John Murray to fight in March?

[leforge]

http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2010/02/19/977431

Seems a strange decsion if true.

[15829]

at least hes fighting, wish it was manchester so i could of gone

[leforge]

at least hes fighting, wish it was manchester so i could of gone

How does this help him build a fanbase. He be better off fighting on Haye bill!

[MrBoxingUK2]

at least hes fighting, wish it was manchester so i could of gone

How does this help him build a fanbase. He be better off fighting on Haye bill!

he is fighting on showtime and getting some much needed exposure over there

[Horse]

Primetime?

[winkveron]

Which Fayetville? There are loads in the USA. Gutted, was really hoping to go to this.

[Autobarn]

if he has a european title shot, and showtime coverage, all i can say is "about time." i hope it's all true. murray showed fine boxing skills in his last fight, skills that some may have been surprised to see from him. i have had high hopes re murray for 2 or 3 years and considering his solidness, his strength and quality pressure, reckon he will go far.

weird that they's supposedly fighting in america, for a european title. if murray is impressive, i hope ppl will be hyperventilating as they were after cleverly-brancalion

[Rockys gum shield]

at least hes fighting, wish it was manchester so i could of gone

You cant keep a fighter in his home town all the time he needs to be stealing headlines across the globe . Having said that I hope we see him back in Manchester because the lad has quality .


Murray vs Mitchell

[iwz678]

John Murray wont fight on Haye bill coz John Murray is a Hennessy fighter.

I dont think there was no problem with the venue it's coz Hennessy cant get a TV deal and this opportunity has come around and the fight will supposedly be in America which is very weird.

Has the board confirmed the fight?

[whicker]

A European title being contested in america- why not, if it makes a profit.

Tickets are cheap enough- $35 , $45 etc.

[Adamj1987]

at least hes fighting, wish it was manchester so i could of gone

X2

[Coco]

Everyone should be grateful he is fighting, lets hope he isn't having chump change

[MrBoxingUK2]

at least hes fighting, wish it was manchester so i could of gone

You cant keep a fighter in his home town all the time he needs to be stealing headlines across the globe . Having said that I hope we see him back in Manchester because the lad has quality .


Murray vs Mitchell

mitchell outboxes murray for a bit then stops him for my money. kev is the better all round fighter. murray is good at what he does,but very crude

[Autobarn]

I don't see Mitchell simply outboxing and then stopping Murray. Murray is very correct, puts more into his shots, keeps his chin lower.

Mitchell got a good win over Prescott and made a statement on a Khan show. But Prescott was no longer considered a world class fighter following a disappointing defeat. Mitchell showed good boxing ability but was stealing the 7 or 8 rds he appeared to take, and sitting down on hardly any of his shots.

It would be a great, tought fight. I think it would go back and forth, very hard fought, with the edge to Murray. Always saw Murray-Mitchell as the best British fight, because of how tough they are.

[Counter-puncher]

I don't see Mitchell simply outboxing and then stopping Murray. Murray is very correct, puts more into his shots, keeps his chin lower.

you can turn that around though too mate

Mitchell has quicker hands, better footwork & movement, possibly hits harder with one punch and might be the better combination puncher too IMO

[15829]

id love mitchell murray to happen, but cant see it if it does i think mitchell nicks it close on points

[mickey1975]

It is an excellent match up should it come off.Probably the best in Britain,much better than "the fights that never was",Hatton-Witter,Calzaghe-Froch,etc.

[Autobarn]

I don't see Mitchell simply outboxing and then stopping Murray. Murray is very correct, puts more into his shots, keeps his chin lower.

you can turn that around though too mate

Mitchell has quicker hands, better footwork & movement, possibly hits harder with one punch and might be the better combination puncher too IMO

mitchell's definitely lighter on his feet. but i think he throws shots as he's moving a lot, which takes power of his punches. reckon michell's power hasn't been proven at 135, either. murray looks the more composed, accurate, economical, mature fighter and i think he'd overcome a slow start to hurt mitchell on the inside. ppl do fret about murray's defense but mitchell is the one i've seen taking the big head spinning shots.

i would love to see this fight. i never saw murray-khan or mitchell-khan ever happening. there were hopes once that great lightweight fights would happen over here and i always wished for murray v mitchell. hopefully there will be a big enough prize for the two of them to duke it out. these fights never happen unless the prize is right. in this case i reckon no less than a world title.

[Rockys gum shield]

It is an excellent match up should it come off.Probably the best in Britain,much better than "the fights that never was",Hatton-Witter,Calzaghe-Froch,etc.

The only reason these fights never happened as 2 of the named fighters were fighting at a totally different level to the other two . I dont see that gap with Murray and Mitchell Id say the gap is pretty close .

I believe this fight will happen towards the end of 2010 both fighters need this kind of fight to launch them into the general publics eye .

[ApolloCreed]

Andy Murray v john Murray in early 2011 for John's EBU belt.
Call it.
Murray for me

[Autobarn]

just read on here, and boxrecnews, that mezaache has vacated.

bummer. someone always pulls out of the EBU fights between a brit and a european.

does the TV date still stand, for a replacement opponent?

[leforge]

EBU Lightweight Championship
Vacant Title

Dear Sirs,

Following to our communication of 22nd February last, we inform you that the EBU Lightweight vacant title will be disputed, in short terms, between John Murray and Andrei Kudriatsev.

Therefore, we are calling for the purse offers and the last term to receive the bids will expire on Wednesday 24th March 2010 at 12 noon. However, if before such a date we receive the contracts duly signed by all the parties, the purse offers will be declared null and void.


this is from the board. Looking like May!

[leforge]

He actually see fighting on the March bill I read on boxing scene against unamed opponent.

[tyson]

By Terence Dooley

John Murray returns to action at The Crown Centre in Fayetteville, North Carolina on March the 19th against an unnamed opponent. The ten rounder will be showcased on Showtime’s ShoBox programme and promoter Mick Hennessy has assured Murray that he will be fighting a quality international foe.

The 25-year-old British lightweight champion has been in the gym since his four-round dissection of Jon Thaxton back in October. However, Murray, 28-0 (6), has since seen his position as British number one placed under threat by the emergence of Kevin Mitchell at 135lb yet John, whose European title tilt has been pushed onto the backburner, still believes that he is top dog on the domestic scene; he intends to prove this by travelling abroad to take on a strong opponent.

“It is on March the 19th, an American job and it is in North Carolina, I think, I’ve never been so don’t really know anything about the place,” enthused Murray when talking about the upcoming contest.

“Mick is working on something. We were meant to be fighting Mezaache over there for the European but he’s vacated now so I’m doing a ten rounder. I boxed Thaxton on October the 3rd and came out off the fight uninjured and feeling really fit so I went back to the gym after two weeks hoping to get the call for another fight.

“I like to fight as often as possible as inactivity is my worst enemy. I had six months out after beating Meager and McAllister but you saw me beat Lawton and then look my best when fighting Thaxton within four months. I’m trying not to go stale in the gym and am hanging on, trying not to slow down.”

Anthony Mezaache’s decision to vacate the EBU title in order to sit on his WBC #2 ranking has left Hennessy scrambling to find a suitable opponent for the 19th. Assuming Murray faces an American opponent he will find himself very much on enemy ground as the venue is sandwiched between a number of US military bases and the audience will no doubt be bolstered by a large number of patriotic American troops.

There will also be concerns over the officials selected for the contest, Carolina is a boxing backwater and the quality of the judges and referee will reflect this fact. Murray, should he face a US boxer, will find himself firmly behind enemy lines for this showcase.

Indeed, Murray has been angered by Mezaache’s decision and is cognisant of the fact that what was once a neutral away day encounter could become a torrid test of character. Still, the fighter is desperate to impress on his third visit to US shores and is ready to tackle anyone.

“This is a great opportunity and a chance to showcase my talents on Shobox. I want to fight often and hope to go into the European fight after this one. The guy, Mezaache, doesn’t want to fight me as I’d go into that fight as a favourite, and his managers know that, so they are looking at holding out for a world title – I’d have loved to have boxed him and got that belt around my waist earlier,” blasted Murray.

“I will see how this break will affect my performance. I might find it hard to peak for this one but it means I’ll be at my best for the European one. Mick has done well to get me over in America and is trying to keep me active but this could be a banana skin for me. I don’t want to have any off nights at this level. I do know that if you put me in for that European title I’ll produce my best.”

Both Murray and Hennessy called for fights against the likes of Michael Katsidis and Juan Diaz in the wake of the win over Thaxton. Disappointingly, Kevin is likely to snatch a fight with Katsidis from under Murray’s nose but the Mancunian believes that Mitchell is a bona fide fighter and, supposing Kevin beats the Australian, that the Londoner will accommodate him should the time come.

“I said I wanted Katsidis or Diaz to try to get into the mix. I know I can fight at that class and have to see other fighters get the opportunities. Kevin Mitchell was a British super-featherweight champ a few fights ago but he’s come up and is going straight into a world title fight, which is very frustrating for me. I work really hard for my fights and saw the Thaxton win as a launch pad for the big names. I waited for the European title and Mezaache has made it a wait not worth waiting for,” fumed Murray.

“Possibly, that could happen,” he stated when asked about Mitchell. “I know Kevin would love the fight as he thinks he can win it quite easily, he sees me as a come-forward brawler - so why not have a domestic world title fight? I was there the night he beat Breidis Prescott, people were saying I should have fought the Columbian. I told them that I accepted a fight with Prescott, after he beat Khan, but nothing happened and it was very frustrating.

“It has been nearly two years since the Lee Meager win and I’ve stopped all my opponents since then in British title fights. I’ve come out of those fights with limited damage and as long as I’m active you will see the best of me.”

Ironically, two recent victims were moved into title fights shortly after losing to Murray; Lee McAllister picked up the Commonwealth title by defeating Godfriend Sowah just five months after suffering a KO defeat to Murray; Scott Lawton dropped a weight, defeated Derry Matthews, and was then given a surprise EBU title shot against Leva Kirakosyan. Murray has been left scratching his head but does have a few words of advice for British fighters looking to get a title shot.

“The joke at the gym is that if you get beat by me you’ll get a title shot straight away! Sometimes a loss can do you good and open doors that were closed, a loss to me gets you a title shot so why not step up and fight me,” deadpanned Murray, who plans to be prudent and hold onto his British title.

“I’m not giving my belt up,” he declared. “I’m not giving anything up until someone beats me in the ring for it. I’m proud to be the best in Britain and will defend the title against anyone. People might think I’ve got a chip on each shoulder but that is because I’m always so hungry! I’ll never say no to a fight and will take anything I can get, and I’m prepared to go away to America and fight whoever they want me to fight.

“I turned pro early and have a limited time period in the game so I want to make my way in the sport over the next three years. This fight is about keeping active, the Americans like my style and I like fighting in front of them. My head is switched on to do a job in America and launch myself over there,” promised Murray.

[Autobarn]

hopefully murray finally gets his shobox date and can make a statement. i belive murray had a shobox date once, but was injured and couldn't do it (a fight in canada?). then fewkes pulled out on a big bill (you can almost believe what spud says, that ppl are trying actively to muscle out hennessy); now it's mezaache, giving up that EBU title.

it seems that showbox ("the new generation") could do with a good lightweight to showcase. their last fighter, antonio demarco, got battered by edwin valero. valero is moving up to 140 for a 3rd title. humberto soto and david diaz for the vacant title. mezaache as #1 contender.

murray could be in line for a shot at humberto soto for the WBC title. soto is a killer, but his strength and power HAVE NOT travelled up to lightweight. it could be murray's year. if he and mitchell both get belts, what an amazing fight that would be.