By Elliot Foster

Martin Murray was given the option of sit on the shelf until next year or move up and fight.

He did the latter.

Murray, who was at middleweight, was told that opportunities were scarce in the 160-pound class but that he could weigh-in at super-middleweight and box over eight rounds at the ECHO Arena.

That would mean him agreeing to becoming a first reserve for the World Boxing Super Series tournament at that weight and stepping in should anything go wrong.

As it was, though, he wasn’t needed to step up to the plate and instead fought Germany’s Arman Torosyan.

It was as routine as it could get, if we’re honest, with him winning every second of the three completed rounds before the referee called time in the fourth round to inflict a fourth defeat on the import and gave Murray another win before he edges towards another potential shot at global honours.

Joe Wood moved to 7-1 with a tidy stoppage inside the distance.

The Rydal Gym-trained super-lightweight, 25, boxed Bulgarian opposition on the ITV4-screened card.

Wood, nicknamed ‘The Rydal Psycho’, had been set to go four rounds against Ilian Markov.

However, it went just three before the opponent failed to beat the count, giving Wood his fifth win since losing his undefeated ledger almost a year ago to the day.

Meanwhile, Lloyd Campbell made short work of his opponent Michal Vosyka.

An assault of hooks forced the referee, who had witnessed something of a one-sided beat down until the finish, to call a halt to the action after less than two completed rounds to give ‘Cambo’ a sixth straight victory and a second stoppage in the paid code.

The end, much to the –– I would say –– relief of the Czech import, came after a minute and 51 seconds of the second stanza.