Murdoch gets his chance against Erdei
 By Anthony Cocks, May 6, 2006
Photo © Werner 'Kid Kamera' Kalin
It’s been a long haul, but Australian light heavyweight Paul Murdoch, 25-5-1 (16), will finally get his chance at glory when he squares off against Hungarian Zsolt Erdei, 23-0 (14), for the WBO light heavyweight title in Germany on Saturday night.

The largely unknown Murdoch will enter the fight as a considerable underdog against the undefeated Erdei, but if his gym form is to go by the 32-year-old from Geelong is in with a real chance of pulling off the upset.

“I used Daniel ‘Porky’ Lovett for sparring because he’s that boxer type who’s very smart and light on his feet and Erdei is something very similar,” explained Murdoch of his preparation.

“And sparring Danny Green is obviously exceptional because he’s world class and I needed to step up to that level, which was good. And then I did a lot of work with Timmy Bell, which is hard sparring and continuous work, so I like to think I’ve got the whole thing covered.

“But we’ll find out on the night.”

Doghouse Boxing was lucky enough to catch two six-round sparring sessions between Murdoch and Lovett a few weeks out from the fight.

Lovett, a rising star of the super middleweight division, took the fight to Murdoch who used his superior height, range and experience to gain a slight edge of the tough Cranbourne kid over the course of the two sessions.

It was the kind of quality work that will hold Murdoch in good stead when he challenges for his first world title.

While Erdei represents a much stiffer challenge than anyone Murdoch has faced so far in his eight year career, it’s fair to say that if Murdoch can replicate his gym form in this fight he’s in with a genuine chance of pulling off the win.

The Erdei fight represents a change of fortune for Murdoch, who had his December title challenge against WBA light heavyweight champion Fabrice Tiozzo in pulled out from under him when the Frenchman withdrew from injury.

Murdoch insisted that Germany’s reputation as the land of home-cooking is often overstated and says that he’s confident he’ll get a fair shake if the fight goes the distance.

“Look, I think that’s a bit of a stereotype,” said Murdoch, who will enjoy a three inch height advantage over the stocky champion. “There’s going to be three judges there from different areas, not like three German judges or anything like that. So I’m just going in there thinking it’s all a level playing field.

“I’ve fought overseas before. I’ve fought a few times in New Zealand, which is nowhere near as far, but I’ve fought in China and getting on a plane with your bag is just something that I’m used to, so I’ll just try to put it all to play.”

The key to victory, according to Murdoch, is keeping a level head and taking advantage of the opportunities as they present themselves.

“You can be overawed and I’m trying to work on myself not to be overawed by the big occasion,” he said. “It is a big occasion fighting for a world title and a legitimate one, so I’ve got to go in there with my head on my shoulders.”

While the light heavyweight division in Australia has produced some quality world class fighters in recent years including Paul Briggs and Jason Delisle, Murdoch has largely slipped under the radar.

“I think I was a late bloomer as far as maturing as a fighter,” explained Murdoch. “I was definitely a few years behind everyone else in a lot of aspects like strength and general maturity. If I want to I can continue on into my mid-to-late thirties, if I need to and want to. And that will come down to how the next couple of weeks unfold.

“I’m going over to win and that’s it, but if I don’t I’ll just reassess it from there. But I’m not looking at that at this stage.”.

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