Team Murray Fire Back at Amir Khan: 'We'll Conquer You!'
By Terence Dooley
John Murray and Joe Murray headlined a professional bill together at the Robin Park Centre, Wigan on Saturday, they hope it will be one of many successful nights for the boxing-mad family. Trainer Joe Gallagher split the dressing room into two in order to give both men the space needed to concentrate on their respective fights. John, 30-0 (18 early), is edging towards a world title shot and was coming in with a few concerns over his left eye; Gallagher, therefore, was keen to ensure that his charge was completely relaxed going into his maiden EBU defence against Andriy Kudriavtsev.
Murray (134¼lb) came out behind his jab, looking for left hooks to the body off the shot, before dipping down with right hands to the ribs of Kudryavtsev (133¾lb), who was keen to get his own left hook into the mix. Murray, though, used his body punching and better boxing ability to control the early action, the challenger looked ragged going into the third and was forced to claim in this session after taking a pair of hooks to the body.
Murray started to double up on his shots, a right hand to the body of the Ukrainian was followed by a straight right to the head, Andriy's nose was bloodied by the force of the second shot. When stalking centre ring behind his jab, Murray looked a dominant force, using the odd step back and sidestep to give himself a greater target area.
However, Murray started to cede ground during the middle stanzas, occasionally moving back to the ropes in straight lines and allowing the challenger to motor forward. Andriy, 34, landed a booming right hand that steadied the title holder during these sessions. Murray loses a bit of his momentum when moving backwards in straight lines, it stops him from taking shots but takes his body punching out off the equation, when Murray moved back onto the front foot he started to land the rib benders needed to weaken the resolve of his foe.
Indeed, Murray's strong jab, which featured heavily during his best work, allows him to stake a claim on centre ring and then rumble forward, spinning off his opponent to land left and right hooks to the body, this was especially evident in Murray's win over Gary Buckland back in May.
By rounds eight and nine, Murray was firmly on the front foot, landing the body and head shots needed to force Andriy from the contest. At one point, the champion tripled the left hand – a jab, uppercut to the body and left hook to the head showing that he has added enough to his game to threaten at the top-level.
Andriy, though aggressively forcing his way into a few of the middle rounds, had faced a crucial opening thirty seconds in the ninth, he had visibly wilted during a tough eighth round and was bullied from ring centre by Murray. Thus far the fight had been akin to watching two teak tough farmers fighting over a cow. Murray, who had mixed science into to his agricultural approach, exploded with lefts and rights – the final right hand forcing Andriy to drop his guard – to force the stoppage at 2:39 of the ninth session, referee Oliver Palomo deciding that Andriy had more than earned his corn.
Murray, the proud owner of the longest current winning streak in British boxing, showed both sides of his game, his back foot boxing, a success early, eventually allowed Andriy the space to get himself into the fight; once Murray reclaimed ring centre his brutal body punching came to the fore and knocked the stuffing from the former IBF Inter-Continental champion, who falls to 34-8 (15).
“No, not really,” said Murray when asked if he was surprised by Andriy's toughness. “I was expecting him to be tough and game, to be able to take it and give it back. I chipped away at him and broke him down in a way that I thought was world class. I was glad to get him out there the way I did. He was there to win tonight.
“He fought just over three weeks ago and had a good camp himself, he gave it his all. I had to show how good I was and break him down systematically, and that is what I did. I think the ref was right to jump in because he was taking clean, heavy shots and there was no need for him to continue to take that punishment.
“I felt that when I was boxing with him, I was letting him into the fight a little bit. But in the early rounds, I was picking my shots nicely. After rounds three and four, I decided to stand with him more to get him out off there but he wasn't going away. I got on the back-foot for a bit and then came on again in rounds seven and eight to get hold of him. It started getting too much for him and the Murray machine goes marching on.”
Saturday's win has boosted Murray's standing in The Ring magazine's rankings, forcing Paulus Moses down to seventh and taking sixth spot; the fighter is well-ranked by the WBC, 3, and WBO, 9; 'The Murray Machine' sees big things down the line.
“I'm thirty and 0 and have stopped my last six. I want to see how good I can be and to do that I need to step up and fight the best. I need to get those marquee names and see how far I can go,” revealed the 25-year-old Mancunian.
“This has been one of the greatest days of the Murrays life, and I'm sure there are many more to come. Me and Joe trained together, we ran together and we came out tonight and fought together on the same bill. Boxing is a very lonely sport so to have your brother in the same gym as you going through what you are going through is a big help and makes you feel that less lonelier.”
Amir Khan was in the Sky studio; the WBA light-welterweight title holder implored Murray to fight Victor Ortiz up at 140lb. Golden Boy have offered Murray the fight, presumably as a means to secure a bout against Khan. Murray, however, believes that the Khan fight only becomes viable once he's won a title at lightweight.
“I'm sure Amir is up for it. I just need a big lightweight name and title to show people I can cut it at that level. Once I've done that then I'm sure Amir would love to fight me,” said Murray when asked if Amir is still the long-term goal.
Matchroom promoted the bill yet Murray is guided by Mick Hennessy, he believes that his charge should continue to campaign at lightweight, believing that Murray has earned a shot at one of the 135lb crowns. Hennessy's deal with Murray is due to expire, Mick hopes that they can sit down and thrash out a new deal, one that will include fights against the elite men in the division.
“Absolutely,” stated Hennessy when asked if Murray is ready for the world stage. “I've been working on his future for a while now and he's got a bright future ahead of him, to say the least. I'm going to be having serious talks with all the major promoters and sanctioning bodies to try and get him [WBC title holder] Humberto Soto, [IBF boss] Miguel Vazquez or the winner of Katsidis-Marquez because those are the types of fight he needs to have.”
“I think that we'd have had it [the Katsidis fight] at the MEN if the Marquez fight hadn't come off. I didn't think the Marquez fight would come off for Michael and a lot of people were shocked when it did. John committed himself to this European title fight and he's got tough rounds in the bank that will stand him in good stead,” admitted Hennessy when asked if the Katsidis fight had been on the cards.
The promoter guided Junior Witter and Carl Froch to the top using the tried and tested British, European and Commonwealth title route, a path Hennessy firmly believes in. “It is a hard route for all of us, and I don't think we get the credit for doing it, but once you get there you've got the experience to win the world title,” insisted Hennessy.
“John's done it the same way as Carl and Junior, he's a brilliant British and European champion. Too many British fighters are going bullshit routes, fighting for snidey world titles, when they come up against a good kid they get wiped out, that won't happen to John Murray because he's had great matchmaking and experience.”
“Ortiz is a natural light-welter,” mused Mick when asked about the opportunities up at light-welterweight, “John Murray is in the best shape of his life at lightweight. I was blown away when I saw him at the weigh in on Friday and he's made lightweight the best he's ever made it. Why step up to light-welter when there isn't a world title on the line?
“If it was Amir Khan then so be it, but to fight Ortiz in his one fight up at the weight when we've worked to get him towards a world title at lightweight doesn't make sense. I'm going to speak to John and the team but I don't think it is the right fight. John will be world champion at lightweight, he's just got to be a little bit patient, he will get there.”
“John was fantastic tonight,” continued Hennessy. “That kid would have beat any other lightweight in Europe. You could tell by reading the press releases that he was really up for it. His training camp went the best it could go and you saw that tonight. John met him in the centre of the ring and when he got his boxing going he looked world class. That jab was brilliant tonight when he used it. It was so hard to get the openings on that guy because he was so tight, his defence was like a crab's, and he was strong, looking for openings himself.
“John built it all off a beautiful jab and it was a world class performance. People don't credit John for his boxing, he is a fantastic boxer with a world class jab and I wish he'd use it a bit more in his fights because he likes to fight a bit too much. When he starts and finishes with his jab he is untouchable, he is such a good fighter and that natural hardness and toughness will come out in big fights – he's going to be world champion.”
Joe Gallagher was 'tired but happy' once the dust had settled, his two charges had made it an enjoyable evening for the trainer, who was still coming to terms with the night when I spoke to him over the phone on Monday.
“I only started to come down yesterday,” enthused Gallagher. “It was my best night in boxing so far, and that is saying something. Taking John to 30-0 with Joe on the undercard was great. We've been together over ten years now and the last time they boxed on a bill together was ten years ago at a show in Wigan when they were in their first season with me. They both won that night as well. Joe was on live TV and you couldn't have asked for it to go better than it did. It was a fantastic night, I hope it is the first of many nights like this in the next few years as the Murrays make their way on the world stage.
A win had been required, the stoppage was an added bonus for Gallagher. “John joined Paulus Moses in stopping the kid,” he smiled. “It was a championship stoppage and he's in championship form. People thought that if you took John Murray late you could get to him but look at his last two fights, he's scored an eleventh [against Buckland] and now a ninth round stoppage.
“John's shot selection was very good and he was still very aggressive. I know how much John can do in the gym and just want to see him get an opponent who can bring it all out off him. Andriy was aggressive, John had to match him and knock him back. The guy came back so we had to absolutely nail him and knock that resistance out off him to break him.”
Sky analyst Jim Watt had called for more care on the part of Murray, feeling that John should have boxed with more nous. Gallagher believes that his fighter is capable of taking centre ring with his aggression and then using his jab to control the fight without giving ground and taking his own body shots out off the fight.
“It did give him a way in,” said Gallagher when asked if Kudryavtsev had been given a way into the fight when John moved back across the ring and onto the ropes, “because it also takes the leverage away from John. I liken it to Cotto, who's not been as nearly as effective since he started boxing on the back foot more. Coming through, Cotto was coming forward well and still banging to the body and head, now he's changed his game, a bit like [Arturo] Gatti did in his late career, and you lose the leverage and intensity that Cotto, and John, bring to the ring.
“Why allow a strong kid into the fight? When John was on the back-foot, Andriy was trying to whip in a wild right hook over the top. I thought there was a time to jab and move forward to set the straight shots down the middle and a time to work up-close. It was about strength, desire and macho, and was a case of whoever broke through first.
“The fight we looked at a lot for this fight was Rocky Lockbridge against Julio Chavez, where Julio boxed a bit more, took his time but still hit the body shots to wear his man down. Chavez was a pressure fighter but he could use the jab to set up shots and then go back to work again inside.
“The first three or four rounds were the best I've seen of John in his career because he mixed everything up. Listen, we've worked on a lot of things and only the connoisseurs of boxing see the shots and see the moves. There was a point where John moved his feet into the southpaw position and landed a few. It is good to see things you've worked on in the gym come off in the fights. Not everything comes off, we can't be punch perfect all the time, but when the big stage comes these things are in the bank so John's got a Plan B and C to his Plan A.
“John wasn't taking shots later in the fight, he was moving his head, going under the shots, and making Andriy miss, then he could move in and punish him to the body. People talk about what John can and can't do, it was good to see Amir Khan revealed the other night as a fighter, promoter and now a matchmaker and trainer, because he was trying to match John's next fight and tell him how to box. Everyone has an opinion on John, on beating John, and his next move. Everyone says they know how to beat John Murray. Well, to quote Floyd, thirty people have tried and thirty people have failed and he's now moving on for a world title shot.”
Gallagher was bullish when Ortiz was mentioned, insisting that the light-welterweight should forge a career at his own poundage rather than drafting in lightweights, no matter how big or strong the 135lber in question may be.
“Ortiz weighed over the light-welterweight limit against Vivian Harris,” blasted Gallagher. “We're in the business of winning belts at lightweight. We've won the English belt, the British and now European, and we want the world title. Amir was talking up the Ortiz fight, why? Amir Khan has a great fight ahead of him against [Marcos Rene] Maidana so why not take care of his own business? Fighting Ortiz now would be like Nathan Cleverly going in with Enzo Maccarinelli over ten rounds at cruiserweight. It wouldn't make sense and the same goes for Murray with Ortiz. We've got Soto, Katsidis and Marquez at lightweight so there are fights there for John.”
Golden Boy's intentions are clear, bringing Murray up in weight to face Oritz is a win-win for them; Ortiz would get the chance to scalp an unbeaten lightweight contender; a victory for Murray would greatly enhance his CV, establish him at the weight and ease the way for a Murray-Khan contest. Indeed, Amir has yet to find a natural domestic rival, a foil for one of those Benn-Eubank nights that we are so fond of over on these shores.
Murray and Gallagher both want the Khan fight yet insist that it would be better for all concerned if Murray was a reigning lightweight champion going into a domestic showdown with Amir. “If they want him to move up a weight they can offer him a crack at Amir's light-welterweight title,” insisted Gallagher.
“John's worked with Golden Boy before, they are familiar with John, but we are taking care of our business and at the moment we're at lightweight and looking for a world title here. Amir's holding a world title at the weight above so when we get a world title at this weight then maybe Amir can get himself a British showdown, because there's no one else to rival him in and around his weight in this country at the moment, he needs John for that big British fight night.”
In short: Ortiz is not on the agenda, a lightweight world title is. “Why not get Ortiz to fight the winner of [Sergio] Martinez or [Paul] Williams if they're so desperate to get him a fight and don't mind moving fighters through the weights?” asked Gallagher.
“Soto fights December 4th against an unnamed opponent so we want the winner and then to fight the winner of Marquez and Katsidis. There is Juan Diaz out there, he's a name over in America. John has got plenty of options and when he gets back from holiday we'll all sit down and see what is best for John Murray, but he'll definitely be out before Christmas.”
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