Amir Khan will be fighting on April 16th. Schaefer says talks with 3 fighters....

i thought the McC idea was dead...who knows...i'm betting on peterson though

 

at the very least I hope its Murray

 

I thought Schaefer said he was no longer going to announce possible opponents to the media, because it makes the negotiation process that little bit more difficult?

Anyway, I really hope it's Peterson. He'll give Khan a few things to think about.

 

Out of those 3...I hope it's Peterson.

 

All three are pretty safe fights for Khan , and I suppose thats ok after a fight like he just had.

Khan beats all three pretty easy . Either too slow or dont hit hard enough.

 

I hope its murray and Khan hands him a beating to shut warren up!

 

If Judah wasn't already commited to someone else, I actually would have liked a Khan-Judah fight, too.

As for Berto, people are being a little too harsh on him. Ortiz is actually a natural welterweight. He was always built for that weight, so he's not small for Berto at all. The same goes for Murray. He's always been a big lightweight, and has even had a few fights at 140 in the past.

 

Is Murray with Warren now?

 

Yeah, but Khan's not black is he . . . :roll:

 

If he isnt he will be any day now! Frank was saying at the start of Jan that he was a great tallent and he wanted to promote him and Frank made Khan a large offer to fight Murray a few weeks back but i dont think they have come out and said yes directly.

 

Hmmm, I didn't know that.

 

Frank Warren discusses promoting John Murray

05.01.11



Manchester's John Murray has been a hot subject of forum debates for the last six months as it has emerged he is now free from a formal agreement with long term promoter Mick Hennessy.

The unbeaten lightweight star is currently enjoying an unequalled domestic run of 30 fights, with 18 knockouts. The last 7 fights have seen him dispatch impressive opposition inside the distance as he hits a great run of form under the tutelage of Joe Gallagher.

Training out of the former Ricky Hatton gym, owned by expert nutritionist Kerry Kayes, he has captured notable honours such as the English, British and European lightweight titles, headlining his own shows on domestic television. But now finds himself at a promotional crossroad.

Mick Hennessy's unquestionable loyalty to his fighters and respect for Murray will be at the forefront of the lightweight's mind on a personal level. But also Hennessy Sports present TV situation must also be considered from a professional point of view.

Frank Warren believes that he is the man to take Murray to the next level of his career and has admiration for the fighter.

"John Murray has certainly got the talent, he’s got a good trainer (Joe Gallagher) and good people behind him. He just needs somebody to help with the promotion." he told Manchester Evening News.

Adding “He’s been waiting for that big chance. I’d like to get involved."

Warren already has a host of domestic talent, with Nathan Cleverly awaiting an impending WBO world title shot. The Olympians such as Frankie Gavin and most notably James Degale are also making waves.

Elsewhere other fighters such as Kell Brook, despite his boxing gifts and a promotional powerhouse behind them and a good international ranking are still largely unknown outside of boxing circles.

The technical gap between the super powers of Frank Warren and Hennessy Sports are significant. Warren produces regular shows drawing many thousands of punters through the gate and Sky pay per view on board only strengthen the case for Murray to join the promoter.

But the promoter's shows have undergone fierce criticism from hardcore boxing for lacking ambition when matching his fighters softly against faded and unknown opponents for paper titles.

Treading water against African and Eastern bloc opposition seems part of the job for all of Warren’s stable in past years. But that seems to have been partly addressed in recent offerings as the promoter feels the squeeze of the recession in attracting punters to part with their cash. To his defence however, the fighters are enjoying regular outings and are looking stellar to the armchair fan who are largely none the wiser.

Hennessy Sports have generally gone the traditional route of domestic, European and then world honours. This route has seen some genuine wars between well matched opponents for respectable belts. Hennessy arguably has a better broadcasting arrangement than any of his domestic peers as Mick Hennessy has solid ties with American TV giant Showtime.

Other Hennessy fighters such as Carl Froch are enjoying unprecedented purses and American TV exposure to boxing audiences that dwarf the likes of Sky. But lack of domestic recognition still riles certain quarters of the British boxing press and public.

Showtime showed commitment to Hennessy's stable and recently flew to London to film a double header of Shobox, featuring heavyweight Tyson Fury and welterweight John O'Donnell. Fury was given very good American exposure on the undercard of the Jean Pascal vs Bernard Hopkins fight only a couple of weeks ago and has since been arranged to join Manny Steward at the Kronk gym for further improvements to his professional game.

Despite the recent TV tribulations in Britian, Hennessy has produced the most talked about heavyweight from these shores outside of David Haye. Fury enjoyed domestic exposure along with John Murray on ITV's boxing shows throughout the last couple of years and is better known than the likes of Derek Chisora and David Price.

But back to Murray, who has seemingly done the hard work and is in an enviable position within the world rankings where a big fight will inevitably happen regardless of who handles his promotional affairs. Given Hennessy's strong ties and regular meetings with the WBC, Murray could be aiming for a shot at their prestigious title. And with the aforementioned American giant Showtime on board it could receive massive international exposure.

That said, the halcyon days of Ricky Hatton packing out the MEN will linger in Murray's mind. With the familiar Sky production and domestic push it would likely receive only adds to the dilemma.

But is Murray cut from the same cloth as Ricky Hatton? no.

And herein lies the problem. To aims your sights on emulating Ricky Hatton, or as a promoter to name drop it too, only lacks a sprinkling of reality.

And the reality tells us that not even the likes of media darlings such David Haye and Amir Khan can emulate the package of excitement, wit and 'one of the lads' that Hatton brought to this country for five years. So that is not a slight against John Murray.

Another consideration, is that Murray would be 'making up the numbers' in terms of ability and titles within Warren's stable. With other boxers arguably making a stronger case for their ability and selling skills where the public are concerned.

But by the same token, Joe Calzaghe was not a media-embracing fighter until the twilight of his career and won his title on the undercard of a Prince Naseem show in Sheffield. An introvert by nature, Warren produced one of the most sought after names in boxing by the close of 2008. It took 13 years to get to that position, despite the whole of Wales behind him, but it eventually came.

In closing, John Murray will need to decide on whether to remain patient and to see if a steady, but slow burning career in the vein of Carl Froch is the route for him. One with impressive paydays backed by a strong American TV channel against legit operators for legit titles, with a possible trade off with regards domestic exposure and local fame.

Or does he subscribe to the tried and trusted means of joining Warren, where paydays will be less handsome but perhaps more regular, backed by domestic television against more beatable opposition.

Only time will tell. But make no mistake, the American networks are red hot on the lightweight division and Europe is struggling for decent fighters and general interest in the 135lb class.

Sorry could not find any thing about the offer but this is on the promoting part

 

Nice one, mate. That was still a good read.