Martin Murray (boxer)
Encyclopedia
Martin Murray is a British professional boxer fighting in the middleweight
and super middleweight
divisions. He was the winner of the fourth Prizefighter
tournament and is the reigning Commonwealth champion at middleweight. Prior to turning professional Murray was a successful amateur boxer winning the ABA Welterweight championship in 2004.
. He fought once more that year to finish 2007 with a record of 2-0. A busy 2008 saw Murray fight seven more times scoring seven victories over a series of journeyman opponents
. On 22 November 2008, Murray stepped into the limelight by taking part in the fourth series of the Prizefighter
tournament shown live on sky. He scored wins over Joe Rea
and Danny Butler before beating former English title challenger Cello Renda
in the final to claim the £25,000 first prize. Following the tournament victory Murray marked time with wins over fellow prospect Kevin Concepcion in April 2009 and former Commonwealth title challenger Thomas Awinbono in July of the same year.
. His first fight was on the undercard of Matthew Macklin
's European Title win at the Manchester Velodrome
. Murray faced George Aduashvili of Georgia
on 25 September 2009 and scored a first round knockout victory. Following the win Murray said that former British champion Wayne Elcock
was on his radar as a man he'd like to beat in order to push himself into future title contention. Murray's next fight on 27 November 2009 instead saw the man from St.Helen's outpoint Belarus boxer Sergey Khomitski with a points victory over 8 rounds. In his first fight of 2010 Murray continued his winning run against international opposition with a victory over the Georgian middleweight champion Shalva Jomardashvili. A shot at the Commonwealth title against Tanzanian boxer Francis Cheka should have followed however Cheka was refused a work permit and on 24 May 2010 in Sheffield
Murray instead boxed another non-title fight and defeated late replacement Lee Noble in the third round scoring his 19th straight victory.
On Saturday 18 July, Murray defeated Nick Blackwell for the vacant British Middleweight title.
. His opponent, Brazilian Carlos Nascimento, was the co-challenger for the WBA version of the inter-continental title with Murray winning by stoppage in the third round.
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
and super middleweight
Super middleweight
Super Middleweight is a boxing and Muay Thai weight division that has a weight limit of 168 pounds .- 1960s–1983 :There was interest in a division between Middleweight and Light Heavyweight in the late 1960s, the mid-1970s, and the early 1980s...
divisions. He was the winner of the fourth Prizefighter
Prizefighter series
The Prizefighter series is a knock out boxing tournament created by boxing promoter Barry Hearn and aired on Sky Sports. The format has an initial eight fighters, who compete in four quarter-finals of 3 x 3 minute rounds followed by two semi-finals and one final all on the same night...
tournament and is the reigning Commonwealth champion at middleweight. Prior to turning professional Murray was a successful amateur boxer winning the ABA Welterweight championship in 2004.
Professional career
Murray's professional debut came in September 2007 with a victory over Jamie Ambler at the Robin Park Arena in WiganWigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
. He fought once more that year to finish 2007 with a record of 2-0. A busy 2008 saw Murray fight seven more times scoring seven victories over a series of journeyman opponents
Journeyman (boxing)
A journeyman boxer is defined as a fighter who has adequate boxing skill, but does not have the caliber of a contender or gatekeeper. Outside of boxing, a "journeyman" is a trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship, but is not at the level of a master craftsman...
. On 22 November 2008, Murray stepped into the limelight by taking part in the fourth series of the Prizefighter
Prizefighter series
The Prizefighter series is a knock out boxing tournament created by boxing promoter Barry Hearn and aired on Sky Sports. The format has an initial eight fighters, who compete in four quarter-finals of 3 x 3 minute rounds followed by two semi-finals and one final all on the same night...
tournament shown live on sky. He scored wins over Joe Rea
Joe Rea
Joe Rea is a Northern Irish actor based in Belfast. He has appeared in such films as Mad About Mambo and Resurrection Man.He recently starred in the Dogs Trust commercials, The Neuter Boys with longtime friend, Maclean Stewart.-External links:...
and Danny Butler before beating former English title challenger Cello Renda
Cello Renda
Marcello 'Cello' Renda is a professional boxer, using the nickname "Dangerous". He is a middleweight, and reached the final of the 4th Prizefighter tournament.-Biography:...
in the final to claim the £25,000 first prize. Following the tournament victory Murray marked time with wins over fellow prospect Kevin Concepcion in April 2009 and former Commonwealth title challenger Thomas Awinbono in July of the same year.
Hatton Promotions
Murray left VIP Promotions after the Awinbono fight to sign with Hatton PromotionsHatton Promotions
Hatton Promotions is a promotional company headed by former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton with Richard Poxon as Director of Boxing and Gareth Williams as CEO -Starting up:...
. His first fight was on the undercard of Matthew Macklin
Matthew Macklin
Matthew Macklin , known as "The Tipperary Tornado", is a British-Irish professional boxer who fights at middleweight or the divisions either side.He is the former Irish, British and European middleweight champion....
's European Title win at the Manchester Velodrome
Manchester Velodrome
Manchester Velodrome is an indoor cycle-racing track or velodrome in Manchester, northwest England. It opened in September 1994 and is the leading indoor Olympic-standard track in the United Kingdom. It houses the National Cycling Centre and British Cycling...
. Murray faced George Aduashvili of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
on 25 September 2009 and scored a first round knockout victory. Following the win Murray said that former British champion Wayne Elcock
Wayne Elcock
Wayne Elcock is an English boxer. He is the current British Middleweight champion, having won the title from Howard Eastman in September 2007. Elcock has also held the lightly regarded WBU middleweight title. As of December 2007, he has had 21 professional fights, with 18 wins and three losses...
was on his radar as a man he'd like to beat in order to push himself into future title contention. Murray's next fight on 27 November 2009 instead saw the man from St.Helen's outpoint Belarus boxer Sergey Khomitski with a points victory over 8 rounds. In his first fight of 2010 Murray continued his winning run against international opposition with a victory over the Georgian middleweight champion Shalva Jomardashvili. A shot at the Commonwealth title against Tanzanian boxer Francis Cheka should have followed however Cheka was refused a work permit and on 24 May 2010 in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
Murray instead boxed another non-title fight and defeated late replacement Lee Noble in the third round scoring his 19th straight victory.
On Saturday 18 July, Murray defeated Nick Blackwell for the vacant British Middleweight title.
Commonwealth champion
On 16 July 2010 Murray finally fought for a first professional title, the middleweight version of the Commonwealth crown. His opponent at the fight in the Bolton Arena was Australian Peter Mitrevski Jr. Murray went the full 12 round distance for the first time in his career and won on a unanimous points decision. Despite the win Murray claimed that he had felt "sluggish" throughout the fight adding that "I know I can perform much better". He followed up the win on 26 November 2010 with a fight for a second title in a row at the Bolton ArenaBolton Arena
The Bolton Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located at Middlebrook on the boundary between Horwich and Lostock in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England....
. His opponent, Brazilian Carlos Nascimento, was the co-challenger for the WBA version of the inter-continental title with Murray winning by stoppage in the third round.