Former interim WBA World middleweight champion Martin Murray (34-4-1, 16 KOs), from St. Helens, Merseyside, United Kingdom, outpointed WBA Inter-Continental middleweight champion Nuhu Lawal (23-1, 13 KOs), from Nuremberg, Bayern, Germany, by way of Lagos, Nigeria, to win the vacant WBA Continental super middleweight title Saturday night at Salle des Étoiles in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
The final scores were 116-111 (Jean Robert Laine) and 117-110 twice (Stanley Christodoulou and Roberto Ramirez Jr.).
Murray, fighting of the blue corner in black trunks with lime green trim, continues to pursue the world title that has thus far eluded him.
Fghting out of the red corner in yellow trunks with black trim, Lawal was a late replacement for Dmitrii Chudinov, who was a replacement for Arthur Abraham.
Lawal performed admirably in the first third of the fight, setting the pace and controlling the action, but slowed down as the rounds progressed. Murray landed several combinations and had Lawal in trouble on the ropes in round nine. The referee Russell Mora deducted a point from Brit in the 12th and final round for roughhousing.
After the fight Murray told Sky Sports, “I’ll fight anybody. I’ve always had that mentality and sometimes it has worked against me, but I got a win today. It isn’t as good as a win against Abraham or Chudinov but it’s a win.
“We caught him a few times, but he was tough and gave it a really good go. I showed that I’m a class above though.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEbVuohtpWM
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