John Murray emerged as British boxing's next superstar in waiting, with the potential to take over from Ricky Hatton as a Manchester legend, as he took only four rounds to stop Jon Thaxton, the former European champion, on Saturday.
Aged 24 and unbeaten in 28 bouts, Murray seems ready for the big time. Saturday's win in Altrincham enabled him to regain the British lightweight title he lost when weighing 2oz over the limit for a title defence in June.
But lesson learnt, Murray is beginning to look a complete boxer. While he now chases a world title at lightweight, in the long term a clash with another boxer from Greater Manchester, Amir Khan, the WBA light welterweight champion, becomes a mouthwatering prospect.
The similarities with Hatton, another aggressive pressure fighter, are obvious. Murray trains, under Joe Gallagher, in the same gym in Denton where Hatton worked with Billy Graham for 11 years and he even supports Manchester City. But Murray must now make the step from selling out leisure centres to filling big arenas, although the healthy crowd that watched him weigh in at the Arndale Centre in Manchester shows that he is becoming well known.
“Ricky is coming to the end of his career now, so hopefully I can be the heir apparent,” Murray said. “I'm starting to make a name for myself in Manchester and I want to build on that.”
He hunted down Thaxton, 35, in fine style, throwing hard punches from behind a high guard. Thaxton was caught flush several times by Murray before an overhand right had him backtracking to the ropes, prompting Howard Foster, the referee, to stop the bout. Thaxton and his corner protested, but the outcome looked inevitable.
“Every time I landed I seemed to rock him to his boots,” Murray said. “He's had a great career, there is no point him going out on his back.”
Gallagher, who trained Matthew Macklin to win the European middleweight title eight days earlier, called it “a punch perfect performance”.
Murray is mandatory challenger for the European title, held by Anthony Mezaache, of France, but Mick Hennessy, his promoter, could look farther afield. “He's one of the very best lightweights on the world stage now,” he said. “He could be ready for a big fight in America.”
Murray has already boxed across the Atlantic four times, twice in Las Vegas in 2007, where he fought on the Floyd Mayweather Jr-Oscar De La Hoya undercard and topped a bill the night before Mayweather Hatton.
“I've proved I'm the best in Britain,” Murray said. “I want to box again as soon as possible and I want to box for a world title within 12 months. Michael Katsidis [the interim WBO champion from Australia] has just won a title. That would be a great fight and I think I have the style to beat him.” Hatton, of course, beat an Australian [Kostya Tszyu] for his first genuine world title.
Audley Harrison hopes to challenge for the European heavyweight title after winning the Prizefighter tournament in London on Friday.
“Hopefully a door in the UK has opened again for me,” Harrison said. “There is still hope for me. I don't worry or get upset about the boos. I come from the ghettos, have been to jail, went to college, went to university, won an Olympic gold and should be celebrating that I am the boy done good.”
Meanwhile, Danny Williams, looks likely to retire after losing his Prizefighter first round bout to Carl Baker. The British heavyweight champion had his greatest moment in 2004, when he knocked out Mike Tyson in four rounds in Louisville, Kentucky. He challenged Vitali Klitschko for the WBC title in Las Vegas in his next bout and was stopped in eight rounds.
A judge in Las Vegas has issued an arrest warrant for Roger Mayweather, the trainer and uncle of Floyd, after he failed to show up for a court appearance. He is charged with attacking a female boxer.
Aged 24 and unbeaten in 28 bouts, Murray seems ready for the big time. Saturday's win in Altrincham enabled him to regain the British lightweight title he lost when weighing 2oz over the limit for a title defence in June.
But lesson learnt, Murray is beginning to look a complete boxer. While he now chases a world title at lightweight, in the long term a clash with another boxer from Greater Manchester, Amir Khan, the WBA light welterweight champion, becomes a mouthwatering prospect.
The similarities with Hatton, another aggressive pressure fighter, are obvious. Murray trains, under Joe Gallagher, in the same gym in Denton where Hatton worked with Billy Graham for 11 years and he even supports Manchester City. But Murray must now make the step from selling out leisure centres to filling big arenas, although the healthy crowd that watched him weigh in at the Arndale Centre in Manchester shows that he is becoming well known.
“Ricky is coming to the end of his career now, so hopefully I can be the heir apparent,” Murray said. “I'm starting to make a name for myself in Manchester and I want to build on that.”
He hunted down Thaxton, 35, in fine style, throwing hard punches from behind a high guard. Thaxton was caught flush several times by Murray before an overhand right had him backtracking to the ropes, prompting Howard Foster, the referee, to stop the bout. Thaxton and his corner protested, but the outcome looked inevitable.
“Every time I landed I seemed to rock him to his boots,” Murray said. “He's had a great career, there is no point him going out on his back.”
Gallagher, who trained Matthew Macklin to win the European middleweight title eight days earlier, called it “a punch perfect performance”.
Murray is mandatory challenger for the European title, held by Anthony Mezaache, of France, but Mick Hennessy, his promoter, could look farther afield. “He's one of the very best lightweights on the world stage now,” he said. “He could be ready for a big fight in America.”
Murray has already boxed across the Atlantic four times, twice in Las Vegas in 2007, where he fought on the Floyd Mayweather Jr-Oscar De La Hoya undercard and topped a bill the night before Mayweather Hatton.
“I've proved I'm the best in Britain,” Murray said. “I want to box again as soon as possible and I want to box for a world title within 12 months. Michael Katsidis [the interim WBO champion from Australia] has just won a title. That would be a great fight and I think I have the style to beat him.” Hatton, of course, beat an Australian [Kostya Tszyu] for his first genuine world title.
Audley Harrison hopes to challenge for the European heavyweight title after winning the Prizefighter tournament in London on Friday.
“Hopefully a door in the UK has opened again for me,” Harrison said. “There is still hope for me. I don't worry or get upset about the boos. I come from the ghettos, have been to jail, went to college, went to university, won an Olympic gold and should be celebrating that I am the boy done good.”
Meanwhile, Danny Williams, looks likely to retire after losing his Prizefighter first round bout to Carl Baker. The British heavyweight champion had his greatest moment in 2004, when he knocked out Mike Tyson in four rounds in Louisville, Kentucky. He challenged Vitali Klitschko for the WBC title in Las Vegas in his next bout and was stopped in eight rounds.
A judge in Las Vegas has issued an arrest warrant for Roger Mayweather, the trainer and uncle of Floyd, after he failed to show up for a court appearance. He is charged with attacking a female boxer.
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