By Dean Parr
After a gruelling conditioning workout with trainer Joe Gallagher and nutritionist Kerry Kayes, 2008 Olympian and 2007 World Amateur Championships bronze medallist ‘Genius’ Joe Murray took a few moments to speak with BoxingScene.com about a variety of topics, including his budding pro career, his amateur days, and what he wants for himself in the future.
As a professional, Joe is now 5-0, and in his last two fights he earned stoppage wins, showing an improvement from his earlier points wins. On his start, Murray claimed that:
“I'm very happy with how it's all gone and I feel like my career's taken off now. My last two fights have been on Sky, and I think I've done well in them, getting a couple of stoppages and showing people I've got the power, but also proving I've got the ‘boxing brain’ as people had already seen.”
Some amateurs struggle with the move to the pro game, but Murray claims that he's had no such teething problems. “I've enjoyed the move,” admitted Murray.
“I've been with Joe (Gallagher) since I was 13, and Joe's been a pro coach for about five or six years now and he's already got a European champion and he's had two British champions, so I think by being round Joe, and him knowing the pro game as he does, it's made me go from the amateurs quite easily. I think I've just got to listen to Joe, and whatever Joe says do, and I'm sure I'll be OK on the night.”
In the 2008, Beijing Olympics, Murray faced off against Chinese boxer Gu Yu, and lost a questionable 17-7 decision. Despite having been tempted to stay on as an amateur and go for glory in the 2012 London Olympics, Murray is happy with his decision to turn pro.
“I was very tempted to stay on as an amateur; it's going to be a big games in London, but at the time (of turning pro) I was missing home because I was always away, and I just wasn't enjoying my boxing how I enjoy my boxing now,” he revealed.
“I was getting a bit frustrated with the amateurs, and a bit agitated with them too, so I think that now I'm back home and with Joe training, I'm liking my boxing more and I really enjoy it again,” Joe enthused.
Being an Olympian has subjected Joe to more media attention and public interest than other pros just starting out. However, this hasn't affected his game one bit. Murray said:
“No, I'm not feeling any extra pressure at all. My brother's British Champion and in two more fights could be a World Champion - there's bigger people than me like in the gym and I'm just a normal person in the gym; I'm just trying to learn my trade how I see my brother do it. I see him do it the hard way and it's worth doing it, so I look up to my brother a lot.”
He added: “There's always someone there to put you back in your boots really, and if I started getting ahead of myself I'm sure Joe or John would come over to me and say, ‘Look, settle it down a bit - you're not a British champion or a European champion, you're just a five fight pro novice’, so that really helps.”
In his last encounter, Joe stopped Barrington Brown in two rounds. Brown had never been stopped before in his career, despite being in with quality fighters like Gary Davies in the past. On this bout, Murray said:
“I was very happy with the stoppage. I didn't really know much about him going in there myself, but Joe had done the homework on him. After it, they told me he had a draw with Gary Davies, and Davies was a British Champion, and also, Brown's never been stopped before so it shows that the work we're doing in the gym is paying off in the fights.”
He continued: “I was really proud after. At first, like I said, I didn't really know much of him, so I just thought it was a regular stoppage, but in the end it was a great result.”
With him putting in performances like this, the future is surely bright for the fighter. While Joe agrees, he is happy to bide his time en route to success. “I'm just going to stick in the gym, and whatever Joe says I'll do and I'll put 110% in,” he confided.
“If the British title comes it comes, and if it doesn't it doesn't - I'm in no rush, but if they think I'm ready enough and old enough, I'm ready to take it with both hands. I'll fight anyone. I think what I'm doing in the gym is really paying off, and I'm not scared of anyone.
“The nerves are always there but to be honest, I think nerves are on my side and I think they make me a better fighter. They make me get up in the mornings and do my runs, and they make me go to the gym and put 110% in. As you've seen in the training there there's no slacking [Writer’s note: There was indeed no slacking in a fast paced, hard circuit] so as long as Joe thinks it's alright, I'll fight anyone.”
Murray's trainer Joe Gallagher evidently thinks highly of his charge. “Joe's had a fantastic 2009 - five fights and he didn't have the same amount of hype or publicity as the other Olympians turning pro,” stated Gallagher.
“We just quietly went about our work, didn't have our debut on TV, but we had three good fights at first. One of these was in Vegas; all three were won on points. He's settled into the pros now, got some good rounds under his belt, and in his last two performances which were on TV, his punching power is coming in and I'm really happy with where he is at the moment.”
With Murray being a world-class amateur, some might think that Gallagher feels rushed to get him to the top of his game as quick as possible. However, this simply isn't the case. “I don't see Joe as an Olympian, I see Joe as another fighter learning his trade,” claimed Gallagher.
“There's no pressure on Joe Murray, he's no different to John Murray or any other kid in here. Yeah, he's an Olympian and a World bronze medallist, but that was then and this is now. He's a fighter, and all I'm concerned about is making sure he's ready when it comes to titles, and that in 2010 he's ready to win them and keep them.”
When asked how far Joe Murray can go, Gallagher had an immediate answer. “Joe Murray will be a British Champion in the next twelve months, and sometime in his career, he can be a world champion,” he professed.
“This year, he's learning his game just like John (Murray) did. We had John sparring quality kids like Bobby Vanzie, Gary Hibbert and Kevin Bennett - all British/European class fighters, and that's where John learned his craft. Sparring wise, this year, Joe's been sparring Rendall Munroe, Stuart Hall and at the moment he's got great sparring in the gym with Femi Fehintola and Anthony Crolla, so he's also learning his craft in the gym.”
He continued: “The trouble with Joe is that very much like his brother, they never brought the gym form to the ring. John is doing now, but he had some stinking nights with Hamidi and in Vegas, but we all knew what he could do. In the same way, no one's seen the best of Joe Murray and I can't wait for the day that Joe Murray brings his gym form to the ring. Hopefully, that will be when there's titles on the line and it counts.
“At the moment, Joe's a big super-featherweight, Boxing News rate him as a featherweight, and I've got my eye on him as a super-bantam, and in twelve months time I think Joe Murray should be a British Champion. He's got Hatton Promotions behind him, and they're looking to make a statement. I think they've got a kid in Joe Murray who can lead the way on behalf of Hatton Promotions in 2010, and everyone in Manchester can get behind him.”
In spite of his high hopes for Murray, his trainer firmly believes that the fighter should remain grounded and a student of the game.
He said: “He's still learning, he doesn't know it all and he's still got to wax his ears now and again, and listen. He's just got to keep listening like he has been for the last twelve months, and he'll do all right in the next twelve months. He's got the potential to be British champion, European champion and a world champion, whether he fulfils that will be down to Joe Murray.”