By Terence Dooley
British lightweight champion John Murray has been in dazzling form over the last year, his title defense against Scotland’s Lee McAllister saw John produce some good form late in the fight. With his stock, and confidence, rising Murray was hoping that he would go straight into another contest; he is a young champion, and eager to fight often while in his physical prime. Unfortunately his next contest will not take place until May, at the earliest, and it has left Murray worried that his momentum will be lost.
I caught up with Murray in the gym. We started off by talking about John’s fight with Lee McAllister. Yes, Lee had provided John with a stiff test. No, John was not surprised with the quality of the left hook to the ribs that had brought him an eight round win.
That took a few minutes. John seemed to have something more on his mind, so I left the tape recorder on, and John spoke about the inactivity that he feels is blighting his career: “I had a bit of a break and I’ve just been ticking over since the fight with Lee. It is hard to train when you’ve got no dates lined up.
“It is down to (promoter) Mick (Hennessey) but it is looking like (I won’t fight until) the end of May now. It is frustrating. I said after the McAllister and (Lee) Meager fights that I want to be active. Fighting every six-months is not active enough to get me where I want to go. It is two fights a year at the moment. If Mick has any ambition of moving me towards world title level he is going to have to get me more fights.”
Murray’s two most recent performances have boosted his standing; people are now seriously talking about fights with Amir Khan and Jon Thaxton. Murray, however, feels that another bout of inactivity will set his cause back, as he told me: “It is a thorn in the side because you get to a certain level and (you) want to be active at that level to move up (a level) again. If you have these long layoffs you start to get a bit rusty, and have to start from scratch next time you fight.”
Murray was the name in the frame for a Bredis Prescott fight a few weeks ago; it is a fight that appeals to Murray. For John, though, it is yet another contest that he has to talk about, rather than fight, as he explained: “Mick has said that the Prescott fight is possible. It is a fight I want and it could happen in May. Ideally I wanted to get out this weekend against (Scott) Lawton or someone. It is not happening so I am hoping for the Prescott fight or a European title fight this May.
“Styles make fights and the way Khan boxed (Bredis) was ideal for Prescott. Khan was at range – right where Prescott’s power lies. Khan being vulnerable around the chin area meant that he was always going to get (hit with) a punch to the chin that he could not come back from.
“I feel that my style is suited to giving Prescott trouble. I think I can get in close and work him over to win the fight down the stretch. Prescott is a power puncher, he is sharp and he will bring out the best in me. This is the type of fight I want.
“I want to fight the best so that people can see the best of me. I would be worried (about a Prescott fight) but that would give me the edge I need to work on my vulnerabilities and make sure that I was fully prepared. I would love it, bring it on.”
Promotional stablemate Jon Thaxton has benefited from a busy schedule; averaging three fights a year prior to his British and European title tilts. Thaxton grabbed a British belt, unsuccessfully challenged for the European title (losing by a bloody TKO to Yuri Romanov last May), and then regrouped with a win over Juan Carlos Melero Diaz for the title vacated by Romanov. All the while Murray has looked on, left wondering why his promoter cannot deliver the easiest fight in UK boxing, Thaxton versus Murray.
Thaxton takes on Frenchman Anthony Mezaache this Saturday. Murray is heading down to Norwich, it is a chance to watch Thaxton up close, again, and John hopes that he can put his name into the frame for a Thaxton fight, again, as John said: “I am going down there for Jon’s fight. I am going to do a bit of ITV commentary at ringside to keep my name on people’s minds.
“These are the types of fights I want. I have only just become British champion but have been around British level for longer than I would have liked. I think I could have become British champion a year after winning the WBC Youth (title). It took me this long to become British champion but now I am here I want to move onto the next level, and the next level is Jon Thaxton.”
In an ideal world Murray would like to win a Lonsdale belt outright, but a twice yearly fight schedule makes this a Sisyphean task, as John told me: “Of course I want to win the (Lonsdale) belt outright and then move on, but getting out every six-months is not doing me any good on that front.
“It means (that) I am dragging out my career and taking longer and longer to get to where I want to go. I will be there on Saturday looking at Jon Thaxton and hoping that I can fight him in May to get to that next level, or Prescott if he is available.
“I had breaks in the past and enjoyed them but this one has been different. I wanted to just get back into the gym and get ready for a fight.
“When I used to have long layoffs I was more out-of-shape than I am now. This time I’ve kept ticking over. I am raring to go. What keeps me motivated is getting another fight, getting a win, getting paid and getting out of debt, so give me another fight!”
Murray briefly, and belatedly, celebrated Christmas after his win over McAllister in January, then came back into the gym, hoping that the phone would ring and a fight would come his way, only to be left disappointed: “If I am not in the gym the temptation is to be out boozing, but this time I came back into the gym after two weeks, raring for a fight. Then Mick gets on the phone and offers me something in May.
“I counted the days and it is thirteen weeks away. That is a long wait. Ricky Hatton can go out on a three-month bender after a fight, come into the gym heavy, and still get himself ready in twelve weeks. I am still in good shape coming off my last fight but I have to wait another three months. What is the point?
“When I have a fight coming up I am not out on the piss. I am in the gym training. Get me out every three months, at the least, (and) then I can fight, train and fight. I would be happy with that.”
Murray’s fiery battle with McAllister had people marvelling at John’s agricultural approach, for Murray the main plus point was the prospect of fighting again soon afterwards, he said: “The McAllister fight was just what I needed to raise my profile. It had people saying, ‘He is a good fighter that John Murray’. You are just raring to get out there again for another one when you get praise like that. You want to keep the buzz going.
“By the time I next fight it will have been a good few months. I will have to remind people what I have got. Some fighters have a good win and then are out a few months later. It keeps their name out there and gets people talking, look at Kell Brook.
“Ricky Hatton built up a fan base in Manchester by getting out every two or three months. That made him bigger and bigger. All of a sudden you are selling tickets and I think that is what could be done with me. There is a market here in Manchester for my type of style.
“After the Meager fight I am sure that every fan I sold a ticket to would have bought tickets for my next fight straight from the door. Everyone who comes to my fights in Wigan will see a good atmosphere, and that brings out a good performance from me. If I were more active it would be easier to sell tickets.”
Murray fleshed it out further, explaining to me that his inactivity is causing him to suffer financially: “I keep banging on about wanting to fight but I want to fight and need to fight. People think that as a British champion you are walking around loaded, but you are not. You fight every so often and the money goes in one hand and then straight out the other hand.
“I have never been to the stage where I can consistently earn enough money to pay all my debts off. I owe people money and they must think I don’t want to pay it (back) but I haven’t got it to pay back. I still pay rent and have to buy food and stuff for myself. If you fight every six-months you have got to keep enough money back to last for the next six-months.
“People think a boxer makes a lot of money, but I cannot afford to pay out everything I owe because it would leave me with about a grand in the bank, and nearly half a year until my next fight.
“It has got me to the point where I wonder if I should just go out and get a proper job. I want to be a full time boxer to stay in championship class but as much as I love the game I need to live as well.”
Murray had talked about this prior to the Meager fight. On that occasion I had been struck by Murray’s analysis of the situation a boxer faces. Lesser fighters than Murray had told me that they would one day win world titles, make lots of money and then retire to a life of leisure. Murray knows that this is the exception, not the norm, and had told me that the possibility of a premature retirement had crossed his mind.
The Meager win had pushed these concerns to one side, briefly, an injury layoff pushed Murray’s schedule back also, but, after the McAllister, win, Murray had expected to have a busy 2009, hoping that Hennessey would put him on Thaxton’s European bill, if only to show ITV what they could expect from a Thaxton-Murray fight.
With that avenue closed Murray is left to wither on the vine, once again he is asking himself if it was all worth it, as he told me: “I am on more money a fight now but it is not a regular income, and as you get older the cost of your life increases. I am not a young kid anymore. I have a kid of my own as well. I have people depending on me. I have found that the more money you have coming in the more you have to pay out. (But) I (also) want to commitment myself to boxing full-time, it is hard to get to a decent level when you have to work and fight.”
Murray’s decision to dedicate himself to the sport necessitates a fractured day: sprints in the morning, boxing training during the day and then allowing time for the recovery process. Boxing is not a hobby for guys like Murray; it is not something you can squeeze in between shifts. Murray laughed before telling me that, “I’ve just applied for a job at ASDA. I might get that and get the employee discount on all the booze!”. It was said in jest, I think, Murray got serious and reminded me that staying busy generates a buzz: “Look at Kell Brook. Win, and then out again, and out again. People are talking about him, for good or bad.
“I was out with a cut for a while. Then I got out and people were mithering me, ‘When are you out again?’ Then I expected to be on the Thaxton undercard only to find out that I’m not. Then I’m waiting for a Prescott fight if the money is right. Then it looks like they haven’t got the money right for it.
“It is not like we are negotiating Hatton-Pacquiao type fights. Surely they can offer someone like Craig Docherty a fight for my title. Craig would love to get back into the mix. Then (I am) ready for a big fight in May. Then I can go out for something else in the summer. My profile and appeal would be on the up.
“I am the British champion and I am straining at the leash to fight. ITV were pleased with my last performance. I am one name in a decent fight that people want in Murray-Khan or Thaxton. I am ready to properly get back to training. It is a time of recession and people are unemployed but I am here and ready to fight. I just need someone to give me a job so I can do what I like to do, box.
“There is a big lightweight scene here in Britain. I feel that I can be part of that. Why do I have to wait for John Watson to get past Martin Gethin and then (have him) fight me for my title in six-months? I can take him when and if the time comes, but keep me busy in the meantime. I need to move on.
“Mick agreed, after the Meager, fight that I needed a big fight to move me on. The people on the Internet who might have criticised me after looking rusty in fights in Vegas [during a scrappy win over Miguel Angel Munguia in 2007] or versus (Youssef Al) Hamidi are now telling me that I looked great in that last fight, and (that I) should be fighting more often. I want those fights. I don’t want the unfair criticism. Judge me on what I can do when I am sharp.
“I don’t want to get bogged down in talking about fights that are not happening. I am not in the Amir Khan market, or here to wait on Thaxton, or Prescott. I am in the John Murray market and want to keep moving things on. Let me do what I can do. Let’s try and push it through the roof. My opponents aren’t hurting me, inactivity is hurting me.”
Murray’s frustration reached boiling point when reminded of the schedule enjoyed by another promotional stablemate, Tyson Fury. Fury will fight for the second time this year on Saturday, Murray feels that he has been overlooked, that the money they are using to put Tyson out could have gone towards making a fight for John: “Tyson Fury is out more often than me. Why not put me on the bill this weekend?
“I have the hottest belt in British boxing at the moment. The lightweight division is so tough with so many solid fighters. They are all after the belt and I am the one with the title at the moment, so why can’t I get a few fights? You can’t make money with no dough. I have the ingredients here (the British title) and am ready to put it on the line against anyone.
“My career just seems to have stopped progressing. I won the British but feel that I am still where I was three years ago. I feel that I could have won this belt a few years ago, as long as I was active. That is the key for me and my style.
“That McAllister (bout) was not a damaging fight. Lee was knocked out and busted up, but he is boxing again soon! I was not busted up and hurt. I was ready to get going again a week later. I told Lee I would fight him again the next night, and I was only half-joking!
“I just don’t know what Mick’s thinking is on this. Mick knows that the more active you keep me the better I am. Maybe it is TV dates or something, I don’t know, that is not my job. There is this show coming up and I would have fought on that to let people compare me to Thaxton.”
John does not want to fight a few times a year, hoping that one day he will be thrown a European title shot, as he told Boxingscene: “I have seen people wait for the European title. I don’t want that two-year wait. I feel that I came into boxing for a life changing opportunity, and that I am good enough to win those life-changing fights.
“My style is a young man’s style. These are my best fighting years, so I should be fighting during them. You have got to make hay while the sun shines with this style. I want to make a name for myself and make some decent money over the next three years. I want to make that life changing money, or at least put myself into position for it. If I am going to do anything in boxing I need to do it over the next three years.
“If I am not going to get anywhere I have to ask myself if it is worth dedicating myself to boxing. If I don’t make any money in the next three years I will come out of boxing with nothing. I would have to then find a job, or spend a few years learning a trade. I would rather get a trade now than have to do it a few years down the line, when I haven’t got a pot to piss in and I am bashed up from boxing.
“I am winning titles but unless I get active I will have to ask myself if I want to stay in boxing. It is not because I don’t love the game, I do, you see it yourself when I am training, but if I am not fighting or making money then there is no point in doing it. I love boxing, and winning my titles, but the bottom line is that boxing is a business. I need to start earning money from it (boxing), or wonder if I want to do it anymore.
“Mick did a good getting me to this point, but it is like he can get you to a certain place and then puts you on a shelf. I think he is working on something so I will see what he has got for me.”
A further fear for Murray is that he is being left on the shelf whilst still a fine commodity, at this rate a loss would send him beyond purgatory, if he is not fighting often as a champion what will happen if he loses his ‘0’, it is something that Murray has considered: “I am undefeated and wonder what will happen if I was to lose. Would I get out even less?
“Thaxton fights this weekend and I would happily fight him next, without a tune-up. I have not gone missing for six-months. I will be in the gym making sure that I don’t lose it (my sharpness) too much. You know it. I am a fiend. I won’t stop. I will never stop. So make the most out of it by getting me fights.
“If me and Thaxton fight it will be a right war. Then TV can say, ‘Get these lads out again against the likes of Prescott’. There are good guys out there at world level like Paulus Moses who are good TV fighters, and I think I am a good TV fighter when I am sharp and on form.”
For a final time Murray explained that all he wants is a run-out, not to stand at ringside while the likes of Fury get another outing, as he explained: “Tyson Fury is getting another fight and fair play to him. I just wish that I were out there again. I am a British champion. I trained hard over Christmas but no one came out to film me in the gym. Tyson got a (TV) segment in his home but no one from ITV came out here to follow me around.”
John is in the same holding pattern the likes of Junior Witter, Carl Froch and Darren Barker are in, fighting a couple of times a year, hoping that mandatory positions will open up, and having to be verbally linked to other fighters. This is the norm in top-level boxing. You are quick out of the blocks as a young pro, only to then find that those fighters who have been around the block a few times block the title avenues. It is frustrating for everyone involved, especially the fighter, who just wants to go out there and work on his craft. James Toney showed the way, back when he was younger, by fighting non-title fights on small bills in a bid to keep himself active, perhaps this is the way forward for UK boxers, who are often left waiting too long for their big moment.
