OnThEGRiND BoXiNG

Sunday October 4th, 2009
by Davo Smith - OnThEGRiND BoXING UK

Last night saw John Murray take on Jon Thaxton for the vacant British Lightweight Title and an undercard that provided every bit of the necessary precursor for a crowd seemingly ready for war. For what was possibly going to be a tough tough night for both headline fighters, the undercard most definitely added to the heated and passionate atmosphere. I was already sweating midway through the first bout as I sat still , which was a sign of the intensity that was to come.

One thing that is absolutely certain, to catch a boxing show in Manchester for a truly local fighter, the passion, pride and dedication on show from loyal fans is undoubtedly an experience one should witness and be part of. Last night in the Altrincham Leisure Centre, the intense feeling laid out on the line by supporters was phenomenal. Stood waiting for John Murray to appear the the small laser show to the corner of the arena I found myself shivering with nerves. It’s an intimate venue, and with me standing a mere 15 feet from the entrance it really gave you an idea of the rumble that must have been reverberating all the way to the dressing room. That Thaxton came out to such a riotous and intimidating home crowd is in my opinion a huge feat in itself, never mind to duke it out one on one with another man. A probable feeling of such isolation that can only be truly felt by the fighter alone.

First out though was Manchester’s John Murray, who I could glimpse through a few heads in front, standing and waiting for the call to walk, anxious but raring to go, almost feverish and growling. He was given the call and the crowd erupted, myself included. I think that since that very moment, the hairs on the back of my neck still stand as I write this article and will probably take a few days to fully subside. To say it was a rush would be an understatement.

Murray in the ring, anxiously pacing, Thaxton began his entrance, and a hostile one at that. As he made his way to the squared circle to a chorus of boos with what could be described as a dusting of claps and cheers. Once in the ring there was an awkward coming together of the fighters as Murray paced and Thaxton passed, making his way to his corner which felt so uncomfortable it hurt.

Moving on, and with all the pieces in place for the fight accompanied by the sports stars, fine females and the all important raucous crowd to will on the fighters, the show was ready to get under way. At this point, amid the tension, to contain my rattling hands I placed them neatly under either cheek as i listened intently to the instructions delivered to both fighters.

The bell rang to begin the first round and my eyes instantly focused on the duel. Murray patiently held his guard and concentration while Thaxton began with movement, both fighters unwilling to delve straight in waiting for each other to have the first pop. Thaxton began to probe a little and Murray, fully focused seemed to be biding his time and hoping for the gaps. Thaxton did well in the first, picking his shots although most hitting Murray’s high guard and a few slipping through. This aside, he still kept Murray at a distance. The key to the distance would be whether Thaxton had the power to keep Murray at bay. Time would tell.

From the off, Murray was certainly aware of Thaxtons straight left, but still caught a few flush on the nose through rounds two and three. Thaxton tried to stay busy throughout , using a flicking jab to set up some fair shots. Thaxton was making himself an awkward target, ducking low trying to make Murray miss. Murray all the while just seemed content waiting, almost turning into predator from straight out hunter. This paid off as he landed some lovely accurate shots, a few nice left hooks over the top of Thaxton’s low right hand, also catching him with some crisp accurate straight rights while keeping a high guard the whole time. With Thaxton dipping low Murray was also able to land with a few clubbing short shots to the body, but it was Murrays clean work to the head that seemed to have Thaxton reeling on a couple of occasions during round three.

Into round four, and although Thaxton had begun the fight quite spiritedly, there was already visible tiring as he tried to continue with his movement. Murray still worked very well behind his high guard, and despite his lack of lateral movement managed to land cleanly with more counters over the top of the slowing punches from Thaxton, and these were now very crisp shots indeed.

As Murray began to turn the screw more and more in the space of 30 seconds, he’d caught Thaxton with some fantastic right hands with the final shot wobbling Thaxton from his ears to his boots, forcing him to stagger backwards being saved by the ropes. From my position, Thaxton looked like he had no idea where he was and could have been deemed unable to defend himself, but I also believe it was a title fight and there was a case for Thaxton to be allowed to continue. Despite this the referee waved Thaxton off immediately, deeming him unfit to continue leaving Murray absolutely ecstatic and with an impressive if early stoppage win. The visible passion from Murray on securing the Lonsdale Belt he lost on the scales against Lawton was there for all to see, and a riotous Manchester crowd sang on in celebration.

Murray now moves on to 28-0, certainly heading in the right direction, proving he is surely the best British lightweight around. I have to say, John Murray comes to fight, and I for one can’t wait for his next bout. Surely a match-up with Mezaache is next, with Murray the mandatory challenger for the European Title, although if anything were to put off the man from France Murray’s dismantling of Thaxton would be high on the list.

Murray does have his flaws. His lack of movement leads to his finding himself stationary too often, and he may struggle with speed as well. On the upside, he has the power, volume, and great accuracy and range of shots. I would certainly challenge anyone in the lightweight division to break John Murray’s will, huge heart, and abundance of determination.

If anyone fancies going to hell and back for a night, John Murray is a man the likes of Duddy who would certainly oblige and take you there for sure. I would personally like to see Murray in with the likes of Michael katsidis, Juan Diaz and even the KO king Valero, where all three bouts could make for a great match-up. Maybe a meeting with a fading Marquez could help Murray with his boxing education. These are exciting times for Team Murray, and the best of luck to them.

The Undercard

The supporting contests certainly didn’t disappoint. The show commenced with a toe to toe start and the only non-televised bout of the evening, which was an absolute shame. Daniel “Randy” Randell, a fiery welterweight fighting out of Joe Gallagher’s gym, was practically lifted out of the tunnel to a thunderous applause from a large portion of the crowd for his pro debut, squaring off against Abul Taher 2-0 in what was a terrific battle. Taher, looking staggered on a few occasions, averted disaster and proceeded to dish out his fair share of punishment despite visibly tiring throughout the four round bout. The relentless nature of Randell and the heart and determination from Taher created a wonderful mix, although both fighters might not be feeling so wonderful this morning. Randell got a deserved decision, moving to 1-0.

Great action was also provided by Kris “Badger” Hughes, a southpaw featherweight prospect all the way from Bellshill, Scotland. He flattened his opponent Dai Davies in the first round after already having him on the canvas once. Hughes finished off Davies at 2.00 with a beautiful straight left leaving Davies in what seemed like bad shape on the canvas for a few minutes, but after receiving oxygen from quick medics, he came around and was stable enough for the announcement from the referee. “Badger” Hughes is one to keep an eye on, a wee man carrying dynamite in his gloves, and from this brief appearance in Macnhester, looked quite the capable boxer.

Of the other four fights, Bob Ajisafe had an awkward night, winning against a game but rough and off balance Phil Goodwin. Richard Towers, a young heavyweight from Sheffield bloodied, bruised and stopped a hard nut Michal Skierniewski.

In terms of boxing talent on show, a very skillful and awkward switch hitter Bantamweight Barry “Kid Galahan” Awad schooled Pavels Senkovs, although he appeared to lack power to finish the job, as Senkovs held out till the bell. In the final supporting bout, Phil Fury, light middleweight cousin of Tyson made all kinds of hard work out of his opponent Louis Byrne, taking alot of unorthodox shots, scraping to a referee’s decision in his third professional contest.