Martin Murray – Obviously, I’ve had time to reflect on the fight. It’s been five, six weeks now since the fight. I’ve watched it twice and it was a close fight. It was one of them; the rounds were very close. When I watched it for the second time the other day and scored it myself and when I had done it round by round, I actually scored it a draw but some of the rounds I was giving him the benefit of the doubt, saying he won but I put a question mark by the side of them. That was being nice to him and I scored it a draw but like I said, some of the rounds could have gone even but it was a close fight. I’ve always said you’ve got to go in the champion’s backyard and rip it from him. It was a close fight, me, Oliver [Harrison, Murray’s trainer] and the team said if the same Sturm turns up who fought Matthew Macklin, we’d stop him. If a better Sturm turned up- and he’s even admitted it himself that it was a better Sturm- it would be a close, hard 12 rounds and that’s what it was. It was a close fight, a good fight. My first fight at that level and I showed I belong [at world level]. I’ve learned loads from it. He won’t give me a rematch. I think it’s funny how he offers Macklin the rematch, gives Randy Griffin the rematch, gives [Javier] Castillejo, the fella who beat him the rematch. I think he knows that I had his number in there. If we did fight again, I’d beat him. I’ve learned loads and my confidence is sky-high from the fight and I’m looking forward to getting back in there and hopefully, it’s going to be back on that level.
AW – Do you think there will be a rematch, ultimately? Apparently, Sturm has a TV date in Germany set aside for 13 April. How does that sound to you?
MM – He’s not offered me the rematch. He’s basically saying when he fought Macklin, he’s offering him the rematch straight away. We did have the rematch in the contract [for potentially] four to six months [later] but I was under the impression obviously if I’d won, if the fight was close, definitely. If I got a draw, I’d get a rematch but it’s not worked out that way. We’re pushing for it but he’s not once mentioned us as an opponent. We’re ready and willing for that fight if I get the opportunity. I don’t think he will. He knows I have his number. It was my second 12-rounder and I’m only going to get better whereas I don’t think Sturm has that many fights left in him, to be honest with you.
AW - Do you have a “Plan B” if the Sturm rematch doesn’t happen? Perhaps a European title fight with Grzegorz Proska?
MM – I don’t know. My team knows I’ll fight anybody. I’ve never knocked a fight back but now we’re at that level, it has to be worth it. I don’t know what the score is with the European title. I know we’ve contacted [Top Rank], [Julio Cesar] Chavez [Jnr.]. HBO has accepted me as a challenger. We’ve spoken to [IBF middleweight champion] Daniel Geale in Australia. We’re working on a fight at that level, just whatever comes up for me. I’m back in the gym training for whatever fight’s next. I’m just looking forward to it.
AW - Going into the Sturm fight, many people thought that perhaps you were taking this opportunity a little early. It was a massive step up in competition with respects to your previous opponents. How did you see that?
MM – I mean, we knew it was a massive jump up in class from domestic class to world class but we knew we belonged there. It was no surprise to us that we handled that stage really, really well. Like I said, we were always working for an opportunity like that to show we were world-class and we showed it. Going back to Sturm and [him] picking me as an opponent, I think he definitely picked me and thought I was going to be a lot easier than I actually was. He was saying Martin Murray’s a really good fighter and all that carry on but I think he was only saying it for the tele. Deep down, I thought he was overlooking me and looking to get me out [of] there by halfway five, six rounds, whatever. But I knew when I got in there, he’d change his tune and that’s what happened.
AW - Can you tell us about your team and where you train?
MM - My trainer is Oliver Harrison; my manager is Neil Marsh, a very, very good friend who I knew before I turned pro. He had a massive impact and input on my career. Ricky Hatton’s my promoter [and I train at] Oliver’s gym in Salford.
AW - Can you tell us about your amateur career and what tournaments you won? Did you meet any current pros then? Who did you fight and what was your final record?
MM - My amateur career, I’ve been in the gym all my life. I started when I was 10. I won a lot of fights. I was with a great trainer; he’s unfortunately died, John Chisnall. My career went from an amateur career built up where I won loads of fights, I won Schoolboys [tournaments]. I got to 18; I had a bit of a break, got into drinking, partying and boxing went out the window and then, I got back into it and won the senior ABAs, fought for England. That was a massive ambition as an amateur for me. Then I got put on the funding for the Commonwealth Games squad, then something came up from the past and messed me up and I had a couple years break and picked it back up and I had a few fights and turned over.
I don’t know about foreign people. The only one who springs to mind is Callum Johnson, when I was amateur except for the ABA when I fought Callum Johnson. When I was 16, I won Schoolboys at 45 kilos (about 99 pounds), seven stone (98 pounds). I was really, really light. I fought Andy Morris as an amateur; it was the lighter lads. I think about I’m guessing 85-65.
AW - What do you think of the current middleweight titleholders, the WBC’s Julio Cesar Chavez, Sturm, the WBA “regular” champion Gennady Golovkin, the IBF’s Daniel Geale, the WBO’s Dmitry Pirog and Sergio Martinez, who’s universally recognised as the best middleweight in the world?
MM - I know you’ve got Sturm, who won’t come out of Germany or Chavez in Mexico. You’ve got them people. Sturm’s took a lot of stick that’s he’s killing the WBA title, killing the division but I think it’s strong. You have [Sergio] Martinez, who’s number one. His style’s quite hard to deal with. He’s a southpaw, very awkward, very elusive, same with Pirog. I think he has the same style. He’s not got the standard European style; it’s more like American. They’re all good. There’s [no World Champions] in England or Britain, which is a shame ‘cause I think we have some good fighters over here. I think it’s healthy but rather than everyone going off doing their own thing, someone needs to be up there unifying and getting a bigger name and that attracts bigger crowds. So I think someone out there needs to start unifying things.
AW - Before the fight with Sturm came about, you had booked to go abroad where you were going to get married. However, when the opportunity came about, you changed your plans. Can you tell us about this?
MM - What happened was we booked our wedding on a cruise 18 months ago with everyone who was coming, give everyone notice to save up, pay for the holiday. So that was already booked 18 months ago. The date we were flying out to the ship in Barbados was 2nd December and then I got the call for this fight. At first, I got told November and then they came back and said it was 2nd December, so I didn’t know what to do. I needed the chance but I didn’t know what the score was with going over to the boat a couple of days after whether we could get on the boat or what. Obviously, I was getting married to my wife now; there was no way I couldn’t have done that. So I was in a bit of a dilemma. When I spoke to the travel agents and looked it all up and there was no problem getting there just a couple of days after. My wife, family and some of my friends, they flew over on the 2nd to Barbados to go on the ship. The ship set sail, then me, my dad, best man and usher and two of my other mates, we flew out from Germany two days after, got about five flights, I think it was, and caught the ship up at a different Island in the Caribbean on the Monday and got married on the Wednesday.
AW – So she was happy for you to do that as long as when you arrived in the Caribbean, you had the WBA middleweight title?
MM – Yeah, well that’s it. Gemma has been to every one of my fights. She was absolutely gutted that she couldn’t make it but there was nothing we could do. To be honest, we were both confident but I was really really confident I was going to go over there and beat him but that was what the whole plan was, bring the belt home and get married. How nice it would be. Unfortunately, it never worked out that way but I’m just waiting for a rematch if it happens ‘cause I’m really, really confident that I will beat him.
AW - You first sprang to prominence in Britain when you won the fourth edition of “Prizefighter” in November 2008. Can you tell us what sort of boost that gave to your career?
MM – It was a great boost to me ‘cause I wasn’t fortunate enough to get with a big promoter starting off. I wasn’t on tele. It was all small, hall shows. There are plenty of great fighters doing that now. Up-and-coming fighters, they just need that chance to get to get a bit of exposure. That’s what “Prizefighter” was to me. You know, it got me that exposure and got me noticed by the boxing public and my career went from there, really.
AW - Can you tell us a little about yourself as a person and your home life? What do you enjoy away from boxing?
MM – Just my family, my wife and two lovely kids, that’s basically what it’s about for me. After every fight, I always have a bit of time off training, just relax, let my body relax. Just doing things with my family and friends as well that I can’t do when I’m in training camp. I don’t watch boxing. I’m not a boxing fan. Apart from when I know someone who’s fighting, I won’t really watch boxing. I’m from St. Helens, so I support St. Helens. I’m not a massive Rugby League fan. I’ve just passed a college course in youth work. I’m a qualified youth worker now and that’s something I want to do in the future, help some kids. That’s what I want to do after boxing.
AW – So you don’t really have any boxing heroes then?
MM - I have. It’s mad ‘cause it’s only since turning pro that I’ve gone off boxing. Just as I started out, guaranteed, I was watching the boxing every week. I used to watch tele and think, “That’s where I wanna be. I wanna be fighting on tele.” I don’t know. I’ve just gone off it in a big way. Growing up, I used to love watching Nigel Benn. He’s exciting, his sheer power. He was a hero of mine. Sugar Ray Leonard, I was too young for him but I’ve watched DVDs, Chavez as well. [Junior’s] dad, he was another hero of mine.
AW – Have you ever met any of them?
MM – I met Nigel Benn and he’s an absolute cracking fella. You know when people say, “Don’t meet your heroes. They’ll only let you down,” it’s full of sh*t! Honest, Nigel was one of the nicest people I ever met. We were on a dinner show nearly two years ago. We were both on the top table. He was the main man and was doing the after-dinner speech. I was on the top table just trying to get a bit of recognition and we were just talking for hours. He was great with his giving me advice. Every little bit of advice he gave me, I took on board. I’ve since spoke to him on the phone and he’s following my career. He was near where I live a couple of months ago. He’s a born-again Christian now and he was doing a speech in church about his life and career and I went along and listened to that and had half-an-hour with him after. He’s a great bloke.
AW – Finally, do you have a message for Felix Sturm?
MM – Grow a pair and fight me. All this rematch stuff, I just can’t understand. Like I say, he offered Macklin an immediate rematch, Randy Griffin, Castillejo- why not me? He genuinely knows deep down I beat him and have the beating of him. I don’t think he’s ready to give up his title yet. He’ll try to get an easier defence and then, whatever but I think he knows if we fought again, I’d definitely beat him.
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