Chavez eyes Murray- Andy Lee’s world title wait set to continue

By Jonny Stapleton

Andy Lee’s frustrating wait for a world title shot looks set to be prolonged further into 2012, after Julio Cesar Chavez Jr earmarked English middleweight Martin Murray as a potential June opponent.

The WBC #6, WBA # 2, and WBO #1 world ranked Irish middleweight has been on the verge of a world title shot for the last year, but suffered disappointment when mega fights with Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm failed to materialise.

Ireland’s 2004 boxing Olympian, who fights on a Detroit Kronk card on March 10, was most recently mentioned with WBC champ and Top Rank cash cow, Chavez jr, but it looks set to miss out again.

The Limerick southpaw was hoping to face the Mexican in the summer, but the son of fight legend Julio Cesar Chavez has been throwing inviting glances the way of Hatton Promotion’s Murray.

Murray was ironically touted as a potentail March 17 opponent for Lee, before the Irish star pulled of the Matthew Macklin Sergio Martinez card.

However the English fighter moves a step closer to his second world title tilt while Lee will once again have to prove patience is certainly a virtue he posses.

“I want to make an optional defense in June. My opponent could be English boxer Martin Murray in Los Angeles, but after that – and if Martinez wins his fight – then I’ll fight him,” Chavez said.

“I assure you that I will fight Martinez. I just hope that as a champion, they [the WBC] will allow me to take some voluntaries, which they allow all of their champions to do, even more so with Canelo, who never made a mandatory defence since he won the title.”