BoxRec

Bob Murphy turned amateur after getting out of the Navy in San Diego after WWII. George Radovich owned The Arizona Cafe in ithe beach community in Ocean Beach in Dago and handled his early career. I remember going into Gearges's joint back in the day a when the subject boxing came up Murphy was always the topic. The Arizona was alively place. The old L.A. Rams (Waterfield,Van Brocklin.Hirsch,Skeets Quinlan) to do some sports fishing and then tthey raised hell in Georges's place closing it down and then go down to Tijuana to whore around-boys will be boys. Well Murphy had no problem fitting in with that bunch. He was Irish and tough and go on binge with the best of them. When he turned pro Hadfield took him over and Bob ran up a pretty good record. He beat everybody on the west coast except for Clarence Henry(one of those big punchers who either got knocked out or knocked you out) That night Henry caught Murphy with a beautifully timed right. Murphy didn't want anything to do with Archie Moore who was also from San Diego. Murphy had too much to lose as a lot of good white fighters when they were considering a fight with the Mongoose Those black light heavies could only get fights with each other in those days (Williams,Bivins,Moore,Cocoa Kid,even Charley Burley)but that's another story. Any way Murphy gets a shot at Jake Lamotta in New york. I worked with an old timer named Earl Anderson. He did some boxing but had to give it up because of cuts around his eyes. He worked out with Murphy and followed him around all the time. He hero worhipped Bob. Earl told me for some reason Bob hated Italians. He said he was with him once in a restaurant and they'd both been drinking. Sitting in the place is Rocky Marciano eating dinner. Murhy goes over to Rocky's table,grabs his collar and wants to fight him in the restaurant. They break it up before all hell breaks loose-boys will be boys. Any way Murphy hates La Motta's guts because he's Italian and pounds Jake pretty good busting one of his ribs. LaMotta decides he's had enough of the crazy Irishman and stays in his corner for the 7th round. Now Murphy,Earl told me,gets a call from Joey Maxim for a shot at the title in the Garden. Now Maxim can't break an egg and he's Italian. Bob can sock and he's on a streak. Maxim better watch his cannolis. Murphy is a 12 to 5 favorite,but Maxim is controlled by the mob. Earl Anderson told me before the fight he went into Murphy's dressing room to wish him luck. Earl told me that he saw Hadfield in a corner crying and Murphy breaking all the furniture against the wall. Murphy looks horrible losing a lopsided decision. I guess a couple of hicks from California were no match for the Carbos and Palermos from the Apple-boys will be boys. After that Murphy joins Marlon Brando on a one way ticket to palookaville.He dies in car accident in Boston in 61. He was probably drunk. I don't think Earl Anderson ever got over his death.t

Dude, can you please edit it? Break it down into paragraphs or double space between sentences.

..okay..you like irish bob...ad yes, he was a good, tough fighter. but you do fail to mention he was outclassed by harry "kid" matthews (and matthews was no kid even then). and to suggest that maxim totally outclassed him and gave him a boxing lesson was somehow due to mob control just doesn't jibe. the only control in that fight was essentially from maxim's jab, and against a southpaw at that. plus, there is the matter of the rematch with lamotta, which jake won.

not trying to knock murphy....but just adding a few facts to your essay.

The one thing that can be said of Murphy is, though he never won the Light Heavyweight crown, he was arguably right behind Michael Spinks and Bob Foster in terms of punching prowess. Being third place in that department at 175 isn't too shabby.

HomicideHenry wrote:The one thing that can be said of Murphy is, though he never won the Light Heavyweight crown, he was arguably right behind Michael Spinks and Bob Foster in terms of punching prowess. Being third place in that department at 175 isn't too shabby.

A very hard puncher, but there have been a LOT of very hard punching light HWs. I'm wouldn't put Murphy over the likes of Carpantier, Dillon, Moore, and Charles in terms of punching power. But he was a very good, very tough fighter. His wars with LaMotta are worth watching.

Irish Bob Murphy

Irish Bob Murphy (L) vs Danny Nardico...1951

Bob Murphy was certainly a very exciting, quality fighter and he is one my favorites of the 40s and 50s, but Joey Maxim is an all-time great! Maxim was one of the strongest light heavyweights in history, but he just lacked a big punch!

As a good friend and top boxing historian recently said to me, many fighters after facing Maxim in the ring would later say that when Maxim would grab a fighter during a clinch, or anytime during a fight, it was like someone putting that part of your body into a vice-grip and tightening it as tight as you could get it…Maxim was very, very powerful in terms of strength, he just lacked the big punch!

If Maxim would have had a knockout punch then people would be consistently placing him among the greatest of all-time!