Murray vs Mezaache Set For Greater Manchester
By Terence Dooley
Joe Gallagher, the trainer of John Murray, spoke to BoxingScene.com to confirm that his charge will challenge Anthony Mezaache for the Frenchman’s European lightweight title. Promoter Mick Hennessey has secured the rights to stage the contest after successful negotiations with the champion’s team.
“I’ve been told that John is fighting Mezaache in Manchester on a date and in a venue that is yet to be announced,” announced Gallagher, who is in Ireland preparing Matthew Macklin for his upcoming fight. “Mick has come to an agreement with their people and the fight is a go-ahead. It is all good new for John – Christmas has come early for Murray this year.”
Mezaache defeated Jon Thaxton in February of this year, the 31-year-old has a 16-5-3 (3) record, his last fight, a win over Andrei Kudriavtsev, saw him go the distance for the third consecutive time. Indeed, he last scored a stoppage win in 2005 and should present Murray, who is on fire at the moment, with a perfect chance to add to his title haul.
Gallagher also believes that the form guide of both men makes Murray the hefty favourite in this one. “You have to look at their like-for-like opponents”, explained Gallagher, “Jon Thaxton nearly beat him and John went onto destroy Thaxton in the same year, this is a great chance for us. It will be a great start of the year. We’ve had two British belts in the camp this year and will add two European belts to the camp.”
He continued: “This is a different fight to the Thaxton one, we have to think about how we’ll go about our business and make it work. This guy is a reigning European champion, he defended against Kudriavtsev, so we will make sure our preparation is perfect. John will bring the gym a second blue belt.”
Indeed, Murray is further favoured by the news that the fight will take place here in Manchester; Gallagher believes that Murray is going to really take off in 2010. “Not travelling is massive,” stated Gallagher.
“The fans will come out for John; he is on the brink of moving on from leisure centres to bigger halls and arenas. We hope that Mike Marsden [Murray’s manager] and Mick put their heads together and deliver a good venue for it.”
Finally, Gallagher believes that John can follow the lead of gym mate Matthew Macklin, who won the EBU middleweight belt with a one-round destruction of Amin Asikainen in September.
“When John wins this people will look at both him and Macklin and see that they do belong there with the best. They will also finally see that both are the best fighters in their weight divisions in this country,” he declared.
Murray has a 28-0 (16) slate. The ‘Murray Monster’ is currently on a roll, four knockout wins on the spin, and he should have too much for Mezaache, who was floored heavily in the first round by Thaxton and had to spit his gumshield in order to buy some time; however, this shows just how smart these European operators can be. Win, lose or draw, Murray will have earned his spurs come the end of the fight.
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