Murray eyes a shot at the big time

His is a career pregnant with promise and pockmarked by sheer bad luck. Andy Murray, agree the experts, is as well-schooled, hardworking, honest and talented a boxer as there is in these parts; unfortunately, that's no guarantee of success. If Murray is to make the big breakthrough this year, he'll need something he has been lacking in his pro career to date - the rub of the green. The prevailing wisdom has it, though, that when you work as hard as Murray does, you'll get your break eventually. There comes a point in every sporting career when an athlete delivers a performance to announce their arrival and hopes are high in the Cavan gym that Murray's big night could be close. He headlines a Brian Peters card for the first time on February 13 next, with his opponent to be revealed at a press conference later this week (more of which later). The importance of his next couple of fights cannot be underestimated. First, some background. In the archaic lingo of the boxing ring, where fighters are lumped together according to perceived ability as journeymen or contenders, has-beens and never-weres, Murray was, for some five years, a 'prospect', a boxer with potential, and has now moved into 'contender' country. There is not a boxing fan out there who doesn't recognise his supreme technical ability. While he's not naturally blessed with power, Murray is a slick box fighter, superbly conditioned and game, with a textbook, upright style. One of the toughest facets of the game is moving along at the right pace and it's worth remembering that boxing is a business as well as a sport. Put yourself in the shoes of a boxing promoter with a hot property on his books, an untested youngster whom you feel has the tools to make it in the toughest trade. What do you do? Throw him in against a proven fighter in the hope that a win will catapult him into the rankings, or feed him what the Americans call "tomato cans" and bide your time? Murray's progress has been cagey but he has taken the right path and, everything going well, can reap the benefits this year. It's been a long trek but the feeling is that Murray is at a crossroads at this stage. Having signed for St Alban's-based Mickey Helliet upon turning pro, Murray famously found himself in the precarious position of being 'too good for his own good'. As Cavan Boxing Club head coach Brian McKeown has commented, Murray had more than held his own with the best fighters in London in sparring sessions and soon, the word was out that this man was to be avoided. Why? Well, the risk-reward ratio, like any business, is what governs decision-making in boxing and fighters weren't wiling to risk a defeat unless it was for a huge payday. That's not to say that Murray has treaded water to date. Despite ill-luck, he has done nothing wrong to date and is poised for the big jump to the next level. While he holds the European Union Lightweight title, the modest Ard na Greine man makes no secret of the fact that it's the more prestigious 'full' European strap - the EBU belt - that he and ambitious manager Peters are targeting. That belt is held by Frenchman Anthony Mezaache (16-5-3), who defeated veteran Englishman Jon Thaxton for the title last year but Murray admitted to this newspaper last summer that he would have no fears of taking on the 31-year-old Clichy-based fighter. "His [Mezaache's] record doesn't suggest that he's brilliant, he improved in his last fight but he's definitely easily beatable," stated Murray last August while preparing for his ill-fated chief support on the Bernard Dunne-Poonawat card. "It's going to be a tough fight now in September and if I can get through this one I shouldn't be too far away from it [a shot at the full European Lightweight title]." His closing words were prophetic. "Hopefully after this fight and a couple more I'll try to get a shot at it. You don't know what's going to happen." Murray's rotten luck continued, of course, when a freak shoulder injury sustained while polishing off a few moves in his final sparring session ruled Murray out of that fight, a devastating blow after ten weeks of intensive training and considerable expense. In typcial fashion, however, the Cavanman rolled up his sleeves and went back to work, earning a scrappy points win over durable Ecuadorian Alex Bone before Christmas to shake off the rust and test out the injury. While he didn't overly impress, Murray ground it out and also proved that he has no problems with his chin. Clearly, then, 2010 has to be the year 27-year-old Murray, unbeaten in 17, steps up in class and the word now is that he'll defend his Irish title next month. The opponent has yet to be confirmed but it's no secret that Peters has been lining up Tallaght brawler Oisin Fagan for what would be a mouthwatering domestic fight. The clash of styles - Fagan's aggressive, come-forward approach against Murray's superior boxing skills - would make for a tantalising match which has been mooted for over two years. Fagan, who turned 36 at Christmas, is super-fit, gutsy as they come and has mixed in decent company, having pushed former world champion Paul Spadafora to a controversial split decision. Murray's and Fagan's careers are at different junctures, as can be seen from their respective matchmaking. Fagan was blitzed in a round a half by Amir Khan in London last year. Not long previously, Murray had been offered a fight with the Bolton stylist but turned it down; remember what we said about risk and reward?. So having reached this point with a couple of decent names on his resume and a slowly burgeoning national reputation, expect Peters to up it this year. Already, Murray will definitely headline a show at the National Stadium on February 13, more than likely against Fagan. A win there and a good performance could see Peters line up another 'learning fight', more than likely against someone with a "name" -possibly a former champ perceived to be on the wane such as Thaxton. At one stage prior to the Daniel Rasilla fight last March, the talk was that Peters would bring over New Yorker Kevin Kelley, 42 years old but still carrying plenty of clout from his mid 90s heyday when he captivated Madison Square Garden in his Fight of the Year tussle with Prince Naseem Hamed. It didn't come to pass but the fact that it was mooted is a positive. Victory next month - which is by no means a foregone conclusion - and another possibly in early summer could see the popular Cavan Town man explode into the top ten in the Euro rankings fight for the full belt before the end of the year. What we hope will be a magical year begins on the eve of St Valentine's Day. Watch this space.