 12 rounds, but it favours him early with his power and I know that, and it makes for an exciting fight.

“I have one of the best defences in world boxing, I’ve been in with better fighters than George who have not been able to get rid of me and I am that confident in this fight that the only way he can beat me is if I lose concentration and get caught with something stupid early.

“He was clinically beaten by Carl Froch and those defeats took a lot out of him. He hasn’t had a fight that hard since and on June 25 he’s going to be in a real fight. When it gets hard for him, psychologically it’s going to be tough. I will break him and he will crumble.”

Murray and Groves clash on a huge night of boxing at The O2, as Anthony Joshua MBE defends his IBF World Heavyweight title against unbeaten American Dominic Breazeale.

Chris Eubank Jr defends his British Middleweight title against Welshman Tom Doran, John Wayne Hibbert clashes with Andrea Scarpa for the vacant WBC Silver Super-Lightweight title, Brixton Heavyweight Dillian Whyte returns to the fray, Conor Benn is in action for the third time in the paid ranks and there’s a debut for Team GB star Felix Cash.

Anthony Crolla scored a stunning 7th round stoppage over Ismael Barroso to retain his WBA Lightweight title at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

The bout headlined a seven bout telecast on AWE.

Barroso raced out and set a fast pace over the first four rounds.  Crolla was biding his time landing some good shots on the the middle of the ring and he started to take over on a fading Barroso towards the end of round five.  In round six, Crolla began to hurt Barroso and the Venezuelan challenger started to break down and seemed spent as he walked to his corner.  Crolla jumped on Barroso and landed a tremendous flurry of punches that put Barroso on the canvas for the ten count.

It was the second straight stunning knockout for Crolla on AWE–A Wealth of Entertainment as he won his title with a knockout over Darleys Perez in November.

Crolla is now 31-4-3 with 13 knockouts.  Barroso is 19-1-2.

“What a day for boxing on AWE.  Once again, AWE had a stellar show that was headlined by a great knockout by Anthony Crolla.  We continue to put on exciting world title bouts and we should have some announcements about more great boxing action the coming months,” said AWE President, Charles Herring.

In the televised co-feature from Hamburg, Germany, Kubrat Pulev won the European Heavyweight title and an IBF Elimination Heavyweight bout by winning a 12-round split decision over Dereck Chisora.

Pulev controlled the action with quick combinations and Chisora was never able to get in a groove to land any hard power shots.

Pulev won by scores of 118-110  and 116-112.  Somehow a judge saw the fight for Chisora by 115-113.

Pulev is 23-1.  Chisora is 25-6.

Shayne Singleton stopped Anwil Anwar in round eight of their ten round welterweight contest.

Singleton looked like he was going to make it a quick and easy night as he dropped Anwar in round one from a left hook.  Anwar was able to steady himself and have success over the next handful of rounds by getting in some good right hands.  With the fight being on an even level, Singleton landed a big left that sent Anwar down in round eight.  Anwar was clearly hurt, and Singleton jumped all over him and the fight was quickly stopped at 1:37 of round right.

Singleton is now 23-1 with eight knockouts.  Anwar is 22-6.

Martin Murray tuned up for a June 25 showdown with George Groves by stopping an overmatched Cedric Spera in a scheduled 8-round Super Middleweight bout.

Murray dropped Spera with a left to the body in round two and finished him off with hard right that sent Spera down and out at 1:47 of round two.

Murray is now 33-3-1 with 16 knockouts.  Spera is 12-5.

Marcus Morrison scored a 2nd round stoppage over Jefferson De Souza in a scheduled 10-round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Morrison dropped De Souza with a left hook in round one and the bout was stopped in the 2nd.

Morrison is now 11-0.  De Souza is now 16-2-2.

Hosea Burton scored a 4th round stoppage over Michal Ludwiczak in a scheduled 6-round light heavyweight bout.

Burton dropped Ludwiczak with a left hook in round three.  Burton scored another knockdown from a left hook in round four and the fight was stopped shortly after at 2:58.

Burton is now 16-0.  Ludwiczak is 13-4.

Tommy Coyle (22-3) won a decision over Reynaldo Mora (7-13-1) in a super lightweight bout via referee score of 59-55.

Follow all the action as Anthony Crolla defends the WBA Lightweight title against undefeated Ismael Barroso.  The action kicks off at 2:30 PM ET with an appearance by former world title challenger Martin Murray.  Also a big Heavyweight elimination bout between former world title challengers Dereck Chisora and Kubrat Pulev

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Round 1 Crolla gets in a right..Barroso gets in 2 lefts..sharp combination..

Round 2 Body shot from Barroso…uppercut..Left to the body..

Round 3 Barroso gets in a right hook..Crolla gets in a right..

Round 4 Right from Crolla..body shot..Combination from Barroso..Right from Crolla…uppercut…Barroso throwing alot…Crolla cut over his right eye

Round 5 Body shot from Barroso…left to the body…uppercut and body shot from Crolla..

Round 6 Hard right staggers Barroso…another right…Crolla has Barroso in trouble

Round 7 HARD FLURRY AND DOWN GOES BARROSO…HE DOES NOT BEAT THE COUNT

Round 2 1-2 from Pulev..

Round 3 Chisora gets in a round…working the body..uppercut from Pulev

Round 4 Right over top by Chisora…Good combination from Pulev..Jabs and rights on the ropes..

Round 5 Uppercut from Pulev..Jab..2 hard rights

Round 6 Hard right from Pulev..Good right from Chisora..Pulev is cut over his left eye…Right from Pulev…another right..

Round 7 Chisora lands a right to the body..Right from Pulev…Right

Round 8 Right from Pulev..3 hard rights on the ropes..

Round 9 Chisora lands a left..right…Right..Body shot and right from Pulev

Round 10 Body shots from Chisora

Round 11 Hard right and body shot from Pulev…Chisora right eye beginning to swell

Round 12 Right from Pulev..Jab..

116-112 Pulev; 115-113 Chisora; 118-110 Pulev…PULEV VIA SPLIT DECISION

Round 1 Murray working the body

Round 2 MURRAY LANDS A LEFT TO THE BODY AND DOWN GOES SPERA…RIGHT HAND AND DOWN GOES SPERA AND THE FIGHT IS OVER–TIME 1:47

Round 1 Singleton lands a sharp right..Right..DOUBLE LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES ANWAR

Round 2 Anwar lands a hard right…2 punch combination

Round 3 Singleton lands a solid right..Left shakes Anwar

Round 4 Right from Anwar

Round 5 Combination from Anwar

Round 6 Good right from Singleton..Right…left hook..

Round 7 Anwar lands a left…Jab from Singleton..Left hook..Right from Anwar

Round 8 BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES ANWAR…SINGLETON ALL OVER ANWAR AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

SAN DIEGO, CALIF.- May 6, 2016 – This Saturday afternoon it will be a full day of championship boxing as two more big fights have been added to an already stacked broadcast on AWE- A Wealth of Entertainment.

Already announced is the WBA Lightweight world championship between champion Anthony Crolla (30-4-3, 12 KO’s) and Ismael Barroso (19-0-2, 18 KO’s) from Manchester, England

Also on the telecast will be an IBF Heavyweight elimination bout between former world title challengers Dereck Chisora (25-5, 17 KO’s) and Kubrat Pulev (22-1, 12 KO’s) from Hamburg, Germany.

Former WBA Interim Middleweight champion and three-time world title challenger Martin Murray will see action in a super middleweight clash against Cedric Spera.

Opening up the broadcast will be a battle for the WBC International Silver Welterweight title between Shayne Singleton and Adil Anwar.

The broadcast will begin at 2:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM PT.

Murray of St. Helens, United Kingdom has a record of 32-3-1 with 15 knockouts and is looking to get back to the world title stage and a win over Spera will catapult him to a June 25th showdown with George Groves.

Murray won the WBA Interim Middleweight championship with a 6th round stoppage over Jorge Navarro in 2012. When he has stepped up, he has come up just short in world title opportunities against Sergio Martinez, Gennady Golovkin and Arthur Abraham.

Spera of Belgium has a record of 12-4 with two knockouts, but has a win on his ledger over former contender Stephane Ouellet.

Singleton is an upstart contender from Colne, England and has a record of 22-1 with seven knockouts.

He is a former English Super Lightweight champion & WBC International Silver Welterweight titlist, and his record his highlighted by wins over Curtis Woodhouse (17-4) and Steve Jevons (8-0)

Anwar of Leeds, England is a former English Welterweight champion has a record of 22-5 with eight knockouts.

He has quality wins over Ben Lawler (5-1), Nathan Graham (11-1), James Finn (10-0-1), John Watson (13-2), Tyrone Nurse (20-0) & Dale Miles (13-1).

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, and has featured over 50 world class title fight. AWE has earned multiple Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” and has featured over thirty world class boxing events. In 2013, AWE showcased all live bouts featuring heavyweight David Price. AWE aired live the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over David Price, along with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew cards, who fought each other for the light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale. AWE brought boxing fans two of the most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2014, AWE televised the crowning of lightweight champion Terence Crawford with his win over Burns as well as the exciting rematches between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez along with Tony Bellew defeating Nathan Cleverly. In 2015, AWE brought boxing fans on of the most anticipated rematches of the year, Darleys Perez v. Anthony Crolla II for the WBA Lightweight World Title.

In 2016, AWE was the exclusive American boradcaster of Lucas Browne’s stunning knockout over Ruslan Chagaev to win the WBA Heavyweight title.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment
A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is featured on over a hundred cable providers, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD and Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

Anthony Joshua MBE will make the first defence of his IBF World Heavyweight title against unbeaten American Dominic ‘Trouble’ Breazeale at The O2 in London on June 25.

Joshua ripped took both the belt and unbeaten record of American Charles Martin at the same venue on April 9, and he’ll be looking to take another ‘0’ in his maiden defence.

Breazeale brings a formidable 17-0 record to the UK with 15 wins inside the distance and enters the clash on the back of forcing Amir Mansour to retire after five rounds of their clash in January. The Californian is no stranger to London having represented USA in the 2012 Olympic Games, where Joshua won gold.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to fight again, especially at The O2 which I have made my fortress,” said Joshua. “My coaches have watched Breazeale for a long time and they knew he was going to be a player in the division and now we get the chance to go war on June 25. It’s sure to be explosive, both of us like to let our hands go and score knockouts, we are both undefeated and both have Olympic pedigree.

“I am looking to get passed Breazeale in style and continue moving towards the unification fight everybody is waiting for. I’m looking forward to being part of a stacked night of boxing and defending my title in style.”

A huge undercard is being pieced together by promoter Eddie Hearn, and the first fight announced is a mouth-watering Super-Middleweights George Groves and Martin Murray in an eliminator bout for the WBA crown.

Both men are hunting a World title shot in the second half of the year, a fourth in the division for Groves and a first at 168lbs for Murray, who boxed three times for a World crown at Middleweight.

“This is a fight I’ve wanted for a while and I’m delighted it’s made,” said Murray. “I’ve had some huge profile fights all over the world in Golovkin, Martinez and Abraham but never had the big one in the UK. This is a fight that British fight fans can really get their teeth into and I’m looking forward to getting the win and moving on to challenging for the World title later in the year.”

“I’m very excited to be defending my WBA international belt against Martin Murray back at the O2,” said Groves. “I’ve had two great performances this year, both in London and the latest one back at The O2. It’s always a happy hunting ground for me.

”Martin is the perfect fight for me at this stage. He’s a seasoned campaigner, who’s boxed at the highest level for quite some time. He is a world level opponent and I’ll have to be fully focused and prepared to beat him.

”A win against Murray on the biggest stage, will open a lot of doors and bring me a step closer to achieving my goal of becoming world champion. I’m fully expecting it to be a war, I can’t wait.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn added: “June 25 is going to be a huge night from start to finish. It’s great that Britain’s newest super star is staying active, many would have still been celebrating but its back to business for AJ. The fight with Breazeale is going to be explosive- he is 6″7 and is one of the few whose KO ratio is up there with Anthony’s. He has come through the similar elite amateur set up and has worked his way into this shot and is ready to go.

“We are looking to put on one of our strongest cards yet at The O2, topped by the huge domestic clash between George Groves and Martin Murray which is set to be a wonderful clash. Watch this space for some more big fights added soon.”

Tickets go on sale today (April 25) at 10am to Matchroom Fight Pass members from the Fight Pass area at www.matchroomboxing.com and O2 Priority members at www.theO2.co.uk. Tuesday April 26 at 10am sees the venue and AXS pre-sale before tickets go on general sale at 10am on Wednesday April 27.

Tickets priced between £40 to £500 will be available from www.theO2.co.uk and on 0844 856 0202. VIP tickets are £1,000 and available exclusively from Matchroom Boxing www.matchroomboxing.com.

Face value tickets for June 25 will also be available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ from 10am on April 27. StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua.

San Diego, CA – November, 25, 2015 -This past Saturday, Anthony Crolla realized a lifetime dream as he became the WBA Lightweight champion with a stunning body shot 5th round knockout over defending champion Darleys Perez.

Just before that, Arthur Abraham defended the WBO Super Middleweight title with a split decision over Martin Murray.

Crolla – Perez, which took place in Manchester, England and Abraham – Murray, which originated from Hanover, Germany highlighted a split site championship doubleheader on AWE- A Wealth of Entertainment.

The two continued a string of high quality world title bouts broadcasted on AWE.

“This was a great kickoff to a great day of boxing,”said AWE president, Charles Herring.

“To show two high-quality world title bouts from two different countries fits into what we want to give the fans and that is the best boxing throughout the world.”

Crolla landed the perfect paralyzing shot that ended the fight and sent the Manchester Arena into a frenzy.

“This is what I have dreamt about since I was a kid,” said Crolla. “To achieve it, well, it is going to take a long time to sink in – I’m absolutely made up. I couldn’t have picked a better setting to have achieved my dream, all my family and friends were in the arena and the fans were incredible.

“The people who have been with me from day one were all there and I am so happy to have done it for them too. It’s a tough time of the year for people to dip into their pockets and pay for tickets so I am grateful to them and I hope they had a great night.

“It’s just under a year since the attack and all that has been well-documented, I promised myself when I was laying on that hospital bed that I would come back stronger than ever and that’s what I have done.

“I knew after a few rounds that he was feeling the pace and he made a few noises when I hit him with some shots, he was sharp though and he was hitting harder than he did last time, I took a few stupid shots early on but I thought I would get to him and it paid off. I felt confident before the fight that I could get him out of there.

“That’s the best body shot I’ve thrown in my career. I was touching him up top and I knew as soon as he went down that he was going to struggle to bet the count. He was sat down for a few minutes after the decision so it caught him perfectly, I’ll look forward to watching it back again and again.

“I am capable of more than that – it was a good finish but it wasn’t a great performance.”

Murray seemed to be more active fighter and landed some big shots throughout the fight. In round eleven, Murray was deducted a point for holding which seemed like it could have been a deciding factor in the close battle but it did not come into play as Abraham won the debated decision by tallies of 116-111, 115-112 while Murray took a card 115-112.

“Obviously I’m gutted,” said Murray. “I really thought it was my night and when the final bell went – even though we were in Germany – I still thought I had it. I still thought I had done enough. When they said it was a split decision even then I still thought I’d got it.

“I know I’m too good to retire but the way I am feeling now, what can I do? It was my fifth shot. I just can’t keep doing this. I just can’t keep doing it to my family.”

Boxing fans can enjoy this amazing card on AWE available on AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD, and numerous regional cable providers across the nation. Please check www.awetv.com for boxing updates.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has earned multiple Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” and has featured over thirty world class boxing events. In 2013, AWE showcased all live bouts featuring heavyweight David Price. AWE aired live the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over David Price, along with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew cards, who fought each other for the light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale. AWE brought boxing fans two of the most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2014, AWE televised the crowning of lightweight champion Terence Crawford with his win over Burns as well as the exciting rematches between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez as well as Tony Bellew defeating Nathan Cleverly.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is featured on over a hundred cable providers, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD and Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

Murray faces WBO World Super-Middleweight champion Arthur Abraham at the TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany in his fourth World title fight while Crolla meets Darleys Perez in a rematch for the WBA World Lightweight title at the Manchester Arena TOMORROW, November 21, live on AWE–A WEALTH OF ENTERTAINMENT beginning at 3 pm ET / 12 noon PT

St. Helens favourite Murray had three cracks at the top prize at Middleweight, with a controversial draw in Germany against Felix Sturm in 2011, a loss to Sergio Martinez in Argentina in 2013 after flooring the hometown favourite and a brave challenge to Gennady Golovkin in February for World titles. The 33 year old is the second Brit to challenge Abraham for his WBO strap this year after Crolla’s gym-mate Paul Smith met him in February in a rematch, and ‘Million Dollar’ thinks Murray will dethrone ‘King Arthur’.

“Martin can definitely take the title from Arthur on Saturday,” said Crolla. “Paul took him the distance twice and was on the receiving end of some harsh judging in the first meeting, and we all saw chinks in his armour in those fight that I am sure Martin can exploit.

“He’s come so close before against Sturm and Martinez but it feels like the right time for him to get the belt around his waist, and it will be a great boost if I am walking to the ring knowing that Martin has just beaten Arthur.”

Crolla was on the end of a tough call in his first meeting with Perez in July, when his he was only handed a draw for his heroic effort against the Colombian champion, who seemed to have handed the title to the Manchester favourite with points deductions in the 11th and 12th rounds for low blows.

Murray thought the 28 year old deserved the nod that night, but says that Crolla will go the extra yard tomorrow having almost got over the line in July.

“I thought Anthony won the first fight with Perez,” said Murray. “He was tremendous and got robbed really. I know how that feels and although you never truly get over it, you do realise when you go that close that you belong at elite level – and that will give Anthony massive belief.

“I spoke to him in Liverpool last week and he was so confident that he will do the business, and I think that we’re going to have two new World champions in Britain on Saturday.”

Boxing fans can enjoy this amazing card on AWE available on AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD, and numerous regional cable providers across the nation. Please check www.awetv.com for boxing updates.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has earned multiple Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” and has featured over thirty world class boxing events. In 2013, AWE showcased all live bouts featuring heavyweight David Price. AWE aired live the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over David Price, along with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew cards, who fought each other for the light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale. AWE brought boxing fans two of the most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2014, AWE televised the crowning of lightweight champion Terence Crawford with his win over Burns as well as the exciting rematches between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez as well as Tony Bellew defeating Nathan Cleverly.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is featured on over a hundred cable providers, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD and Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

Martin Murray challenges Arthur Abraham for the WBO World Super-Middleweight title tomorrow in Hannover, live on Sky Sports – seven years after he claimed the Prizefighter Middleweight’s trophy.

Murray’s success that night came at York Hall in Bethnal Green, a far cry from the luxurious surroundings of the TUI Arena that will play host to his fourth World title shot against ‘King Arthur’.

But the St Helens star says much of his success in the ring can be traced back to November 22, 2008, where he beat Joe Rea and Danny Butler before edging out Cello Renda in a bruising final in east London.

“I was 9-0 and not at all well-known going into that night,” said Murray. “I boxed well and then the final against Cello was a classic, and from that night onwards my profile grew with it being live on Sky Sports.

“I’ve got great and fond memories of that night – especially the money! It did me the world of good and it’s mad to think that since then I’ve had three World title fights and I’m ready for my fourth.

“I’ve poured every ounce into the camp for this one and I sound like a broken record, but this feels like the right time for me and crucially, the right weight for me.”

The Super-Middleweight division remains one of the most attractive on the World stage and Britain is enjoying a purple-patch for talent right now. James DeGale MBE defends his IBF crown in Canada next weekend while Callum Smith and George Groves are massive fights out there in 2016. Murray admits that those fights appeal to him, but he has to get the crown first, and failure to do so could even see him consider his future.

“James has mentioned the fight but he cannot look past Bute and I cannot look past Abraham,” said Murray. “I know I can win this and if I do, there are big fights out there for me, if I don’t though, it could spell the end of my career – just because I really feel that this is my chance to finally get my hands on a World title.

“I would have to weigh things up if I don’t get the decision, so a lot rests on what happens tomorrow. I am not ready to retire, I think I am only just getting into my prime, so that is another motivation to get the win. This is the fourth one and the most confident I am of winning. I would be more gutted to not win this one than the others. I really feel that I am going to win and I have banked on that.”

San Diego, CA – November, 18 2015 -Arthur Abraham (43-4, 29 KOs) insists he has left no stone unturned in preparation for his WBO World Super Middleweight Championship contest with Martin Murray (32-2-1, 15 KOs) This Saturday, November 21, live on AWE–A WEALTH OF ENTERTAINMENT

The fight will be part of a split-site championship doubleheader that will also pit WBA Lightweight champion Darleys Perez defending his title against Anthony Crolla from Manchester, England beginning at 3 PM ET / 12 Noon PT

Speaking at today’s final pre-fight press conference, ‘King Arthur’ detailed his ‘brutal’ training camp and declared himself ready to beat the British challenger.

”This has been one of the toughest camps of my career,” said Abraham. ”My coach Ulli Wegner and his assistant Georg Bramowski have pushed me to my limits. It’s been brutal at times, but it will all be worthwhile when my hand is raised on Saturday night. Martin is a good boxer and I expect him to give me a hard fight, but there is no way he is taking my title!”

Murray, who is contesting his first title at 168 lbs following three valiant attempts at middleweight, shares the Champion’s confidence and has vowed not to leave Germany without Abraham’s WBO belt.

Photo by Sebastian Hegar

”We’ve been studying Arthur carefully and I believe I’ve got him beat,” said the 33 year-old from St Helens. ”He is a great fighter, but he’s not changed his style in years, and in my opinion, he’s not evolved. It’s going to be a tough fight but I know it’s well within me to win. I won’t be leaving Germany without the title!”

”This is a real 50-50 fight,” said promoter Kalle Sauerland. ”And I think it will be Arthur’s toughest test for many years. However, he has never shied away from a challenge, and against Murray, I expect Arthur to prove why he is the number one fighter in the super middleweight division.”

Another man under no illusion of the danger Murray poses is Abraham’s long-time coach and mentor Ulli Wegner, who will be celebrating his 100th World title fight on Saturday night. ”For Arthur and I, a unification bout is the common goal,” said the 73 year-old. ”But first he must get past Murray, which will be no easy task!”

Photo by Sebastian Hegar

Boxing fans can enjoy this amazing card on AWE available on AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD, and numerous regional cable providers across the nation. Please check www.awetv.com for boxing updates.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has earned multiple Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” and has featured over thirty world class boxing events. In 2013, AWE showcased all live bouts featuring heavyweight David Price. AWE aired live the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over David Price, along with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew cards, who fought each other for the light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale. AWE brought boxing fans two of the most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2014, AWE televised the crowning of lightweight champion Terence Crawford with his win over Burns as well as the exciting rematches between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez as well as Tony Bellew defeating Nathan Cleverly.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is featured on over a hundred cable providers, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD and Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

San Diego, CA – November, 18 2015 –.Arthur Abraham (43-4, 29 KOs) aims to extend his domination of the 168 lbs division with a victory over Martin Murray (32-2-1, 15 KOs) This Saturday, November 21, live on AWE–A WEALTH OF ENTERTAINMENT

The fight will be part of a split-site championship doubleheader that will also pit WBA Lightweight champion Darleys Perez defending his title against Anthony Crolla from Manchester, England beginning at 3 PM ET / 12 Noon PT

The 35 year-old has rolled back the years with impressive performances against
Nikola Sjekloca, Paul Smith and Robert Stieglitz since reclaiming his WBO World title in March 2014, and as he prepares for a fifth successive defence, ‘King Arthur’ reveals his reasons for selecting the British boxer as a voluntary challenger.

”At this stage of my career, I don’t want to fight any easy opponents,” says Abraham. ”I need fights that will motivate me, and that is why we chose Murray.

”He has challenged for World titles before and against Sturm, Martinez and especially Golovkin he has already boxed three World-class opponents. I know this is a dangerous fight and that has given me the motivation I need.”

If further motivation is needed, it comes from the Champion’s desire to unify the super middleweight division before calling time on his already illustrious career.

”When I first started boxing my dream was to become World Champion,” said Abraham. ”I achieved this in 2005, winning the IBF middleweight title and then defended it ten times before moving up to super middleweight and becoming a two-weight World Champion.

”Now, my dream is to unify the division. I believe this would be my greatest achievement in this sport and that is what still drives me on as a boxer.”

In order to keep this dream alive, Abraham knows he must overcome the ‘tough’ challenger Murray when the super middleweights collide in Hannover.

”If I lose this fight, my dream will be shattered,” explains the boxer from Berlin. ”I cannot not let this happen. It will be a tough fight, but in my current condition, Murray can’t hold a candle to me, and on Saturday night, there will be only one outcome!”

Boxing fans can enjoy this amazing card on AWE available on AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD, and numerous regional cable providers across the nation. Please check www.awetv.com for boxing updates.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has earned multiple Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” and has featured over thirty world class boxing events. In 2013, AWE showcased all live bouts featuring heavyweight David Price. AWE aired live the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over David Price, along with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew cards, who fought each other for the light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale. AWE brought boxing fans two of the most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2014, AWE televised the crowning of lightweight champion Terence Crawford with his win over Burns as well as the exciting rematches between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez as well as Tony Bellew defeating Nathan Cleverly.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is featured on over a hundred cable providers, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD and Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

Deion Jumah (5-0, 3 KOs) is back in action on Saturday night against Italy’s Fabrizio Leone (6-7, 5 KOs) on the undercard of Arthur Abraham’s WBO World Super Middleweight title defence against Martin Murray at the TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany.

The 26 year-old returns following the third-round stoppage of Karel Horejsek in June, and having spent the past five months sharpening his skills in the gym, the Adam Booth trained fighter is looking forward to showcasing his improvements.

‘’I can’t wait to get back in there and do the business,’’ exclaims the British light heavyweight. ‘’Since my last fight, I’ve been keeping busy in the gym and doing a lot of work with Adam to become a more calculated boxer-puncher, and now, I’m looking forward to putting that into practice.

‘’I’m not worried about my opponent. I’ll just be thinking about myself – picking my shots, staying as poised as possible and getting that win. It’s a big show, so it will be great exposure for me, and intend to show everyone what I can do.’’

The two-time ABA Champion has also been enjoying World-class sparring sessions with gym-mate Andy Lee ahead of the WBO World Champion’s upcoming title defence.

‘’I’m fortunate to be surrounded by so many good fighters in the gym,’’ says Jumah. ‘’Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of sparring with Andy Lee before his fight with Billy Joe Saunders. I’m a southpaw like Saunders so it’s good work for both of us. It’s kept me sharp and I’m sure I’ll feel the benefit in the ring.’’

The WBO World Super Middleweight Championship fight between Arthur Abraham and Martin Murray will be broadcast live on Sat.1 in Germany and Sky Sports in the UK. Tickets are available online via www.tickethall.de and www.eventim.de.

Martin Murray says that he’ll end his wait to become World champion when he challenges Arthur Abraham for the WBO World Super-Middleweight title at the TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports.

Murray takes on Abraham in his fourth World title clash having controversially drawn against Felix Sturm in Mannheim in 2011, a loss to Sergio Martinez in Argentina in 2013 after flooring the hometown favourite and a brave challenge to Gennady Golovkin in February for World titles.

Crucially for Murray, those fights were down at Middleweight, but now he is up at 168lbs for his latest crack at the top prize, and the 33 year old believes everything will finally fall into place on Saturday night.

“Abraham is a great champion and I’m expecting a tough fight but I just feel that the timing is right for me,’’ said Murray. “I think my first World title fight against Sturm may have come a little bit too early. I jumped straight from domestic to World level, so even though there was an argument to say I won that fight, I think it came to soon for me.

“Against Martinez, I knew I could win but going into the fight there were still some doubts. Whereas this time, I know I have it within me to win. I’ve got the ring experience, I’ve got the knowhow, and I really feel, despite being in Germany, I’m going to get a fair crack of the whip.

“We’ve been studying Arthur carefully and I believe I’ve got him beat. He is a great fighter, but he’s not changed his style in years, and in my opinion, he’s not evolved. It’s going to be a tough fight but I know it is well within me to win. I won’t be leaving Germany without the title.”

Abraham defends his title for the third time this year and the second time against an Englishman having defeated Paul Smith on points in their rematch in February, and the champion has put in the hard graft to ensure he holds onto the title to target a unification bout in 2016.

“This has been one of the toughest camps of my career,” said Abraham. “My coach Ulli Wegner and his assistant Georg Bramowski have pushed me to my limits. It’s been brutal at times, but it will all be worthwhile when my hand is raised on Saturday night. Martin is a good boxer and I expect him to give me a hard fight, but there is no way he is taking my title.”

Murray’s challenge against Abraham is part of a World title double-header on Sky Sports, as Anthony Crolla welcomes Darleys Perez back to Manchester for their rematch for the Colombian’s WBA World Lightweight title.

San Diego, CA – November, 17 2015 -Martin Murray (32-2-1, 15 KOs) believes the time has come for him to be crowned World Champion as he prepares for his fourth World title tilt against WBO World Super Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham (43-4, 29 KOs) on November 21 at the TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany., This Saturday, November 21, live on AWE–A WEALTH OF ENTERTAINMENT

The fight will be part of a split-site championship doubleheader that will also pit WBA Lightweight champion Darleys Perez defending his title against Anthony Crolla from Manchester, England beginning at 3 PM ET / 12 Noon PT

The St. Helens man is unlucky not to have already claimed World honours having been held to draw by Felix Sturm in 2011 and finding himself on the wrong end of a continuous points decision to Sergio Martinez in 2013.

Photo by Lawrence Lustig

A brave performance against Gennady Golovkin followed in 2015, but was not enough to capture the Kazakh’s middleweight titles. Now, the former British and Commonwealth Champion believes the ‘time is right’ as he intends to draw on past experience to dethrone the German Champion.

”Abraham is a great champion and I’m expecting a tough fight but I just feel that the timing is right for me now,” reveals Murray. ”I think my first World title fight against Sturm may have come a little bit too early. I jumped straight from domestic to world level, so even though there was an argument to say I won that fight, I think it came to soon for me.

”Against Martinez, I knew I could win but going into the fight there were still some doubts. Whereas this time, I know I have it within me to win. I’ve got the ring experience, I’ve got the know-how, and I really feel, despite being in Germany, I’m going to get a fair crack of the whip.”

Murray, who has recorded three wins inside the distance since moving up to super middleweight, says he is expecting the ‘best Arthur Abraham’ having been impressed with the Champion’s recent performances.

”Arthur has looked great in his last two performances,” said the 33 year-old. ”I think I’ll be facing the best Arthur Abraham on Saturday night. He may of overlooked Paul Smith a little bit in their first fight, but I don’t think he is going to overlook me. He knows this is a massive fight for him and a risky fight, so I’m sure he’s going to turn up in top condition.”

Boxing fans can enjoy this amazing card on AWE available on AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD, and numerous regional cable providers across the nation. Please check www.awetv.com for boxing updates.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has earned multiple Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” and has featured over thirty world class boxing events. In 2013, AWE showcased all live bouts featuring heavyweight David Price. AWE aired live the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over David Price, along with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew cards, who fought each other for the light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale. AWE brought boxing fans two of the most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2014, AWE televised the crowning of lightweight champion Terence Crawford with his win over Burns as well as the exciting rematches between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez as well as Tony Bellew defeating Nathan Cleverly.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is featured on over a hundred cable providers, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD and Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

San Diego, CA – November, 16 2015 -THIS SATURDAY!! It will be a championship doubleheader on AWE- A Wealth of Entertainment as the Arthur Abraham – Martin Murray WBO Super Middleweight title bout from Hanover, Germany has been added to the already announced broadcast featuring the
rematch between WBA Lightweight champion Darleys Perez and Anthony Crolla from Manchester, England.

“I am pleased to be able to bring this fight to the American boxing fans,” said Charles Herring, President of AWE

Abraham has been a champion in Middleweight and Super Middleweight divisions for the better part of the last ten years, has a record of 43-4 with 29 knockouts.

He won the IBF Middleweight title with a 5th round stoppage over Kingsley Ikeke on December 10, 2005 and defended the title 10 times which included 7 knockouts. He then entered the Super 6 Super Middleweight tournament and knocked out former undisputed Middleweight champion Jermain Taylor in 12 rounds.

Abraham became a two-division world champion when he won a 12-round unanimous decision over Robert Stieglitz on August 25, 2012. After one successful defense, he lost the title to Stieglitz, but won it back three fights later via 12-round split decision. Abraham has defended the belt successfully three times which includes a 6th round stoppage over Stieglitz in their 4th bout on July 18.

Murray of St. Helens, England has a record of 32-2-1. He won his first 26 bouts which was highlighted by winning the Prizefighter tournament in 2008 and defeating two undefeated fighters in the process. Murray also wins over Kevin Concepcion (14-1), Sergey Khomitsky (22-5-1), Shalva Jomardashvili (26-1, Carlos Nascimento (25-2), John Anderson Carvalho (21-4-1), Nick Blackwell (8-0). He had a draw with former world champion Felix Sturm (36-2-1).

Murray won the WBA Interim Middleweight title with a 6th round stoppage over Jorge Navarro. That win facilitated Murray into a fight with WBC Middlweight champion Sergio Martinez.

The bout, which took place on April 27, 2012 in front of over 50,000 in Argentina saw Murray knock down Martinez in round eight. In round eleven, It looked like Murray dropped Martinez again but it was ruled a slip and Martinez was able to win a razor thin decision.

Murray once again challenged for the Middleweight title and was stopped in 11 rounds to WBA & Interim WBC champion Gennady Golovkin on February 21, 2015 in Monte Carlo.

Since that bout, Murray moved up to Super Middleweight and won three fights in a row, including his last outing when he stopped Jose Miguel Torres (31-6) in six rounds in five rounds on September 5th in Leeds, England.

The start time will be 3 PM ET / 12 Noon PT.

Boxing fans can enjoy this amazing card on AWE available on AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD, and numerous regional cable providers across the nation. Please check www.awetv.com for boxing updates.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has earned multiple Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” and has featured over thirty world class boxing events. In 2013, AWE showcased all live bouts featuring heavyweight David Price. AWE aired live the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over David Price, along with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew cards, who fought each other for the light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale. AWE brought boxing fans two of the most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2014, AWE televised the crowning of lightweight champion Terence Crawford with his win over Burns as well as the exciting rematches between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez as well as Tony Bellew defeating Nathan Cleverly.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is featured on over a hundred cable providers, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD and Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

Martin Murray (32-2-1, 15 KOs) is leaving nothing to chance in preparation for his WBO World Super Middleweight title challenge against Arthur Abraham (43-4, 29 KOs) on November 21 at the TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany.

To ensure he is in peak physical condition, the 33 year-old rugby fanatic has set aside his loyalty to local team St. Helens to join bitter rivals Wigan Warriors for a series of strength and conditioning sessions.

‘’My strength and conditioning coach Mark Bitcon works with the Wigan Warriors so I’ve been going over there a couple of times a week and to do a session with them,’’ reveals Murray. ‘’The guys know I’m a big St. Helens fans so obviously there is a bit of banter, but despite the rivalry, the coaching staff and everybody involved with the club are more than happy to help.’’

Ahead of his fourth World title tilt, the former British and Commonwealth Champion believes these grueling sessions could prove decisive in his quest to wrestle the WBO crown from ‘King’ Arthur.

‘’I’ve had a few different strength and conditioning coaches since I started my career, but the work I’m doing now with Mark and the Warriors is by far the best,’’ says Murray. ‘’I’m getting some great work, and with his help, I’ll be ready to take the title from Arthur!’’

On hearing of his opponent’s new training regime, the champion’s only concern is that the British boxer comes through these sessions unscathed. ‘’I know rugby is a very physical game so I hope Martin doesn’t pick up any injuries as I don’t want him to have any excuses when I beat him on November 21,’’ said Abraham.

The WBO World Super Middleweight Championship fight between Arthur Abraham and Martin Murray will be broadcast live on Sat.1 in Germany and Sky Sports in the UK. Tickets are available online via tickethall.de and eventim.de.

Training is underway for Arthur Abraham (43-4, 29 KOs) as he prepares for his WBO World Super Middleweight Championship contest with Britain’s Martin Murray (32-2-1, 15 KOs) on November 21 at the TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany.

As the Berlin-boxer readies himself for a fifth successive defence of his WBO strap, the former 160 lbs ‘King’ turned super middleweight supremo has been bolstered by the return of his long-standing coach and mentor Ulli Wegner who had been sidelined with an Achilles injury.

‘’It’s great to have Mr. Wegner back,’’ exclaims Abraham. ‘’We had been talking everyday on the phone and discussing my progress but there is no substitute to having him there in person giving me direct feedback. I rely on his input and with him in my corner there is no way I can lose.’’

The ever-critical Wegner has already set about changing the 35 year-old’s training regime. Removing any distractions by taking his protégé from the bustling Max-Schmeling-Gym in Berlin to a secluded training camp in Kienbaum’s Olympic Centre.

‘’Arthur must focus all his energy and attention on this fight or risk losing his World title,’’ said the star coach. ‘’And that is why we need to complete isolation. My job is to ensure he is in top championship condition, and currently his fitness is not where I would like it to be. Now, he must step up his efforts or prepare for defeat.’’

Abraham, used to the 73 year-old’s exacting standards, offers a simple reply when faced with his coach’s criticism, admitting: ‘’Mr Wegner is always right!’’

The WBO World Super Middleweight Championship fight between Arthur Abraham and Martin Murray will be broadcast live on Sat.1 in Germany and Sky Sports in the UK. Tickets are available online via tickethall.de and eventim.de.