John Murray: British Boxing on the Rise
By Donald Stewart
Supporting sports men and women throughout the World means that you have to take the rough with the smooth. Sometimes there are highs and then along comes the lows. You manage the highs real easy but the lows, well. Before each encounter you believe that your pick will manage to prove the doubters wrong and you can boast your faith was right all along.
In boxing your focus is squarely on the shoulders of one man or woman. Their progress can be measured in so many ways – the number of victories, knockouts, rounds boxed, defeats and draws as percentages of the overall fight total.
These measurements for people who look from the inside out can be meaningful in terms of them being able to predict what happens. Part of being a supporter is that the immense odds stacked against your team/boxer means absolutely nothing and you are left with hope and belief before doubt and proof.
British boxing is sitting at the top of a rosy tree. There is a period here and now which is like a golden period as we have four world champions and the former amateurs coming through from their Olympic triumphs at Beijing and onto the professional ranks with a bang and not a whimper.
Their progress is not the only thing to celebrate as there were already many boxers ready to make good their early promise.
Step into the ring John Murray 31-0, 18 KO’s, European Champion at Lightweight. In May 2010 he won the European and British belt impressively and many thought with an unbeaten record of nearly 30 fights at the time he was destined for the next level. A successful defense followed and hushed tones were surrounding a man who is one of two boxing brothers – his brother Joe Murray 10-0, 5 KO’s, – a featherweight – as a potential contender for a World Title fight.
As a precursor to that he was matched in his latest fight against Karim El Ouazghari 11-2-2, 5 KO’s. A Spaniard with a record that suggested John could show off his skills and get beyond this level and catapult himself into the next level. What transpired was an uneasy night of boxing for John and a learning curve he would rather have avoided.
Ouazghari was awkward. He did not give in and his 14 fight record didn’t include a 12 round fight. Mind you neither had John!
The battle to weather past 10 rounds was an interesting one and both fighters managed to do so with a little bit of a struggle.
John Murray seemed to enter the ring with the World on his shoulders and his tense nature in the ring meant that Ouazghari was able to pick his shots and make John work exceptionally hard for his victory.
John did deserve his win but what the fight proved was that, if he wants a shot at a world title the type of fighter put in front of him really needs to be one he can boss, dictates the agenda with and more importantly put out the contest as easily as a potential World Champ should. We have been through some of the post mortem of his victory and the opportunity to step up seems to have faded for a while at least. He needs at least another defense of his European title.
It brought home the need to remember your career is a marathon in boxing and not a sprint. In the context of the guys currently working their way up from the Beijing peak to the new professional ranks they want to excel within they would do well to learn their trade.
John has hung round the fringes of a World title shot for some time and his name was certainly in hushed tones but insistent ones. It was time. He was the real deal. 30 fights undefeated what does he have to do? He has to convince, that is what he has to do. He had his shot and he hasn’t blown it but he has put it back a while.
As a supporter I am sure that his time shall come and he will get the chance to be World Champ. This is a rough and low time for him but it will be temporary. The odds against him are less stacked than they have been before. This is an experience on which eh can and will build and come back more likely to have a long term career than be short term flash.
After 31 fights that does sound very harsh – mainly because it is – but the reality of being at the top of your game in the World stage is that you have to be at your best against the best at all times. The gulf between those who manage it and those who want to achieve it doesn’t get bigger but the commentators can spot the gulf between achievement and desire.
Maybe not today as Bugsy said, but maybe some day his time will come.