By Terence Dooley
Manchester’s John Murray is in a defiant mood despite losing his ‘0’ to British lightweight rival Kevin Mitchell at Liverpool’s ECHO Arena last Saturday night. The two men could easily have given each other a wide berth, instead opting to sign for a fight that would see the winner propelled into an International contest and the loser’s future dependant on “How he loses” according to promoter Frank Warren.
Billed as a ‘North versus South’ grudge encounter, the meeting lived up to the promotion, both men complimenting each other inside the ring as easily and quickly as they had complimented each other during the build up. There was no trash talk, no stunts and no bad blood, just competitive edge, desire and will in a brawl that went a long way to proving that pros need not pour scorn on each other in order to produce a domestic FOTY contender.
No, Murray and Mitchell bottled it all up before letting rip during eight torrid rounds. Kevin later admitting that, “I have a lot of love in my heart for John for taking this fight”, when mulling over his stoppage win. Murray was equally complimentary, telling people that he had been involved in the kind of “tear up” that he had long desired.
“I know I could have won – but my little toe was killing me,” quipped Murray in an open letter to the Manchester Evening News. “I always believed I would be world champion one day and I still believe I can do that.”
Murray, though, suffered a setback on Saturday, slipping from WBC number two ranked contender to number six, and is now without a title. It will be a long road back for the 26-year-old yet Mitchell kept his hopes alive by promising to honour a rematch request should he pick up a major belt.
Ironically, John has often stated that his style of fighting leaves him with a limited in-ring lifespan, he is well aware that he needs to achieve everything he wants to attain before the wear and tear of a pressure fighter’s career starts to take its toll.
“My style is a young man’s style,” admitted Murray during our brutally honest 2009 interview. “These are my best fighting years. You have got to make hay while the sun shines with this style. 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.”
An intelligent appraisal of the game from a fighter considered by some to have a Neanderthal style, also a sign that the 31-1 (18) brawler will want to get straight back into the mix once British boxing’s summer sabbatical is at an end. With Frank Warren stating that he can guide Murray back into contention.
“John was involved in a world class fight. He’s got to take a leaf out of Kevin’s book and bounce back. I think John will learn from this fight. I signed him to get him a world title shot. The bottom line is he’s with us – we’ll look after him and are sticking by him. We are going to sit down over the summer and plan his next move,” Warren’s vow in the aftermath of the defeat.
There is certainly enough good faith towards Murray from the British boxing fans, many of whom questioned his ability to reach the top but did not doubt that he is capable of producing entertaining contests.
Murray can also take heart from Mitchell’s revival; the Londoner looked out of the running following his March 2010 third-round loss to Michael Katsidis and some antecedent personal issues, he is now looking onwards and upwards after Warren kept his faith in the Dagenham-based danger man.
Claims that the Mancunian looked sluggish have popped up following the defeat. Sure, the ‘Machine’ looked lethargic at times yet his first, second and third round assaults had plenty of pep – questions about his sharpness detract from Kevin’s performance.
John knew that Mitchell would move, stop and drop 2-3 shot combinations before trying to negate Murray’s response. Nonetheless the former English, British and EBU champion still fell into the trap of trundling after Kevin, and into his shots, rather than keeping it tight and catching ‘The Hammer’ as he loaded up on his third punch. A mistake that can be worked on once Murray gets back into training.
Joe Gallagher, Murray’s trainer, streaked to an impressive 49-0 run only to see Matthew Macklin lose a close one to Felix Sturm and John fall against Mitchell, with Callum Johnson’s decision win win over Lee Duncan sandwiched between the two reverses. Gallagher can take heart from Macklin’s performance, Murray’s grit and the knowledge that form is temporary, class is permanent and there is a lot of quality within his stable.
Indeed, the Murray-Mitchell fight was not followed by the de rigueur “Sack the trainer” cries. John is with the right man, he picked up a few knocks during this bump in the road nevertheless there is no reason to get the hump and lump himself into the bracket of boxers who move on in order to avoid coming to terms with a tough defeat. Murray and Gallagher, it would seem, are ready to put Mitchell behind them for the time being and crack on with the job in hand – the rehabilitation of Murray.
If all roads eventually lead to Mitchell-Murray II then the fans will be happy, Warren will have a fight that promotes itself, the fighters will show one another even more pre-fight respect and the two trainers will endure a few sleepless nights. But it will all be worthwhile if the result is another honestly fought barnburner of a meeting.
Please send news and views to neckodeemus@hotmail.co.uk