Massive fights in the pipeline for Murray
by Paul Fitzpatrick Updated: Wednesday, 27th July, 2011 9:30am
Cavan's Andy Murray.
A fight againt one of the top boxers in the world may well be in the pipeline for Cavan's Andy Murray, The Anglo-Celt can exclusively reveal.
The Cavan fighter has been offered the chance to take on Australian Michael Katsidis, the number five-ranked lightweight on the planet and a former two-time WBO champion. While Murray turned down the chance to travel to Australia to take on the all-action 30-year-old former Olympian, despite what sources have confirmed was a career-high pay day, the Anglo-Celt understands that the Katsidis fight is a genuine possibility for later in the year.
Murray, understandably, wasn't up to the challenge of facing such a high-class operator so soon after losing the EBU title fight to Gavin Rees in Cardiff, having undergone a very hard training camp in Connemara, and declined the fight, which had been pencilled in for next month.
We can also reveal that Murray has been offered a fight with Mexican legend Erik Morales, but also rejected it as the purse for as the purse for what would have been an away fight wasn't attractive..
"Andy may be viewed as a soft touch now that he has been beaten and some may think that he has settled into a role as an 'opponent'," said a source close to Team Murray.
"That is not the case. Andy will box again but he has to come to terms with his loss against Rees and decide if he has the ambition to carry on. If he hasn't still got that ambition, there is no point, because he will never be a journeyman boxer, you can be sure of that."
English champion Anthony Crolla has also been mentioned as a possible opponent, among others, but Murray has made no immediate decisions on his future. He may return on the Paul McCloskey-Breidis Precott card in Belfast on September 13,
A fight against Katsidis would effectively be a no-lose situation for Murray. Even if the Cavanman were to be beaten, a good showing would launch him on to the global stage and secure futher big fights.
"That wasn't the real Andy Murray you seen that night [against Rees]," Murray's trainer John Breen said this week.
"The occasion got to him. He didn't rise to what was the biggest fight of his career. He did the hard work, was fit and had the talent to beat Rees, but didn't perform on the night. He was falling short of his punches in the early rounds. Rees was gone then in the latter rounds. Andy landed a left hook to the body and Rees was in bits. We told Andy to throw that again, but he froze. For some reason he didn't let it go again."
Breen stressed that Katsidis would prove the wrong return fight for the Cavan fighter, who owned Irish boxing's longest unbeaten streak prior to his Rees reverse.
"That was the first time Andy lost and he has the talent to return. I think one more win and he is back in the mix. He might need a confidence booster. A lot of fighters need to get a win under their belt after they loose for the first time. Brian suggested we take Katsidis, but I really think Andy needs a win before he fights him. Most fighters would like and need to get a win under there belt after a loss on the big stage like that."
Murray's modest personality and down-to-earth manner has made him a very popular figure in his home town. He has earned a reputation as a good ticket-seller and looks certain to return to action. The question is when, and against whom, the Irish Lightweight champion returns to the ring.
Post a Comment