John Murray is hoping that winning the European lightweight belt will act as a stepping stone to a world title shot.
Manchester fighter hopes European title will act as a stepping stone
John Murray is hoping that winning the European lightweight belt will act as a stepping stone to a world title shot.
British champion Murray will face Gary Buckland at the Kingsway Leisure Centre, Widnes for the vacant Euro crown on Friday - live on
Sky Sports 1 & HD1 from 10pm.
And Murray, who is unbeaten in 28 fights with 16 knockouts, knows that the contest will be pivotal to his future hopes.
"It is a really important fight for me," said Murray, who weighed in at 9st 8lbs 6oz for the bout.
"It's not only for the European title, but for the Lonsdale belt as well, once I have won on Friday night the next step will be a world title shot."
If winning the European belt wasn't enough motivation for Murray, the devout Manchester City fan wants to give his hometown something to celebrate after seeing his club miss out on the Champions League following their defeat to Tottenham.
"I couldn't make it to the match as I was making my final preparations for the weigh in, but I made sure that I watched it on TV," he said.
"I was gutted with the result but it has made me more determined to succeed and bring home the European title to Manchester."
Challenger Buckland, who weighed in at 9st 8lbs 12oz, goes in to the bout with a record of 18 wins from his 19 professional contests.
