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By Scott Gilfoid: #1 WBA Martin Murray (26-1-1, 11 KO’s) no longer has to worry about needing to fight WBA 160 lb. champion Gennady Golovkin or any of the other good middleweight champions in order to try and win a world title. >

The World Boxing Association has elevated Golovkin to the WBA Super World middleweight champion and freed up his regular WBA title for Murray to fight #3 WBA Jarrod Fletcher (17-1, 10 KO’s) for the vacant WBA 160 lb. title on February 1st on the undercard of Golovkin’s title defense against Osumanu Adama at the Salle des etoiles, in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

So the 31-year-old Murray basically will be getting a gift-wrapped title on February 1st instead having to fight the likes of Golovkin, Peter Quillin, or Felix Sturm for a chance to win the title. I think this move by the WBA to create a way for Murray to win a title weakens boxing because it makes it so that Murray doesn’t need to fight Golovkin or any of the good fighters in order to pick up what will be the WBA paper title.

The 30-year-old Fletcher is only ranked in the top 15 by the WBA and not in the top 15 by any of the other sanctioning bodies. After looking at some of Fletcher’s fights, I kind of can see why he’s not ranked high. He looked very average. I don’t even rate him as high as the 39-year-old journeyman Sergey Khomitsky, who Murray went life and death with last Saturday night in barely beating him by a close 8 round points decision in London.

Khomitsky looks a heck of a lot better than Fletcher from what I can see. How is it Fletcher has a glossy record of 17-1 and Khomitsky a poor one at 28-10. It has something to do with the guys that Fletcher has been facing during his 4-year pro career. Believe it or not, the best guy that Fletcher has fought during his career is Billy Joe Saunders, who blew Fletcher out in just 2 rounds last year in September. As far as the rest of the guys that Fletcher has fought, it’s 2nd and 3rd tier guys like Philip Kotey, Robbie Bryant and Tim Kanofski. Why the WBA chose to rank Fletcher so highly at #3 in their organization is anyone’s guess.

It’s going to be interesting to see the kinds of opposition Murray chooses to face in his title defenses after he whips Fletcher on February 1st. Will Murray be a good one and take on Golovkin in a big fight or will he choose to milk his WBA strap facing fringe contenders and some of the mostly weak opposition that the WBA has ranked in their top 15. Golovkin will take care of #1 WBA Daniel Geale, so there’s no chance of Murray having to risk his hide facing him. I think Geale would beat Murray with no problems asked. Excluding Daniel Jacobs and Geale, the rest of the guys that the WBA has ranked in their top 15 is a sorry lot. I can see Murray facing #12 WBA Andy Lee and or #13 WBA Garth Wood straightaway.