MARTIN Murray’s heroic defeat against the boxing phenomena that is Gennady Golovkin has opened more doors than it has closed – and the offers will be flooding in, writes Mike Critchley.

Although the Warrington-based middleweight’s third world title challenge ended in an 11th round stoppage in Monte Carlo, the bravery and guts displayed to take the unbeaten Kazakh champion further than he has ever gone made even those pundits that had written him off beforehand eat their words.

Although some fighters will want to avoid him, the St Helens-born Murray now has targets both domestically and on the world stage and immediately after the fight declared he would like to have a crack at London Irishman Andy Lee’s WBO belt.

Southpaw Lee defends his title against American Peter Quillin in New York in April, and Murray says he fancies challenging for that afterwards.

British number two Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jnr are potentially eye-catching domestic match ups should they go down that route.

And even two-time European champion Matthew Macklin, who was often dismissive of Murray’s capabilities when he was fighting for recognition, was quite gushing in his praise on Twitter this week.

He wrote: “We both should have already won world titles. I respect you and you showed guts on Saturday night.

“You need a well-earned rest. I am fighting in May…after that let’s sit down and talk and hopefully get the fight on!”

With Golden Gloves wanting to extend their agreement with Murray to a further three fights, it looks very much like the 32-year-old’s career is going to carry on moving forward – unlike last time when his close defeat by Sergio Martinez was followed up by a frustrating period of inactivity.

This time there seems a determination from all parties to strike while the iron is hot.

WBO champ Lee was the first name on Murray’s lips post fight.

“That would be a great fight, but Andy has obviously got to get past Quillin first,” he said “I have always wanted the big domestic fights and the fact that Andy has a world title as well is brilliant, but that is definitely a fight I am looking for.”

After 12 weeks of sacrifice, and 11 rounds of hell in the ring with the man dubbed the scariest fighter since Mike Tyson, a smile of relief and satisfaction rippled across the bruised and bloodied face of Murray after the fight.

Murray declared: “That is the first war I have really been in, really, and I have had 32 fights.

“There are plenty of them left in me and plenty of years left in me. I have just got to see where the opportunity is middleweight wise but there is also the opportunity of stepping up.

“I have just got to see what’s there for me at middleweight and would love a big fight with Andy Lee.

“I have not planned on going up, these are just possibilities but me and Oliver (Harrison, trainer) think I would be a better super middleweight than a middleweight, but my opportunities are here for the time being.

“If they are not then I will move up.

“I want to be in big fights – Golovkin is the main man and I tried to beat him but that obviously didn’t happen,” he said.