By Shaun Brown
It’s almost impossible to avoid clichés with certain fighters. So with Ben Murphy we’ll go with a W.C Fields quote: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”.
The 5’ 3” pocket dynamo may have experienced five losses in his fourteen-fight career to date but could his 15th professional outing be for the British title?
“We’re going to contact the British boxing board and ask that he be made mandatory for the title – that’s what we’re planning for at the moment,” his manager Mickey Helliet told BoxingScene.
Having worked with Murphy for only a year, Helliet has overseen the transformation in his client’s career that has put him justifiably in the frame for a second opportunity at a Lonsdale belt. So what has taken the 32-year-old from respectable opponent to legitimate contender?
“I think it was when he beat Tony Owen last November for the Southern Area lightweight title that was a good win in a tough division. Then came the [Ashley] Theophane fight, which Ben basically took at a day’s notice [Theophane was due to face Nigel Wright]. We saved Sky television’s date as well as lot of people’s money. Ben’s performance was as good as a win and it was against a world top 15 fighter at the time. That was great exposure for Ben and his performance endeared him to Sky and their viewers.”
That display was followed up by an emphatic stoppage over the unbeaten Phil Gill in April this year. The progress and momentum of a once stop-start career is clearly pleasing Helliet but he believes it may have came sooner if he had got the chance to work with him quicker
“For me, Ben took a lot of fights that if I had been his manager he would not have been involved in. Ben will fight anyone, anywhere because that is the type of man and fighter he is. He’s always had true potential and now he’s beginning to show it. His record 9-5-1 (5) doesn’t do him justice, but records are only important for television and ticket sales.”
Finally, I asked Helliet about Joe Gallagher’s recent comment that he and his former British lightweight champion turned Prizefighter contestant, Anthony Crolla would fight Ben Murphy “at the drop of a hat” in this recent article for BoxingScene: https://www.boxingscene.com/anthony-crolla-discusses-his-defeat-redemption--55493
“We offered them the chance to fight Murphy before Crolla got beaten up by Derry Mathews and Joe avoided us like the plague,” Helliet replied. “After coming off a bad stoppage defeat, I think Crolla should go and get some wins then we can talk”.
Twitter @shaun_brown
