John Murray: The Forgotten Man
“I’ve proved I’m the best in Britain. I want to box again as soon as possible and I want to box for a world title within 12 months. Michael Katsidis has just won a title. That would be a great fight and I think I have the style to beat him.”
So said Manchester’s John Murray in the aftermath of his most recent win, a fourth round stoppage of Jon Thaxton for the British lightweight title. That was October 2009.
Since then, Murray has seen one time domestic rival Amir Khan land himself a lucrative contract with Golden Boy Promotions, whilst relocating to the US under the high profile umbrella of Freddie Roach. Whilst John watched that one play out in bewilderment, the man who had held the Lonsdale strap a division south of him, Kevin Mitchell, has gatecrashed his turf. After just two fights at lightweight, not only has he nicked Murray’s WBC and Ring Magazine ranking at 135 lbs, he’s stolen the man’s dream fight with Katsidis, one which will play out before a football stadium full of Mitchell’s fans.
Murray, meanwhile, rusts.
Undefeated after 28 fights and entering his prime at the age of 25, John has been left in the garage whilst his promoter, Mick Hennessy, battles desperately to secure him his next bout. A protracted flirtation with the European title followed the Thaxton victory, only for the holder, Anthony Mezaache, to abdicate his throne during negotiations after an unlikely world title tilt caught his eye. In order to protect his number two ranking with the WBC, Mezaache bailed out, and in doing so, cost Murray the chance to vault up the organisation’s pecking order.
The EBU immediately ordered Andrei Kudriavtsev to fill Mezaache’s spot, only for the Ukrainian to withdraw himself, again after advanced dialogue.
It now appears that the gig will be awarded to Scotsman Lee McAllister by default, the man Murray vapourised with a body punch last year in Wigan. Just when, or indeed where, the fight will take place is another matter entirely.
Hennessy has struggled to land television dates for his burgeoning stable of fighters after terrestrial channel ITV, with whom he has held an association, withdrew from the sport. Carl Froch versus Mikkel Kessler, potentially the best fight which will take place this year involving a British fighter, has been confined to the rather obscure PPV provider Primetime by way of an example. The situation was so bad during negotiations for Murray-Mezaache that the fight was almost spirited away to the U.S (a European title fight lest we forget), to be shown on cable network Showtime, thanks to Hennessy’s Froch related links.
A lack of TV money may even encourage McAllister’s canny promoter Tommy Gilmour, to outflank Hennessy at the purse bids stage and drag the fight north of the border so that his charge can enjoy hometown advantage. Such an appointment pales into insignificance alongside the ones which will be kept by Khan and Mitchell on the evening of May 15th you can be sure, and as their exposure explodes this summer, the likelihood of either ever again looking backwards towards British or European title level recedes that much more.
Whilst galling for Murray and those around him, the bustling pressure fighter has even more pressing matters to worry about. The man needs a payday.
In an interview with Terence Dooley last year, the financial burden Murray was being forced to endure from being left out to graze, had made him talk of retirement, of finding a ‘proper job’.
“If I am not going to get anywhere I have to ask myself if it is worth dedicating myself to boxing. If I don’t make any money in the next three years I’ll come out of boxing with nothing…I would rather get a trade now than have to do it a few years down the line, when I haven’t got a pot to piss in and I am bashed up from boxing…I love boxing, and winning my titles, but the bottom line is boxing is a business. I need to start earning money from it, or wonder if I want to do it anymore”.
Mitchell will bank a £70k purse from throwing hands with Katsidis, whilst Khan will undoubtedly pocket a lot more from his glamour tie with Paulie Malignaggi a few hours later. Murray just needs enough to get by right now, to keep the wolves away from his door. When one considers the sums frittered away each week supplementing England’s underachieving footballers (most earn more in a week than Mitchell will earn from his upcoming fight) it’s difficult not to feel frustrated for him.
At the beginning of the year, I wrote a piece profiling the year ahead in Britain for boxing blog ‘The Queensberry Rules’. As part of this, I highlighted a fight between Murray and Mitchell as the most exciting bout that could be made between domestic fighters. Unless Murray can get active (and soon), not only do his chances of nailing such a bout wither, the likelihood of him being successful should he be thrown that much deserved lifeline desiccate also.
The British champ just needs a fight right now, to shed some rust and take out his ire. One already feels a modicum of sympathy for whoever takes up that challenge.
(Photo credit: Justin McKie)
