Quote Originally Posted by Greenbeanz View Post
Murray is young. He has to outwork Sturm and be consistent. He must target Sturm's sides and forearms so that it is he, Murray, who dictates when Sturm stops covering up and starts fighting. It is a big ask and a massive step up for Martin Murray but if he can get Sturm to throw more, and keep out of his way when he does, he can outlast him. I thought Murray may have had a chance of a KO with a perfectly planted hook to Sturms' body but Al is right. Murray doesn't hit that hard so i think fitness may be the key. Murray on Points, after Sturm fades. Sturm came on strong against Macklin in the latter stages but Matthew faded. I think Martin Murray can keep Sturm busy for all 12 rounds and win on points. In Germany that's one hell of an ask, but he can do it by being emphatically busier. Go for it Martin.
A draw was a fair result and a narrow win either way would not have been outrageous. Murray certainly got Sturm to throw more by dropping his hands and urging him in, but took a while to settle and didn't get out of Sturms way enough allowing himself to be backed on the ropes too long before turning him. It was Murray first fight at this level and for a relatively inexperienced fighter he did himself proud. He was just not quite busy enough and nearly paid dearly for it in the last round. Well done though and congratulations to Ricky Hatton for his promotional abilities in getting Martin the fight and having faith in his ability when not a lot of other people did.