WARRINGTON middleweight Martin Murray is back in training and getting ready to give unbeaten world champion Gennady Golovkin the fight of his life, writes Mike Critchley.

The two meet in Monte Carlo on February 21 – and although Murray will start as underdog, all that talk is meat and drink to the 32-year-old challenger.

The fight is Murray’s third world title tilt after drawing against Felix Sturm and being pipped by Sergio Martinez.

And although this one is arguably his toughest physically, it is one he won’t be fazed by.

Murray said: “I ignore all the talk about Golovkin being invincible and the more they big him up and write me off the better.

“It is a win-win for me when people think Golovkin is going around like Mike Tyson in his prime, smashing people up.

“Everyone is expecting GGG to do me in a couple of rounds but that motivates me. The harder the fight I am in, the better I perform.”

The St Helens-born fighter will again go into an intense 10-week training camp to prepare for the bout, but plans to change his routine and will also take in warm weather and altitude training.

“We are looking to go over to South Africa to prepare this time and although we wanted to do it for the last fight it was just a bit too rushed.

“But we are ticking the boxes now, we feel it could be really beneficial because there is a fine line between winning and losing.

“I had a week off after the Spada fight – but I am already in the gym and started my core work and strength and conditioning.

“In early December I will get ready for a 10-week spell where I just smash it.

“I am focused for it,” Murray said.

The Martin Murray Barmy Army will be there in full force with their allocated 250 tickets all sold within days of becoming available.

After some difficult years, in which Murray has struggled to get the chances he deserved, this fight will give him a massive global profile with it being broadcast by Channel 5, HBO in the US, Chinese television and SuperSport across Africa.

He could not be in a better, more positive frame of mind.

“I have put up with a lot of inactivity and lost a lot of profile as a result but I kept chipping away and now we have a massive fight.

“I am back up there fighting the man considered the best middleweight in the world so times are good for me at the minute.

"I am enjoying it and have a great team around me and getting regular fights so I am enjoying it while it is here,” he said.