Murray's Offer To Khan

[Poncey]

Murray’s offer to Khan

British lightweight title challenger John Murray is offering to be Amir Khan’s next opponent on 6th September 2008.

Former unbeaten English champion Murray faces fellow Manchester boxer Lee Meager for the vacant British Lightweight Title at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan on Friday 11th July 2008.

Hennessy Sports pair Murray and Meager face each other after Jon Thaxton vacated the belt on a show scheduled to be televised live on Sky Sports.

Murray, who has also won the WBC Youth Lightweight Title in an unbeaten career, believes Commonwealth champion Khan should agree to box him if he beats Meager to become British champion.

“I would love to fight Amir and it’s the logical fight to happen,” said former Young Boxer of the Year Murray.”

“We are both unbeaten and both from Lancashire. Hopefully I will be winning the British belt and then it will be a fight with two belts on the line. It could happen at the MEN Arena in Manchester on 6th September.”

“He’s talking about fighting for the world title, but he’s not even the best in Lancashire. It would be a massive fight for Greater Manchester and also for the whole country.”

“I wasn’t really impressed with him against Michael Gomez the other week. Gomez will probably tell you himself he is past his best but he still gave Amir lots of trouble. Khan should be taking care of people better than he has done.”

“This fight with Lee is an excellent opportunity for me to move my career on, especially as it could lead to a fight with Amir.”

[Wales]

Isnt even the best in lancashire

[Autobarn]

I'm a believer in Murray's abilities. But some ppl have only seen the ITV footage of the Munguia (h/l) and Hamidi fights. Or at least, many subscribe to the idea that you're only as good as your last fight. So a lot of ppl don't believe in Murray just yet. And a lot of bile is being spewed on message boards. He can change this in two weekend's time but I don't know if calling out Khan does anything this moment.

IMO Murray needs to prove the doubters wrong - one step at a time. Which he is thoroughly capable of doing, especially if he wins the British title. He has the chance to look brilliant vs Meager. What Murray can do is become a very good British champion, for starters. The British title is a gap in the Khan body of work & then it will be a natural.

OK, if Murray beats Meager, there is the notion that Khan wouldn't take the fight, if Murray ends up looking hot. But then, if that were the case, there would be some public pressure for Khan to fight Murray and if nothing came of it, Murray's image would improve a lot.

Khan has the biggest promoter in the UK, is big at the weight, fast and has a style that has refs beggining to step in after the first flurry that goes unanswered. If you fight Khan, you're up against the system & you know it. So I would go in to a fight like that with plenty of experience in long fights vs boxers. Khan is vulnerable under pressure, especially in the mid stages of fight, and I would make sure I've had the fights to prepare me.

I think the British and the Euro belts would be a great route for Murray. One of the super feathers like Arthur or Mitchell will surely end up at lightweight once Khan has moved up. If Murray had British and Euro belts, he could get a big scalp, possibly even a former WBO champ.

Also, if Murray does look great vs Meager, then you would think that 2 hot prospects would meet when the fight has a chance to be bigger. That's what the business side of boxing would dictate.

It all has to start on July 11 for Murray. He can do it. I don't think he's looking ahead to Khan. My bet is they're 100% concentrated on Meager,

[ManchesterMexican]

khan is a good fighter but his attitude to boxing is inpateint and almost very cocky

he to big for his boots and someone needs to knock him out just to give him that experience and see if he can move on from it

when nas lost he retired...i would like to see amir loose and see were he goes from there to be honest...

i just hope murray shows him a thing or 2.

by that i mean khan to win the fight but murray to show him how skilled you have to be to make it at world class..i hope murray knocks him around the ring and really shocks amir early on in the fight then we will see where amir goes from there see what he can come back with.

??

[Autobarn]

I'm not keen on Khan. It's easy to root against him because he always fights smaller guys. When the smaller guy drops Khan, I always get excited that Khan will get KO'd.

I think Murray has big potential. Should have got a British title shot earlier and not had to wait for Fewkes. He'll beat Meager on the inside & look good doing so. Reckon he will have a lot more fans on July 11.

[Max Molyneux]

Khan at least stepped up faster than Murray did.

Khan struggled with Gomez but Khan wouldn't struggle with those Mexican journeymen like Murray did either.

[Poncey]

Agreed 'Barn. I saw him fight Bothea in Vegas last year, and of the performances I've seen this was my fave. He showed great composure in that fight and paced himself well. He also fought very well against Walker on the Lacy undercard for those that were bothered to stay up late. From memory, and I was a bit tired at the time, the crowd stood up and applauded him for his performance in that fight. Didn't land early enough to catch his last Vegas fight though.

I think he deserves more respect than he's given for the Al Hamidi fight to recover from a horrible cut to win down the straight. Just ask Anthony Crolla! Especially when you consider Youssef has fought:

Murray
Crolla
Lawton
Simpson
Burns
Gomez
Cook

[Autobarn]

Khan at least stepped up faster than Murray did.

Khan struggled with Gomez but Khan wouldn't struggle with those Mexican journeymen like Murray did either.

No wonder, as the spotlight has been on Khan due to Olympic success and him being a positive social force during politically sensitive times. The money and the attention and the opportunities (WBO#2 already) are all there.

The Manchester fighters like Gomez, Farnell, Hatton were all popular but the torch wasn't passed on to Murray (he's not fought in Manc for a few years). So he's done everything under the radar really and then ended up going stale over the last 7 months.

We'll see the real Murray as he goes in for the British title. Technically, ppl do struggle with journeymen, because journeymen come in to spoil fights.

All you need to spoil Khan is a 16 ft ring with a puncher in it like Romanov. He'd be wiped off the face of the planet.

[Autobarn]

Agreed 'Barn. I saw him fight Bothea in Vegas last year, and of the performances I've seen this was my fave. He showed great composure in that fight and paced himself well. He also fought very well against Walker on the Lacy undercard for those that were bothered to stay up late. From memory, and I was a bit tired at the time, the crowd stood up and applauded him for his performance in that fight. Didn't land early enough to catch his last Vegas fight though.

I think he deserves more respect than he's given for the Al Hamidi fight to recover from a horrible cut to win down the straight. Just ask Anthony Crolla! Especially when you consider Youssef has fought:

Murray
Crolla
Lawton
Simpson
Burns
Gomez
Cook

I refuse to judge Murray by the Hamidi fight (which I think Murray won clearly enough). Because John knocked out an equally good, equally awkward spoiler, in Harry Ramogaodi years before. I think if John fought Hamidi a couple of years ago, he would have done better, as he is beyond fighting lads like this now. Between Ramogoadi and Hamidi, they have made so many good fighters from 122-135-pounds look bad. Munyai, Cook, Simpson, Murray, Crolla, etc etc.

Agreed on the Johnny Walker fight. Walker was an awkward fighter but Murray seemed to enjoy the occasion. He looked fast and furious that night. I think the British title fight with Meager will bring the absolute best out of him.

[Poncey]

Agreed 'Barn. I saw him fight Bothea in Vegas last year, and of the performances I've seen this was my fave. He showed great composure in that fight and paced himself well. He also fought very well against Walker on the Lacy undercard for those that were bothered to stay up late. From memory, and I was a bit tired at the time, the crowd stood up and applauded him for his performance in that fight. Didn't land early enough to catch his last Vegas fight though.

I think he deserves more respect than he's given for the Al Hamidi fight to recover from a horrible cut to win down the straight. Just ask Anthony Crolla! Especially when you consider Youssef has fought:

Murray
Crolla
Lawton
Simpson
Burns
Gomez
Cook

I refuse to judge Murray by the Hamidi fight (which I think Murray won clearly enough). Because John knocked out an equally good, equally awkward spoiler, in Harry Ramogaodi years before. I think if John fought Hamidi a couple of years ago, he would have done better, as he is beyond fighting lads like this now. Between Ramogoadi and Hamidi, they have made so many good fighters from 122-135-pounds look bad. Munyai, Cook, Simpson, Murray, Crolla, etc etc.

Agreed on the Johnny Walker fight. Walker was an awkward fighter but Murray seemed to enjoy the occasion. He looked fast and furious that night. I think the British title fight with Meager will bring the absolute best out of him.

I agree. Thought the Walker fight was for an IBF INtercontinental/Youth strap but BoxRec doesn't say this. Can you remember if it was?

[Max Molyneux]

We'll see the real Murray as he goes in for the British title. Technically, ppl do struggle with journeymen, because journeymen come in to spoil fights.

Guys like Barney do(he never used to be a journeyman) but the guys Khan fought he sparked In 3 rounds or less.

Murray went to war with the ones he fought, seen no spoiling from some of them.

[Wales]

Mendoza was a good win for Murray, one fo the best on his resume IMO.

[Autobarn]

With Khan being so fast on the outside he's not going to have that kind of trouble.

Murray has to buil momentum during a fight. If he gets his rhythm broken and can't get going, he does have more trouble as he's a guy that starts slowly.

[Wales]

Guys like Barney

Murray went to war with the ones he fought, seen no spoiling from some of them.

Is barney a spoiler, or just stuck in reverse?

[ManchesterMexican]

is this matthew barney were talking about here ?

[Twinkle Toes]

I think Murray is a little overated, not been massively impressed with him so far - Him and Mitchell remind me a lot of each other, in regards their respective potential.

Hamidi did give Murray plenty to think about last time out, but then again Hamidi is on a bit of a roll (performance wise, if not winning wise) I'm not reading too much into that one.

Meager is perfect for Murray just now, and he needs to kick on from this fight and start establishing himself. If he breezes through Meager, then we'll know he has the potential to be something special.

As for calling Khan out: We know it isn't going to happen, and Hennessey should give it a rest with calling out SN fighters all the time - It is a total waste of everyone's time.

[ManchesterMexican]

is this matthew barney were talking about here ?

[Wales]

yes

[ManchesterMexican]

Thanks!

[overhand_right]

Fighting Murray would be a good PR move for Team Khan and his damaged image -- Amir could bang out Murray easily in a round, and con everyone to believing he's back & better than ever!

Murray is about 24-0 and still labouring to close nods over premliminary fighters. He looks hopeless IMO.

[hitman_hatton1]

i think the warren/hennessy thing will stop this from coming off.

[Phenomenal-Nutrition]

Fighting Murray would be a good PR move for Team Khan and his damaged
image -- Amir could bang out Murray easily in a round, and con everyone
to believing he's back & better than ever!

Murray is about 24-0 and still labouring to close nods over premliminary fighters. He looks hopeless IMO.

People said Khan would bang Gomez out in a round also. Those statements were as equally nonsensical as the above one.

People also forget he nearly did bang Gomez out in a round. Khan won't stop Murray in a round but he wins for definately, bet your house on it. Murray isn't hard to outbox (Hamaidi), is easy to hit, much slower, predictable, smaller/weaker and isn't a banger. But he is in his prime, nicely conditioned and strong at the weight so it should provide Khan a nice little workout that he'll come through with a mid rounds stoppage

Difference in class

[Phenomenal-Nutrition]

People said Khan would bang Gomez out in a round also. Those statements were as equally nonsensical as the above one.

People
also forget he nearly did bang Gomez out in a round. Khan won't stop
Murray in a round but he wins for definately, bet your house on it.
Murray isn't hard to outbox (Hamaidi), is easy to hit, much slower,
predictable, smaller/weaker and isn't a banger. But he is in his prime,
nicely conditioned and strong at the weight so it should provide Khan a
nice little workout that he'll come through with a mid rounds stoppage

Difference in class

I guess you are saying he nearly banged Gomez out in a round because he put Gomez down. I assume then that Gomez himself nearly banged Amir out in two rounds by virtue of putting Amir down. Yes, I know you are going to say Amir hit Gomez cleanly with every shot in the book in the first round but I guess that also means I can say that maybe it shows Khan's power is not all it is cracked up to be, with his finishing being even more profligate.

Hamidi himself also gave Gomez a going over in the first round of their fight. No knockdowns but numerous clean shots and he cut him up also. I think both examples tell us more about Gomez than giving a simplistic formula for the Khan-Murray fight (one that, like Khan-Thaxton-Romanov-A live body will likely not happen).

Limond is not a banger but he put Khan down. Gomez is all the things you say Khan is and he put Khan down and lasted until being stopped on his feet, due to Khan's inability to finish cleanly. Khan has himself been put down and buzzed on more than one occasion so if anything the chin question is with Murray, he has been hit sure, but unlike Khan he does not do the funky chicken every time something alights on his chin.

Let us see how Murray gets on with Meager first. Plus let us see who they bring up from SFW for Khan next time out. Murray may have had his lapses but his chin has withstood them, we cannot say the same for Khan, who seems to have the chin of a poet rather than a pugilist.

Your right Khan isnt a huge puncher I would never say he was but Gomez was far more hurt than Khan ever was in that first round and yes Gomez was getting hit right left and centre, Khan wasnt in too much trouble in round 2 despite being down (I watched it twice).

I have a feeling that if Gomez could put a Hamidi away and Murray wins a controveral decision (not saying he won or lost but some think he lost) over an ill prepared Hamidi then doesn't that make Gomez a bigger threat to Khan than Murray?

You say Murray has Withstood the punches so far BUT he hasnt fought anyone as dangerous as Limmon/Gomez/Earl has he? Plus I think Hamidi rattled him a fair bit and hamidi looked 2 divisions smaller.

I thought Murray looked the biz early in his career against the easier comp but after stepping up in class now I'd say hes made to measure for Khan

Would be nice if Khan-Murray happened now instead of them tooling around with easier fights

[Autobarn]

The thing is Khan gets a lot of opportunities, makes a lot of money, yet his flaws have barely been papered over.

Murray hasn't actually stepped up his comp, PN, because with the Fewkes fight falling apart he's remained at the same level. The performances can't improve this way. I think when he does step up on July 11, we'll actually see the performances improve.

If Murray looks dynamite the Sat after next, definitely, there are good British title defences, there is the Melero-Thaxton EBU winner and maybe even Romanov should Yuri win a belt & maybe bring it back here.

Murray's weakness is obviously a fast fighter with lots of movement (just as Khan's is power or pressure). So I think it'd be best to fight a Fewkes and a Melero level fight to prepare for things.

Like Terry says, TOTAL fallacy that Hamidi was ill prepared. Hamidi was fighting Lawton the week after, so he must have been in training. Murray can erase this by beating Meager and making a voluntary vs Lawton and break down Scott impressively. Khan's already had a number of chamionship fights so I'd like to see Murray catch up first.

I don't think Murray looks hopeless, as Overhand Right says. If anything, it looks hopeFUL. The word from the Murray comp is that lack of rounds and lack of opportunity has seen him go on the wane. So now that the big fight with Meager has been made, he can move on and up with a championship calibre performance.

[Poncey]

It's also good to see they're keeping him more active. That should help.