Daniel Cann

The fight is promoted by Hennessey Sports and held at the Altrincham Leisure Centre in Cheshire and is being shown live on ITV4. It promises to be entertaining, maybe even explosive. The pedigree of both boxers is not in doubt; they are both quality lightweights at championship level. This is a classic matchup between a red hot prospect in Murray and a well respected veteran in Thaxton.

If we look at their careers as a whole this is a mouth watering prospect, but boxing like all sports is all about form. On this basis things look much brighter for the younger man from Manchester. Despite losing the British title on the scales last time Murray looked impressive in dismantling Scott Lawton in six one-sided rounds. There was an intensity and controlled fury about Murray that night which probably sent a chill down the spines of most domestic lightweights. Yes it was unprofessional to arrive late for the weigh-in and not to make the weight limit but I doubt Murray will make the same error twice.

His fights before Lawton showed a young pressure fighter who slowly breaks his opponent down. There is something brutally methodical about Murray’s ring work. He is patient and relentless, his work rate very impressive. He has looked ordinary as well, labouring against Miguel Angel Munguia in a points win in the States. But that has probably been the only contest where he has looked anything less than impressive. He walked through Lee Meager when winning the British lightweight title the first time and to say he is determined is to make an understatement.

Despite being dubbed favourite for this fight I doubt Murray will leave anything to chance. He will want to make a point, not just on the scales but to serve notice to lightweights across Europe that he has arrived. He needs to shine and will be aware that he is perfectly poised to do so in front of a large television audience on Saturday. He is well respected in the trade but a win against Thaxton will help his stock further. I do not expect anything but the best John Murray to arrive to the ring at Altrincham Leisure Centre.

As for Southpaw Thaxton he has paid his dues in a successful nearly seventeen year professional career that has seen him contest titles at light-welterweight and lightweight. He has mixed it with the likes of Ricky Hatton, Eamonn Magee and common opponents with Murray in Lee Meager and Scott Lawton. He will not be short of experience to call on for this showdown.

It has not been a good year for ‘Jono’ though as he has lost his European lightweight title in a closely contested and some might say controversial points defeat to Anthony Mezaache. No disgrace in that as the decision could have gone either way. In his last fight prior to this one Thaxton moved up to welterweight in losing an eight threes to Tom Glover (who recently lost to John o’Donnell after a brave showing). There have been many who have said that Thaxton was unwise to fight out of his weight division. He did look unfocussed that evening, his timing and accuracy were not what they usually are. Others have pointed to the Glover loss saying that the writing is on the wall for the proud man from Norwich, it is time for him to ‘hang ‘em up.’ Even Thaxton’s father has expressed this view, advising his son not to face Murray.

Now, this is where things get interesting. Yes Thaxton did look poor in that last fight, yes there is a strong case for him to take a hard look at his career and where it is going. At 35 he is not a young man in sporting terms anyway. But, is he really finished? Legendary trainer Cus D’Amato always contended that every boxer has one last great fight left in them. Could this be the case with Thaxton? I believe so.

With everyone seemingly pulling against you (even your own family!) and your back up against the wall the only thing to do is to come out fighting and this I believe is exactly what Thaxton will do. He has had time to exorcise his demons in losing to Glover and as said earlier the Mezaache fight was close. He has had plenty of time also to prepare and will know all about Murray not just as a fellow professional boxer but also as a ringside pundit for ITV4.

The big question is will Thaxton be able to execute his strategy? He has the motivation to prove everyone wrong and also, for the winner of this contest is a likely fight with Mezaache for the European title. I doubt either man will overlook their opponent, but that is a very appetising prospect, especially for Thaxton who would cherish avenging that loss and winning the European title again. This one really is for all the marbles.

I would like to make it clear that am not working for the publicity department of Hennessey Sports or ITV4 but I believe this will be a real ‘cracker’ of a fight. The stakes for both men could not be higher. For the winner there is a chance of springing onto the European stage and maybe further. For the loser there will be a lot of soul searching and rebuilding if it is Murray. Retirement if it is Thaxton. My own feeling is that Thaxton will duly produce that last ‘great’ fight but I don’t think it will be quite enough to stop the typhoon that is Murray. The audience in the arena and watching at home will be treated to a fantastic display of boxing and defiance, but ultimately I think that Murray will have too much youth and energy. He will go out on his shield, but Thaxton will lose either on points or late stoppage in an un-missable and unforgettable contest.