Murray marks a fight with Diaz

British Champion John Murray believes he’s ready to take on the biggest and best names in the lightweight division and he’s willing to do so on away ground if necessary. Murray makes the second defence of his British title at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan this Saturday (June 13th) knowing that a win could see him travel to Houston, Texas for a showdown with marquee U.S. name Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz later in the summer. Murray’s clash with Lawton headlines Hennessy Sports “Rule Britannia” event which is live on ITV4 from 8pm on Saturday. However just like his beloved Manchester City the undefeated Murray has plans beyond British domination and says he would relish a fight with Diaz. “I’m not looking beyond Saturday night and Scott Lawton but I know there has been talks’ regarding a fight with Diaz and I’d have that fight in a heartbeat,” revealed Murray. “I’m not really going to think about it until after this weekend because I’m focusing completely on the job at hand but the talk of a Diaz fight has only made me more determined to impress on Saturday.” Lawton comes into this weekend’s clash as the underdog but he’s coming off a career best run that has seen him lift the English title so Murray knows what he’s up against. “Scott Lawton is a potential banana skin for me and I’m well aware of that,” said the Champion. “Some people might be writing him off but I certainly won’t be, he’s in the best form of his career right now and his confidence will be sky high coming into this. We’ve sparred together before so I know just how good he is and I know I’m going to have to be at my very best on Saturday.” Murray’s promoter Mick Hennessy confirmed that talks have taken place regarding a matchup with Diaz in the U.S. “I’ve spoken with Golden Boy who promote Diaz and they are very interested in the fight along with U.S. TV,” confirmed Hennessy. “John needs to get Scott Lawton out of the way first this weekend and that’s certainly not going to be easy but negotiations regarding Diaz can potentially take place after that. The Diaz fight is one I’d love to make for John because it would be a great opportunity for him to crack the U.S. in a big way. “What a fight that would be, they call Diaz the “Baby Bull” because of his style and Murray is such an exciting fighter himself as well. A matchup like that has fight of the year written all over it and I’m confident that when John’s at the top of his game he’s truly a World class fighter and with his strength and determination he’s capable of beating any one out there.” Former Light Welterweight World Champion Paulie Malignaggi is also believed to be in the frame for a fight with Diaz but it’s understood that there has been difficulties in agreeing a catch weight for that particular matchup. Whatever the outcome of negotiations Murray realises just how important Saturday night’s fight is to his future plans. “I can’t afford any slip ups against Lawton because there’s so much at stake right now. There are quite a few fights out there for me like a potential matchup with Diaz and then there’s domestic business to take care of with Jon Thaxton for the Lonsdale belt but all those will be out the window unless I win this weekend.” The chief support on Saturday night features a Battle of Champions as Central Area Lightweight Champ Nadeem Siddique takes on reigning Southern Area Welterweight titleholder Tom Glover over 10 rounds. The card also features a host of exciting prospects including Canadian based puncher, Andrew Singh Kooner, rising featherweight star Steve “Super Bad” Barnes, welterweight Phill Fury and the pro debuts of Bobby “Boogaloo” Ward, the last Englishman to defeat Amir Khan and Sheffield heavyweight, Richard Towers.