tonight bill, Murray

[stevieb_8006]

murray seems to be 1 of these fighters people constantly make excuses for. if you say he doesnt move his head enough they go "he catches shots on his arms". if you say he takes too many punches they say "he was never wobbled". Like that makes it ok. Its like they are willing him to be better than he actually is.

I love watching him but he always looks like hes been in a car crash, at this rates hes prob only got 3 more fights in him b4 it starts to show.

Footwork, power just arent enough for the top boys. + never feints and forgets to work his way inside. Mitchell must be kicking himself.

Also, refs do the kid A LOT of favours.

oh yes the refs certainly bat on his team..He'd be pulled up like a jaywalker in the states.

I'd fancy little rocky Rees would've beaten him tonight.

[whiskey]

Murray has looked a lot deadlier than he did tonight.

When your rusty and having a stinker, the last thing your PR excercise needs is a tough visitor whom your expected to obliterate.

He deffo was rusty, that much is true. But what really struck me was how overtrained he looked in there.

Was he training to hard for his Warren debut? Or was it the exact opposite and he took this guy lightly, just like the bookies did.

Either way I agree about forgetting a bad ass like Rios for now.

[stevieb_8006]

just feel its so easy to go on about ring rust etc. class should still tell. He did look a bit overtrained and empty tho didnt he. Do u think he struggled at the weight?

[Horse]

Having 6 1/2 months out of the ring isn't a huge amount of time to be inactive. Why should he be so rusty?

[Final round]

murray seems to be 1 of these fighters people constantly make excuses for. if you say he doesnt move his head enough they go "he catches shots on his arms". if you say he takes too many punches they say "he was never wobbled". Like that makes it ok. Its like they are willing him to be better than he actually is.

I love watching him but he always looks like hes been in a car crash, at this rates hes prob only got 3 more fights in him b4 it starts to show.

Footwork, power just arent enough for the top boys. + never feints and forgets to work his way inside. Mitchell must be kicking himself.

Also, refs do the kid A LOT of favours.

oh yes the refs certainly bat on his team..He'd be pulled up like a jaywalker in the states.

I'd fancy little rocky Rees would've beaten him tonight.

Rees on top form would have outworked him on that performance.

[davie]

based purely on tonights performance, murray better hope there are some weak world champions. as that was far from world class

I had the scorecard very close and had the referee deducted the correct points, murray lost that fight for me.

murray landed low blows, shots to the back of the head, pushed his opponent to the floor and lead with the skull all night, then his opponent loses a point for flicking his head out in frustration.

murray didn't look too classy, but brawlers often don't but my concern is he didn't even look dominant in close. brawlers can make entertaining fights but i thought he just looked tired and scrappy tonight. he walked onto too many straight leads and can be thankful ouazghari had no knock out punch

i've seen john fight better, so lets just hope thats an off night.

i'd leave the world title shot for another fight at very least. but i'd question whether he can reach that level if he keeps fighting the way he did tonight

[the truth]

Alhamidi got well robbed v Murray a year or two ago I remember it well..

[goldenears]

just back from york hall. Murray won that fight but against that class off opposition you would expect him too. He boxed in straight lines and looked flat and too easy to hit and a better opponent would have hurt him tonight. He didn't look ready to step up a level. Reminiscent of Hatton in his head down and pressure forward style but the top men at lightweight would do a number on him on that form - and i bet Mitchell was kicking himself for not taking the fight given that if he'd have fought the way he did against Prescott he would have got a result.

Murray should forget the likes of Katsidis let alone JMM etc for now, he's a least a couple of fights away - maybe Mitchell is actually the better option although a dangerous one. Having said that Burns looked shocking in his fight before Martinez so maybe there's another gear there, but as was pointed out to me in the Burns discussion, SFW much weaker than Lightweight.

If he can't get a shot at Murray, maybe Mitchell v Crolla could be a hell of a domestic scrap.

Lot of work needed for John though, can't believe he's been mentioned as a possible opponent for Khan, that would be a destruction on current form. Maidana a much much bigger hitting version of Murray stylistically.

[lefty]

i see what your saying, but he wasn't wobbled or looking like he was going to lose.
yes it was a tough fight, but i think Ouazghari isn't finished at this level yet.

To be honest though Quaghari got knocked out by daniel rasilla who's hardly a world beater!

[lefty]

just back from york hall. Murray won that fight but against that class off opposition you would expect him too. He boxed in straight lines and looked flat and too easy to hit and a better opponent would have hurt him tonight. He didn't look ready to step up a level. Reminiscent of Hatton in his head down and pressure forward style but the top men at lightweight would do a number on him on that form - and i bet Mitchell was kicking himself for not taking the fight given that if he'd have fought the way he did against Prescott he would have got a result.

Murray should forget the likes of Katsidis let alone JMM etc for now, he's a least a couple of fights away - maybe Mitchell is actually the better option although a dangerous one. Having said that Burns looked shocking in his fight before Martinez so maybe there's another gear there, but as was pointed out to me in the Burns discussion, SFW much weaker than Lightweight.

If he can't get a shot at Murray, maybe Mitchell v Crolla could be a hell of a domestic scrap.

Lot of work needed for John though, can't believe he's been mentioned as a possible opponent for Khan, that would be a destruction on current form. Maidana a much much bigger hitting version of Murray stylistically.

Mitchell would do a number on crolla i reckon.

[goldenears]

just back from york hall. Murray won that fight but against that class off opposition you would expect him too. He boxed in straight lines and looked flat and too easy to hit and a better opponent would have hurt him tonight. He didn't look ready to step up a level. Reminiscent of Hatton in his head down and pressure forward style but the top men at lightweight would do a number on him on that form - and i bet Mitchell was kicking himself for not taking the fight given that if he'd have fought the way he did against Prescott he would have got a result.

Murray should forget the likes of Katsidis let alone JMM etc for now, he's a least a couple of fights away - maybe Mitchell is actually the better option although a dangerous one. Having said that Burns looked shocking in his fight before Martinez so maybe there's another gear there, but as was pointed out to me in the Burns discussion, SFW much weaker than Lightweight.

If he can't get a shot at Murray, maybe Mitchell v Crolla could be a hell of a domestic scrap.

Lot of work needed for John though, can't believe he's been mentioned as a possible opponent for Khan, that would be a destruction on current form. Maidana a much much bigger hitting version of Murray stylistically.

Mitchell would do a number on crolla i reckon.

Crolla v Mitchell would be a nice fight though. Crolla improving, Mitchell a lot to prove - title on the line etc.

[FIGHTFANs]

just back from york hall. Murray won that fight but against that class off opposition you would expect him too. He boxed in straight lines and looked flat and too easy to hit and a better opponent would have hurt him tonight. He didn't look ready to step up a level. Reminiscent of Hatton in his head down and pressure forward style but the top men at lightweight would do a number on him on that form - and i bet Mitchell was kicking himself for not taking the fight given that if he'd have fought the way he did against Prescott he would have got a result.

Murray should forget the likes of Katsidis let alone JMM etc for now, he's a least a couple of fights away - maybe Mitchell is actually the better option although a dangerous one. Having said that Burns looked shocking in his fight before Martinez so maybe there's another gear there, but as was pointed out to me in the Burns discussion, SFW much weaker than Lightweight.

If he can't get a shot at Murray, maybe Mitchell v Crolla could be a hell of a domestic scrap.

Lot of work needed for John though, can't believe he's been mentioned as a possible opponent for Khan, that would be a destruction on current form. Maidana a much much bigger hitting version of Murray stylistically.

Good post Murray should get him self to America and train over there before he moves up to world class he dose not seem to be improving over his last few fights.

[mickey1975]

just back from york hall. Murray won that fight but against that class off opposition you would expect him too. He boxed in straight lines and looked flat and too easy to hit and a better opponent would have hurt him tonight. He didn't look ready to step up a level. Reminiscent of Hatton in his head down and pressure forward style but the top men at lightweight would do a number on him on that form - and i bet Mitchell was kicking himself for not taking the fight given that if he'd have fought the way he did against Prescott he would have got a result.

Murray should forget the likes of Katsidis let alone JMM etc for now, he's a least a couple of fights away - maybe Mitchell is actually the better option although a dangerous one. Having said that Burns looked shocking in his fight before Martinez so maybe there's another gear there, but as was pointed out to me in the Burns discussion, SFW much weaker than Lightweight.

If he can't get a shot at Murray, maybe Mitchell v Crolla could be a hell of a domestic scrap.

Lot of work needed for John though, can't believe he's been mentioned as a possible opponent for Khan, that would be a destruction on current form. Maidana a much much bigger hitting version of Murray stylistically.

Reminiscent of Hatton? Hatton looked exceptional in every fight on the way up and would have made short work of this type of opponent.Cant see Mitchell-Crolla being made either considering the different promotional camps.

[Old bones Ian]

Maybe motivation was the problem, its got to be hard to train and really push yourself when everyone is saying its going to be an easy payday , and your a 20/1 favourite.

Give him his shot at the world champ and see if he sinks or swims, whatever happens he won't be in a bad fight.

[Trojans44]

Completely disagree with those saying Murray needs to wait before going to world level. Wait for what? He's 26 and unbeaten in 31. The guy is at his peak, there's very little room for improvement. People who think another 2 fights will massively improve him are kidding themselves. He's just not that good. He should take a title shot before someone else beats him. Its sink or swim time for Murray.

[CiganoBoxer]

Completely disagree with those saying Murray needs to wait before going to world level. Wait for what? He's 26 and unbeaten in 31. The guy is at his peak, there's very little room for improvement. People who think another 2 fights will massively improve him are kidding themselves. He's just not that good. He should take a title shot before someone else beats him. Its sink or swim time for Murray.

Agreed ...Murray for me in a lot of his fights has looked very limited....

[gobbles]

Ouazghari gets a point deducted for a low blow, bit unlucky. then he gets a KD called against him, when it look a bit of a push, but punches were landed.

Point off was for a very blatant headbutt. TV angle didn't catch it well and they never showed a replay because of the knockdown.

[palooka]

Completely disagree with those saying Murray needs to wait before going to world level. Wait for what? He's 26 and unbeaten in 31. The guy is at his peak, there's very little room for improvement. People who think another 2 fights will massively improve him are kidding themselves. He's just not that good. He should take a title shot before someone else beats him. Its sink or swim time for Murray.

Some fights John looks like a million dollars; he had a far tougher night with Ouazghari than anyone anticipated.

A hard fight against someone hardly anyone knew anything about doesn't make him a poor fighter. I'm not sure though that John will manage against the cream of the lightweight division. I think Kevin Mitchell would have stood him on his head on how John fought last night. If John gets Katsidis then, in an exciting bout, John would get clobbered. he does take a fair few shots flush. The gap between British and European level does find some capable fighters out. The gulf from European to top World level has destroyed a lot of very good fighters. Lightweight is a particularly hard division. John has plugged away and I hope he gets his shot; he's far from being a mandatory though. Fighting pretty much straightforward like he does he'll get done in by any 'proper' World top 5 lightweight. (IMO)

[Tomasino]

Murray is nowhere near world class, he is dirty and struggles at euro level.

He would get destroyed of anyone in the legit top 5. Was sad to see his head movement has not improved over 30 odd fights.

[goldenears]

Reminiscent of Hatton? Hatton looked exceptional in every fight on the way up and would have made short work of this type of opponent.Cant see Mitchell-Crolla being made either considering the different promotional camps.

only really meant reminiscent of Hatton in his pressure style, constantly coming at you in a straight line digging to the body, cutting down the ring etc - you could always find Ricky in a fight, he was never elusive, and John Murray even more so ...wasn't comparing them talent wise. It's hard to judge Ricky in a way because the real steps up he took were against the 2 best boxers of our generation and he got made to look amateur by both, but he's in good company there - beating Castillo and Tszyu (even though he was rusty and had been fairly inactive) were good wins and even Paulie had pedigree and Ricky dealt with him readily.

You'd have to say that if Katsidis can't make a serious dent on the very top fighters in the LW division, it's very very hard to see Murray getting anywhere near. Every time Kat has tried to step to that next level he's been done, and worryingly, like Mitchell it feels like John is operating below Katsidis' level too.

Still find it mad that Murrays biggest supporters think he would beat Khan.

Talking about waiting another fight or 2 before going to world level - the reason i would say that is because there's clearly adjustments he needs to make with Joe before he can step into the ring with top class operators. Kevin Mitchell to his credit fought a punch perfect fight against Prescott and its hard to see John ever putting in that sort of performance (or like Haye did against Valuev) that is a total tactical switch from his instinctive style, and he will need to be able to mix it up with some head movement / in and out boxing as well as just pressuring and getting hit on the way in. Feel like he needs to put that into practise before using up his shot. But thats just my opinion.

Imagine him walking onto Katsidis' shots the way he did last night, or having JMM counter him and disappear, Soto would find him too easy to hit too. Whatever the reason was you'd think he needs to get some serious momentum going rather than going off the back of something like this, but as I said before, Burns win over Martinez came from nowhere so he could surprise us all if properly motivated

[Trojans44]

Agreed. John Murray should send a thank-you card to Khan for not making that fight. A savage beating woul have ensued.

I could very well be verging on lunacy here but dont you think if Alex Arthur could recover even a shred of what he had that he could stop Murray? If the Spaniard had more pop in his gloves he would have stopped Murray. Arthur has always had knockout power and been strong in the later rounds. Good fight for Burns if he moves up as well.

[Horse]

I could very well be verging on lunacy here but dont you think if Alex Arthur could recover even a shred of what he had that he could stop Murray?

Arthur at his best would batter Murray, in my opinion. I highly doubt Arthur will return to anywhere near his best though.

[NazNaci1]

Don't care what anyone says, Jim Watt was bang on last night, in his assesment.

Murray never had head movement or great power, to begin with and doesn't now. He relies on breaking his opponents will. Which is fine upto to the fringes of World Class.

There it gets alot more difficult, as guys can either bang with real power, are super slick, take what the likes of Murray can offer or any combo of these.

Murray is still better than Mitchell, who is vastly overrated, but both a short of world class. Murray could sneak something against a weaker title holder, but against the likes of Marquez, Vasquez etc....stay well clear.

Fair play to the lad as thats what Fw@nk W does, bides time, and then pounces on a weak / aging belt holder, then cue the home defences against not too demanding fighters making them all a fair bit of money in the process. It's not about giving value or fighting the best, Fw@nk's style doesn't do that. He makes money, and thats a fair cop as its Warren's money at stake and fighters nowadays are more interested in money than creating a lasting legacy.

For any chance of improvement Murray had to go with GBP, the risk is though, they match them hard. When he picked Warren, I pretty knew what to expect and how things will pan out.

[Autobarn]

Pish performance fae Murray. If that was Rios!

not seen murray-quazghari yet. but rios had an absolutely terrible performance on HBO a couple of fights ago and on that showing he had no chance to beat acosta...

[Autobarn]

Murray has looked a lot deadlier than he did tonight.

When your rusty and having a stinker, the last thing your PR excercise needs is a tough visitor whom your expected to obliterate.

He deffo was rusty, that much is true. But what really struck me was how overtrained he looked in there.

Was he training to hard for his Warren debut? Or was it the exact opposite and he took this guy lightly, just like the bookies did.

Either way I agree about forgetting a bad ass like Rios for now.

i think that might be what it takes to get the best out of him.

hopefully FW can keep him busy, build momentum, get him a good money/profile fight with kevin mitchell and then one of the title holders from arum's stable might fancy it.