By Mark Vester
On Saturday night, undefeated John Murray retained his European lightweight championship with a ninth round stoppage of Andriy Kudriavtsev in Wigan. The Manchester favorite is now looking to get himself in line for a major title shot by Christmas.
He wants all of the big names at the weight, including the winner of the November clash between WBA/WBO champion Juan Manuel Marquez and challenger Michael Katsidis. Murray, ranked by the WBC, would also like a shot at the champion Humberto Soto.
Outside of his division, Murray may get an opportunity to fight Victor Ortiz. A fight with Ortiz is a real danger to accept at junior welterweight. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer plans to speak with Murray's promoter to see if they can make a possible Murray-Ortiz clash on December 11 as a co-feature bout to the HBO televised main event featuring Amir Khan defending his WBA title against Marcos Maidana.
"I'd love to fight any of the top guys in the division. Michael Katsidis, I think it would be an absolute war if we got it on - and then there's Marquez too. Humberto Soto is a possibility. I think I'm ranked number two by the WBC now. I'd love a world title fight before Christmas," Murray said.
