With the ink apparently drying on the contract and a date fixed for fight night British boxing fans should no doubt be delighted to hear John Murray and Kevin Mitchell are finally set to get it on.
On July 9 these two top British competitors will tussle in the ring at a venue to be determined, most likely in London.
The bout had veered off course after Mitchell squabbled with his promoter Frank Warren over the amount of money being put on the table. A sub-plot of rumours then surfaced with claims Mitchell might retire, while there was talk of him hitting the bottle, losing his mojo and having his confidence squashed by last year's three round stoppage to the excellent Michael Katsidis.
None of this should matter anymore though with Mitchell presumably desperate to silence his critics by getting in there and mixing it up with Murray.
Here are the promotional quotes from both men:
It's easy to make a convincing argument for either of the two fighters triumphing - which is why it's such a potentially exciting contest.
Here's why John Murray should win:
1) He's the bigger man: A naturally stronger fighter who uses these advantages to bulldoze his opponents. There are suggestions he has been struggling with the weight so this might work against him - however, it's likely he will be much bigger than Mitchell, a natual super-featherweight, come fight night and look how the Dagenham struggled against the enormous Katsidis.
2) He's got the better form: Despite looking a little flat and open to shots against Karim El Ouazghari last month, let's face it - he got the job done. Murray is 31-0 and you can't argue with that. Mitchell is 31-1 and hasn't fought for a year since being broken by Katsidis. He's admitted to going off the rails and downing his sorrows so what sort of backdrop will there be concerning the training and preparation for this contest? In theory, Murray should be the more confident man.
3) Incentives: If Murray wins then ultimately he's cleaned up at domestic level and can finally look to secure a proper world title or at least world title eliminator. Murray knows just how much is riding on this fight - he can't afford to lose - and this could and should spur him on to new heights. Mitchell meanwhile, who upset his promoter Warren with his approach to training for Katsidis, may not have the same chance of a world title shot if he comes through with a win.
Here's why Mitchell should win:
1) Resume: I think it's fair to say Mitchell has narrowly faced the better competition. At domestic level he survived an epic and fraught tussle with Carl Johanneson for the British Super-Featherweight Championship before stepping up a level to wonderfully outbox Breidis Prescott. He also holds a win over respectable challenger Walter Estrada. Then there's Katsidis. Mitchell might have lost but if nothing else, he surely learned something from getting in at that level. Murray's record lacks Prescott and Katsidis but he still holds good wins over Lee Meager, Lee McAllister, Jon Thaxton and Gary Buckland. While Mitchell jumped from British to world level, Murray has been stuck somewhere inbetween at European level.
2) Skills: As shown against the somewhat technically limited but highly dangerous Prescott, Mitchell can box reasonably well when he elects to. He has some good movement and a nice jab. If he decides to stick and move rather than stick himself in a phone box with Murray then it's feasible to foresee a points victory. That's a big ask, of course. Against Katsidis he was unable to keep him off so it will require something special to keep off the train-like Murray.
3) Home support: If the fight takes place in London, as expected, then the Essex-based Mitchell will bank on a good turnout. This could spur him on to get redemption after letting them down against Katsidis. Murray meanwhile sells a lot less tickets and his fans face a long journey down from Manchester. Could the crowd be a factor?
Conclusion: This is a 50/50 fight in my view. Will the superior strength and power of Murray win the day or will the better boxing skills of Mitchell swing the bout his way? Personally, I think it's a little too deep for Mitchell to go after such a long time out. Mitchell will need to redeem his confidence and train and prepare properly this time. It's a weight above his normal size too. That said, I think Mitchell will fight with heart and focus, desperate to make up for the Katsidis blowout. I don't think it will be enough but I forsee a close fight with Murray coming on strong as the fight progresses to get a points decision.
On July 9 these two top British competitors will tussle in the ring at a venue to be determined, most likely in London.
The bout had veered off course after Mitchell squabbled with his promoter Frank Warren over the amount of money being put on the table. A sub-plot of rumours then surfaced with claims Mitchell might retire, while there was talk of him hitting the bottle, losing his mojo and having his confidence squashed by last year's three round stoppage to the excellent Michael Katsidis.
None of this should matter anymore though with Mitchell presumably desperate to silence his critics by getting in there and mixing it up with Murray.
Here are the promotional quotes from both men:
Murray: “I thought Mitchell had bottled it once and for all when he turned down the opportunity to fight me earlier this year, but I am glad we finally have a date as this fight has been a long time coming and, apart from the world title, this is the only meaningful challenge left for me in the UK.”
Mitchell: “Murray’s done well but he hasn’t faced me yet and, if he had, we wouldn’t keep hearing about his unbeaten record, I was 31-0 too with more stoppages than him, until I lost out in my 32nd fight which he will too. Personally, I am over the moon that the fight is taking place in London so I can show my legions of fans that last year was a one off an Kevin Mitchell is back.”
It's easy to make a convincing argument for either of the two fighters triumphing - which is why it's such a potentially exciting contest.
Here's why John Murray should win:
1) He's the bigger man: A naturally stronger fighter who uses these advantages to bulldoze his opponents. There are suggestions he has been struggling with the weight so this might work against him - however, it's likely he will be much bigger than Mitchell, a natual super-featherweight, come fight night and look how the Dagenham struggled against the enormous Katsidis.
2) He's got the better form: Despite looking a little flat and open to shots against Karim El Ouazghari last month, let's face it - he got the job done. Murray is 31-0 and you can't argue with that. Mitchell is 31-1 and hasn't fought for a year since being broken by Katsidis. He's admitted to going off the rails and downing his sorrows so what sort of backdrop will there be concerning the training and preparation for this contest? In theory, Murray should be the more confident man.
3) Incentives: If Murray wins then ultimately he's cleaned up at domestic level and can finally look to secure a proper world title or at least world title eliminator. Murray knows just how much is riding on this fight - he can't afford to lose - and this could and should spur him on to new heights. Mitchell meanwhile, who upset his promoter Warren with his approach to training for Katsidis, may not have the same chance of a world title shot if he comes through with a win.
Here's why Mitchell should win:
1) Resume: I think it's fair to say Mitchell has narrowly faced the better competition. At domestic level he survived an epic and fraught tussle with Carl Johanneson for the British Super-Featherweight Championship before stepping up a level to wonderfully outbox Breidis Prescott. He also holds a win over respectable challenger Walter Estrada. Then there's Katsidis. Mitchell might have lost but if nothing else, he surely learned something from getting in at that level. Murray's record lacks Prescott and Katsidis but he still holds good wins over Lee Meager, Lee McAllister, Jon Thaxton and Gary Buckland. While Mitchell jumped from British to world level, Murray has been stuck somewhere inbetween at European level.
2) Skills: As shown against the somewhat technically limited but highly dangerous Prescott, Mitchell can box reasonably well when he elects to. He has some good movement and a nice jab. If he decides to stick and move rather than stick himself in a phone box with Murray then it's feasible to foresee a points victory. That's a big ask, of course. Against Katsidis he was unable to keep him off so it will require something special to keep off the train-like Murray.
3) Home support: If the fight takes place in London, as expected, then the Essex-based Mitchell will bank on a good turnout. This could spur him on to get redemption after letting them down against Katsidis. Murray meanwhile sells a lot less tickets and his fans face a long journey down from Manchester. Could the crowd be a factor?
Conclusion: This is a 50/50 fight in my view. Will the superior strength and power of Murray win the day or will the better boxing skills of Mitchell swing the bout his way? Personally, I think it's a little too deep for Mitchell to go after such a long time out. Mitchell will need to redeem his confidence and train and prepare properly this time. It's a weight above his normal size too. That said, I think Mitchell will fight with heart and focus, desperate to make up for the Katsidis blowout. I don't think it will be enough but I forsee a close fight with Murray coming on strong as the fight progresses to get a points decision.
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