Murray Eyes Title Shot After Brushing Weight Issues Aside
By Terence Dooley
John Murray went into his fight with Scott Lawton with a massive weight on his shoulders. Murray, 24, was supposed to be defending his British lightweight title, unfortunately John got his margins wrong on the scales, coming in 0.08 kilos over the stipulated limit, and losing his title without throwing a punch in anger.
There were recriminations, acceptance, and, finally, a fight, the Lawton showdown went ahead, but Murray’s title was gone. Scott had the opportunity to take the belt should he win, and his fans raised the roof of Wigan’s Robin Park Arena as he made his entrance to the ring.
Murray warmed up well in the dressing room, seeking to start faster than he usually does, the fighter told BoxingScene.com that he was going to put the pressure on early, and see if Scott could handle it.
The deposed champion was as good as his word in the early going, catching Scott often and hard in the opening session. A series of right and lefts put Scott into trouble, the timekeeper prematurely started a brief count, however, Lawton found his footing, only for Murray to shove him into the corner, and a left hook forced referee Victor Loughlin to intervene with a count.
The bell saved Lawton from further punishment. Scott came into the fight in the next couple of rounds, landing right uppercuts, and a straight right hand that had an impact on the marauding Murray.
A natural fighter, Murray soon found the momentum that he had lost in the second and third rounds, harrying Lawton to the ropes at crucial moments in round four.
Lawton looked like he was playing possum; he would cover, move, and then launch his own counters. Murray, as is always the case, shrugged the counters off, hitting Scott whenever and wherever he could.
By the fifth round Lawton looked all in, but there is no quit in him, he came out for sixth round looking to sucker Murray, John responded by buffeting Lawton around the ring, finally catching Scott in the corner and hammering away with his right hand.
Victor Loughlin had seen enough, Lawton was no longer playing possum, his steam was gone, and Murray was steaming in with both hands. Loughlin saved Lawton from himself at 1:50 of the sixth. Scott vomited a few minutes after the stoppage, and would later tell me that the body shots were a real problem for him.
Murray, undefeated at 27-0 (15), came through a spirited effort from Lawton, and notched up a decent victory, but the British championship is gone, John admitted that he is, “Gutted to see the belt go, especially after that impressive performance.”
BoxingScene.com caught up with the winner after the fight, the euphoria of the triumph was kicking in by this point, Murray said that, “I went out there to take him out but he was very tough, so I had to keep putting it on him to win the fight. The weight problem was just a case of taking my eyes off the ball for split second. A light has gone on in me now; I will be straight back in the gym for my next fight.
“I made the weight easier for this fight than my previous fights.” He continued, “I was around the weight the night before the fight but for some reason that little bit of weight would not come off on the day. I could have gone away for a haircut and made the weight, it was that tiny an amount.”
Murray moved onto the fight itself, “I had a feeling on the night that I could go in there and get him early. I dropped him and thought the work was done, but he came back into it after the first round. I wasted a lot of energy trying to take him out, instead of letting the knockout come.
“I took a few rounds to work him over, but I always knew that I had the tools to beat him. Amir Khan and Jon Thaxton both hurt him with the right hook, so I was working on my right hook, that shot hurt him in the first round. Then the body shots took the fight away from him, you could see that by the way he was throwing up after the fight was stopped.”
Murray shrugged off suggestions that it got tough for him a few times, claiming, “I felt good. I tried to capitalise on the first round knockdown but I smothered my work, and Scott got the better of the second round. It turned out that I was effective against him at range with the straight shots. It was only a matter of time before I took him out.”
Murray had a final few words about the weight problems, “I have only had to make the championship weight three times in the past year or so, that little bit of weight could be down to that, the margin was tight and I just missed it. I can still make lightweight.
“I normally do a run the night before a fight but I felt comfortable and missed it out, in the end it may have contributed to the extra weight. We came here with something to prove because of everything that happened. It is sad to lose the Lonsdale belt, but rules are rules. I felt a bit emotional when I realised that the belt is gone, it kills the buzz from the fight a bit, but I will be back for my title.”
Murray’s next fight could be that much anticipated Jon Thaxton showdown. Promoter Mick Hennessey holds the keys to the contest; he promotes both men, and confirmed that he will do everything he can to make the fight happen.
Hennessey has a history of guiding his fighters, correctly and steadily, going the British, European, and world route with the likes of Junior Witter and Carl Froch. Mick will deliver European and eventual world title shots to the winner of the Murray-Thaxton contest, mentioning Juan Diaz as a prospective opponent down the line.
The BBBoC can help make Murray-Thaxton a reality; John is the deposed British champion, which should be punishment enough, and the BBBoC should now, hopefully, mandate that Murray and Thaxton meet for the vacant title.
Scott Lawton, now 26-5-1 (5), was gracious in defeat, telling me that Murray should be allowed to fight for the British title, and that the weight issue had no bearing on his own preparation.
Scott, 32 years old and with a tough career behind him, had no quibbles over the stoppage, either, he had been trying to lure Murray in, but found John too much to handle on the night. Lawton is now seriously thinking about retirement. Lawton has fought for the British title twice, against Murray and Thaxton, and has fallen short both times.