Tuesday 16 August 2016 17:23, UK
Martin Murray is looking to face Chris Eubank Jr after the British middleweight champion failed to finalise a deal with Gennady Golovkin.
St Helens' Murray (33-4-1-KO16) was most recently in action on June 25 when he was outpointed by fellow former world title challenger George Groves at super-middleweight.
Although both men billed that clash as a last-chance saloon in terms of world title ambitions, Murray's desire still seems to be burning brightly enough. Certainly more brightly, he claims, than Eubank Jr's desire to face Golovkin ever did.
He told Sky Sports: "Everyone keeps telling me they'd like to see me in with Eubank Jr and it's a great fight I'd like to be involved in. I'm putting it out there that I'm ready and available if he wants to fight.
"I said it all along that he wouldn't fight Golovkin. I said it was a publicity stunt and it turned out that way. It's quite clever how they've done it because they were never going to fight him but they've talked the fight up and if and when he does fight him, it's even bigger now.
Eubank is a very good fighter and he's improving all the time but someone like myself - an experienced, strong middleweight, he's not ready for.
"He won't fight me either, even though it's a fight everyone wants to see. He won't fight me, because if he does then he'll lose and he'll never get that Golovkin fight then.
"Barring Golovkin, I've said for years that I don't think there's anybody out there at middleweight who'd beat me. I think Eubank Jr is a good fight for me but I think it's one I'd win very comfortably, if I'm honest.
"I rate Eubank Jr. He's a very good fighter and he's improving all the time but someone like myself - an experienced, strong middleweight, he's not ready for in my opinion. He likes standing toe to toe and he likes having a go and I like having a fight so it'd be a great one to watch.
"I can mix it with the super-middleweights but I feel like I've got more advantage at middleweight. I moved up because I found it hard to make but also, I didn't know where I was going to go. Now there are big fights out there."
Murray remains the man to have taken WBA Super, WBC and IBF champion Golovkin (35-0-KO32) the furthest, lasting until the 11th round in Monaco in February 2015.
