Murray: I'm More Mentally Strong Than Groves Will Ever Be

By Edward Chaykovsky

Super middleweight Martin Murray is pretty confident that he's capable of outlasting George Groves in a likely showdown for the summer.

As BoxingScene.com first reported a few days ago, Murray (32-3-1, 15KOs) and Groves (23-3, 18KOs) are being positioned to face each other as the co-featured bout on the undercard to Anthony Joshua's first defense of the IBF heavyweight world title on June 25th.

Murray believes Groves has stamina issues and the longer the fight goes the more favorable hsi chances are to win.

He wants to take the fight into deep waters and feels he will be able to outlast Groves when the going gets tough in the contest.

Before that fight takes place, Murray will take a stay-busy fight on the Anthony Crolla vs. Ismael Barroso undercard on May 7th.

Murray exclusively told Sky Sports: "It's up to him how he wants to play it. I'm not that type of person, unless people are like that with me. If they want to be funny, we can be funny. If they want to be sound, we can be sound.

"If he wants to play psychological games, he's p*****g in the wind. Things like that don't bother me because I'm more mentally strong than he'll ever be, so it's up to him how he wants to play it."

"It's looking like a goer and it's going to be chief support on the Anthony Joshua card. It's a tough fight for us both and the winner goes on to bigger and better things. The loser has to earn the chance if it ever comes again.

"It's a risky fight for us both but by the sounds of things, we're both confident in winning and that's why we're taking the fight. That's what makes it that much more interesting.

"He's got a fantastic jab. He's always had that. He controls fights with that and he's got power in a good right hand, but you take the jab away then I think that's where you win the fight. We're working on ways of getting round that. It's going to be hard because his jab's world-class.

"I think he's got stamina issues. Whether he's worked that out and he's not got them anymore, I don't know. It might be that he's not discovered how to do it or that he's got an issue and there's nothing he can do.

"George starts fast. He's a sharp-shooter. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I've always rated him. He fades towards the end so the longer it goes on, the more it benefits me but I'm going in there ready for war for 12 hard rounds.