Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and top rated challenger MARTIN MURRAY give their final thoughts at today’s final press conference.
GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN
“Martin Murray is a great fighter, he looks strong here today. He is the biggest test of my career.”
“Thanks to everyone for putting this event together, it’s great to be back in Monte Carlo, I love fighting here. Thanks to my team and my coach Abel Sanchez.”
“I promise a great fight on Saturday night and a big drama show.”
“Welcome to my fight!”
MARTIN MURRAY
“Gennady Golovkin is one of the best fighters in the world, but this Saturday I will beat him.”
“We had a great camp, six weeks in England followed by five in South Africa. I’ve done everything I need to beat him, this is the hardest fight of my life but I’m ready for it.”
TOM LOEFFLER, K2 Promotions
‘Thanks to everyone for their help in putting this fight together. In addition to HBO in the United States this fight will be shown live all over Europe and in over 100 countries.”
“This is actually the sixth press conference we’ve done for this fight including previously here in Monte Carlo, also in Kazakhstan, in London, Mexico City and Los Angeles. This is truly a worldwide event.”
“We expect Martin to rise to the occasion as he did against Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm and expect a great fight on Saturday night.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI7nlcRKGNA
ABEL SANCHEZ
“We thank Martin Murray for taking the fight, we know how good he can be as he showed against Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm.”
“Gennady had a great camp and understands that he needs to please and be responsible in the ring.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUlmnYh60P0
ANDREW MIKHAIL, Manager of Murray
“Martin is the uncrowned champion and we know he is coming to win. The world is in for a great fight this Saturday night.”
“Martin is ready, willing and able to beat Gennady on Saturday night.”
PETER NELSON
“On behalf of HBO we’re very happy to be here.”
“Martin has shown his toughness throughout his career and the ability to fight all over the world against the best in the division. Gennady will fight anyone, anywhere.”
RODNEY BERMAN, Golden Gloves of South America
“Golden Gloves fighters have had some excellent luck over the years as underdogs. Corrie Sanders defeating Wladimir Klitschko, Hasim Rahman stopping Lennox Lewis and Sugar Boy Malinga beating Nigel Benn. On Saturday night we continue the trend.”
Perhaps the sport’s most feared fighter, middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin has built a powerhouse reputation by demonstrating a willingness to take on any challenge and displaying an intriguing array of skills, highlighted by stunning knockout power.
Now, the Kazakhstan native makes his highly anticipated 2015 debut when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: GENNADY GOLOVKIN VS. MARTIN MURRAY is seen SATURDAY, FEB. 21 at 5:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the Salle des Etoiles in glittering Monte Carlo, exclusively on HBO, with a replay later that night on HBO at 10:15 p.m. (ET/PT). The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.
In the 13th defense of his middleweight crown, 32-year-old Gennady Golovkin (31-0, 28 KOs), originally from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, and now training at Big Bear, Cal., meets the formidable Martin Murray (29-1-1, 12 KOs) from St Helens, Merseyside, United Kingdom in a scheduled 12-round contest. Currently boasting a knockout victory streak of 18, Golovkin has taken the boxing world by storm with an extraordinary knockout-to-win ratio of better than 90%. No opponent has gone the distance with him since Nov. 2008, and the average length of his pro bouts is 4.6 rounds; his three 2014 fights ended in the seventh, third and second rounds. Trained by the highly regarded Abel Sanchez, Golovkin will be making his seventh appearance on HBO since his auspicious debut in Sept. 2012.
Murray, 32, is a seasoned pro willing to accept any challenge, at any location. He battled titleholder Felix Sturm to a hard-fought draw in Mannheim, Germany, and fought Sergio Martinez before a raucous partisan crowd in Argentina, resulting in what some saw as a questionable loss. In October, Murray won in impressive fashion against Domenico Spada in Monte Carlo.
The telecast from Monte Carlo continues HBO’s initiative of presenting high-caliber fights from Europe in the late-Saturday afternoon time slot. In the past two years, HBO Boxing visited London, Moscow and Hamburg for world-class title action.
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The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.
® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.
