Arthur Abraham vs Martin Murray Preview November 21st
WBO World Super Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham of Armenia will be taking on Martin Murray of England at the this Saturday, November 21st at the TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany. Abraham has spent the majority of his pro career fighting out of Germany and is a dependable and durable boxer who is past his prime, but still one of the best in his weight division. He recently said he plans on boxing for two more years before hanging up his gloves. For Murray, this will be his fourth shot at a world title belt. The bout can be seen in the U.S. on the AWE network while British fans can catch it on Sky Sports.
Abraham vs Murray Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Arthur Abraham -115
- Martin Murray -105
My Pick
The 35-year-old Abraham will be climbing through the ring ropes with a record of 43-4 along with 29 Kos while the 33-year-old Murray is 32-2-1 and has 15 Kos on his resume. Abraham last stepped into the ring in July when he stopped Robert Stieglitz in the sixth round. It was their fourth meeting and the third win for Abraham over the German. Abraham turned pro in 2003 and has 351 rounds to his name. He stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 72-inch reach and owns a knockout ratio of 61 per cent. He’s a true world-class boxer who has taken on the likes of Howard Eastman, Kingsley Ikeke, Shannon Taylor, Kofi Jantuah, Edison Miranda, Raul Marquez, Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Carl Froch, and Andre Ward.
As well as losing once to Stieglitz, Abraham’s other three defeats were to Ward, Froch and Dirrell. Ward and Froch decisioned him while Abraham was disqualified in the last round against Dirrell. Abraham used to have quite a bit of power, but hadn’t scored a stoppage in eight fights dating back to 2012 until beating Stieglitz in the summer. His opponent Murray has fought 200 rounds since turning pro in 2007 and has a three-inch height advantage on the champion at 6-feet tall and also has an inch reach advantage with a 73-inch wingspan. Murray is also a fighter who likes to stay active as this will be his fifth fight this year while it will be Abraham’s third.
Murray, a former Commonwealth and British champion, had a title shot against Felix Sturm back in 2011, but could only manage a draw. He was then beaten by unanimous decision by Argentina’s Sergio Martinez two years later and stopped by current titleholder Gennady Golovkin in the 11th round in February of this year for the only two defeats of his career. Looking back, Murray feels he may not have been ready for his first title shot against Sturm four years ago since he took a big step up in class to the world level from the domestic level. Murray has three stoppages on his record since moving to the super middleweight division and knows he’s in for a tough test against Abraham.
If Murray can use his size advantage here he should find some success against the champ. He needs to box from the outside and catch Abraham coming in. The Briton also needs to keep his hands busy and initiate the exchanges rather than counter them. Abraham has the power advantage with a 62 per cent knockout ratio while Murray’s is 43 per cent.
Prediction……
This is a very close fight to call. Both fighters have been active recently so there shouldn’t be any ring rust. Murray has fallen just short in his previous three world title shots and this could be his last chance at glory. There’s a good chance this will go all 12 rounds and it’s going to be tight no matter who wins it. A draw shouldn’t be ruled out either, but a coin toss says Abraham retains the title.
This fight is close enough to go with either Murray or Abraham.
Play: Abraham -115 @ BetOnline.ag
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Arthur Abraham betting • Martin Murray betting