Caribbean & International boxing |
This article was first printed in the Starbroek News. (Nov. 2000) After being involved in professional boxing for approximately 11 years welterweight Andrew Murray is hanging up his gloves and is satisfied about calling it a day. His decision was not made because of recent back-to-back defeats, one in August and the other earlier this month, but rather because of a deficiency of desire to continue. "When your heart is not in it you should let it go. My heart is not in boxing anymore. My retirement took effect after I fought my last fight. The desire is not there anymore. I know the time has come for me to move on. It's as simple as that," Murray said in an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport. "The first thing you may lose is the desire to go out and train. Boxing is a hungry sport. You have to be hungry, go out there and train. You have got to want it more than any opponent. At this point I'm not hungry, it's like just going through the motions," said Murray. On the upswing since a sensational one punch knock out of previously unbeaten Michael Covington last year, Murray's career took a nose dive when he lost to World Boxing Union champion Italian Michele Piccirillo in August and Canadian Fathi Missaoui on November 3. A native of Albouystown, Murray was under the eye of veteran trainer George `Canchie' Oprecht at the Young Achievers Gym as an amateur where he won several medals for Guyana. On February 10 1990 he made a successful entrance to the professional ranks when he TKOed Alonzo Clarke in round four in Barbados. With equal swiftness he brushed aside Conrade Hunte before meeting nemesis Pascal David, the only person to defeat him twice. Murray fought David twice in less than three months. The defeats at the hands of David were his last in five years. Managed by Odinga Lumumba the Cancer-born southpaw rattled off 16 consecutive victories in the process becoming the only Guyanese to win a Commonwealth title in England. He also held the FECARBOX and Latin American titles before tackling clashing with Ghanian strongman Ike Quartey in 1995 in his first of two attempts at a world title. A gash over his right eye forced the referee to call a halt to the challenge in Quartey's favour in round three. The fight is looked upon as the lowest point since Murray's involvement in the sport. "My low point was when I lost to Ike Quartey. I could never regain the confidence and the momentum that I had. I tried for the next five years and couldn't do it. I just kept losing my desire to be in the sport." On a happier note the 29-year-old Murray confessed that defeating former world rater Kevin Pompey is his highlight. "The victory over Kevin Pompey will always stick out in my mind. It's in my memory as if it were yesterday. That was more or less the turning point of my career in terms of moving up. I was virtually unstoppable after that." Murray defeated Pompey in a classical 10-round contest at the then National Sports Hall on September 18, 1993. After whipping Pompey, Murray, one of a rare breed of local boxers who publicly announce their retirement, hurried to England where he TKOed hometown opponent Tony Swift in round six to take the Commonwealth crown. A seventh round TKO of Puerto Rican Moises Rivera in 1994 added the Latin American title to his collection. Murray, who held the coveted Sportsman of the Year award more than once, declared that he has no immediate plans to train fighters or promote bouts but would be there to assist young fighters. "Andrew Murray will always be around to assist, give advice or help in any little way our young boxers. What little knowledge I have of the sport is here for all my compatriots to make use of if they see if fit." He opined that quite a few Guyanese boxers should have already retired but he stopped short of naming any. "There are a whole lot of Guyanese fighters who I think should call it a day a long time ago. You can't fight for 30 or 40 years. I wouldn't want to call names but quite a few of them should say quit right now. Some folks may end up getting hurt," he warned. "On the brighter side Guyana has four world title prospects. Unfortunately I know it will be very difficult for one of them to win that coveted prize since boxing is governed by politics. I thought it was a fair sport but it is not. You win and lose before you even enter the ring. Sorry to say but it is going to be very hard for my countrymen," the former Commonwealth champion declared. Asked what advice he would give to young and upcoming boxers Murray responded that his suggestion is for all sports men and women. "Life is very challenging. You have got to go after what you want and be resolute about it. Education is very important. It is the key to success. If you have the chance stay in school. When you reach the age of 30 to 35 and the sport leaves you, you can turn back on education. A man can be a journalist until he is 90 years old. I can't box until I'm half of that age. Apart form not winning a world title I have achieved everything that boxing had to offer me. I'm gratefull to the sport but I don't think I would do it all over again if given the chance. Boxing wasn't my first choice sport. I started fighting at 10 but fell in love with boxing at age 15 when I first represented Guyana. I realise that boxing could pull me out of the ghetto. However, my first choice sport was football which could not bring me out of the ghetto." His immediate plans include opening a Taxi Service in December and playing football with first division club Pele. "I'm trying to play some football as a back up goalkeeper with Pele Football Club. Football was my first love. I played football before turning to boxing. As for business I'll be opening a taxi service in December named More Fire Taxi Service. I have a good start thanks to boxing, my previous manager Odinga Lumumba, trainer Lennox Daniels and fans. One part on my life is over, Andrew Murray has to now pay attention to other aspects." Murray leaves the sport with a 27-6-1 (18KOs) record. |
Andrew Murray calls it a day |
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Former Common- wealth and Latin American Champ, Andrew Murray |
By Veersen Bhoolai (with files from the TT Express) Earlier this year, a group of Sports Journalist in Trinidad & Tobago selected the "Millennium List - the country's top 100 athletes of the last century. Amazingly, Claude Noel, TT's first World Boxing Champion, was excluded. Noel created History in September of 1981, when he convincingly beat Rodolfo El Gato Gonzalez, of Mexico for the World Boxing Association Lightweight title. Less than three months later he would lose the title by knock out to last minute substitute Arturo Frias. As a fighter Noel won every title available to him, National, Latin American, Commonwealth, and of course the biggest bauble of all, the World title. What makes Noel's story even more incredible is that he turned pro at 27, at a time when most fighters are at their peak. He suffered setbacks early in his career when he was knocked out in back to back fights by Guyana's Lennox Blackmoore. Blackmoore a fine fighter himself would go on to win the Commonwealth Crown. A few years later he would unsuccessfully challenge Arron Pryor for the Jr. Welterweight title. Noel bounced back. His first top ten contender was Hector Medina of the Dominican Republic, ranked number nine.. Noel broke his right hand prior to the fight, but being poor with no special connections, he decided not to cancel. He put away Medina in the ninth round. A 31 year old Noel fought Venezuelan Ernesto Espana for the vacant WBA Lightweight title July, 1979. He was duly put away in the thirteenth round. For most fighters that would have been the end of the road. However, Noel persisted, cutting a swath through the division. After being ducked by a succession of Champions (Hilmer Kenty and Sean O'Grady), he was pitted against the Mexican golden boy, Gonzalez. As Ring Magazine had said, it was not IF Gonzalez would become a World Champion, but WHEN. Well Noel broke his jaw, en route to a convincing 15 round decision. TT produced a number of world class fighters during the last century. However only one other was able to win a world title, Lightheavy, Leslie Tiger Stewart. Why then would the Selection Committee ignore a man who persevered against the odds, to bring fistic honour to his country. Many including Noel believe it is because of his checkered past. He spent 45 days in prison in the 1990s for selling stolen items. He said he was trying to help a friend in a Spot Cash transaction. In an interview with the TT Express, Noel said: "It was a stupid thing to do. I signed a document to help out and I paid the penalty. Yes, I paid my debt to society,"" said the 54-year-old former champion. ""But what does that have to do with my achievement in the ring?" he asked. Others chosen had an advantage over him, he said. "You see they are in a high social class... remember I am from the ghetto." Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Irma Brown-Williams, said that only 100 could make the list. "Perhaps Mr. Noel will make the list for the next Millennium. Is she serious? This is a statement steeped in stupidity. Are we to believe that an athlete of Noel's accomplishments can't make a top 100 list in TT? Secondly, how in the world is Noel supposed to make the list for the next millennium? Is he supposed to come out of retirement? Perhaps Ms. Brown-Williams is not as clueless as she sounds. She and the committee may not wish to bring up Noels criminal record, for fear of being accused of having a biassed opinion of him. Sadly the TT Press, Government and people partied with Noel when he won the world title. Many years later, they seem to have forgotten him. Perhaps Noel himself said it best: "I try to keep fit and I am coping with diabetes. But they can't erase my name from the record books, they can't fool the grassroots ...the man on the street they know who Claude Noel is." |
By Veersen Bhoolai (May 2001) ...to be a ring general means to have complete command of the area within the ropes - command of one's movements and the movement of the opponent . It means knowing exactly where one is at all times and where the opponent is and, most importantly, and most importantly how much room there is between. The ring general knows how many steps he can move backward before he hits the ropes, what to do if he does, and how much time is left in the round. He never is reckless. He uses what is available to him, and his skills are impeccable. He never panics. ...: World Boxing magazine, naming Chris Byrd the finest fighter in the world for ring generalship. Every generation, we are privy to one or two fighters with exceptional skills. In the last 20 years, fighters such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Pernell Whittaker and Roy Jones quickly come to mind. In years gone by, Willie Pep, Sam Langford, and Sugar Ray Robinson were others. Then there is that rare breed of fighter. One, who has an uncanny, innate ability within the ring. It as is if he is so skilful, he requires the minimum of efforts within the ring. With out doubt Chris Byrd is such a fighter. Byrd has an almost bored manner in the ring, as he casually evades his opponent's punches, and then lands an array of counters. The look on his face, is as if to suggest, his mind is elsewhere, and the fight is but a mere distraction that he tolerates. If you've never heard of Byrd, that's understandable. After winning an Olympic silver medal for the US as a middleweight at the Barcelona Games in 1992, he hyper-leaped to the Heavyweight division. That's a jump of 40 pounds. Even then he was a small Heavyweight, at only 200 odd pounds, it wasn't uncommon for him to give away 20 pounds or more to an opponent. Eight years later, he's bulked up to about 220, yet it's not uncommon when fighting bigger men, for him to spot them 15 to 25 pounds. With his uncanny skills and hand speed, he could have been legendary at Super Middleweight to Cruiserweight. However, he sacrificed a more secure place in history for the fame and money of the Heavyweight division. Forty odd years ago, another fighter by the name of Floyd Patterson did the same thing. History judges Patterson as an above average Heavy, who couldn't take a punch. However, Patterson's limited success at Heavyweight, had nothing to do with his skills, but rather the fact that he was not fighting in his natural division. Likewise Byrd's few failures have more to do with his lack of natural size than inferior ability to his opponents. Yet he has managed a very respectable record 31-2 (19). His only two losses have come to Ike Ibeabuchi and Wladamir Klitschko, who defeated Byrd for his World Boxing Organisation (WBO) title. How good is Ibeabuchi. If the Nigerian big man could stop getting into trouble with the law, he very well could have been a World Champion by now. He is one of only two men to have beaten contender David Tua. World Champion, Lennox Lewis is the other. If you have not yet seen Chris Byrd fight, you have missed seeing perhaps the most gifted fighter of his generation. Had he not made the jump to Heavy, boxing purists would have been able to salivate over a Byrd-Roy Jones match up. The best fighters in each department of boxing, were recently named in the March 2001 edition of World Boxing magazine. Thus, the fighters with the best jab, right hand, upper-cut etc. were named, with others given honorary mention. Not only was Byrd awarded as having the best ring generalship. He was listed as second only to Roy Jones for defence. However, does Jones regularly spot 20 odd pounds to his opponents. Chances are if Jones was constantly fighting such fighters, when he got tagged, we'd all notice it a little more. In acknowledging Byrd's ring generalship, World Boxing had this to add: ...Byrd is the consummate ring general. It doesn't matter that he's a southpaw or that he's a middleweight in a Heavyweight's body, with reflexes and hand speed to match. It doesn't matter that he's fighting guys who naturally are bigger and appreciably slower. He does things that would mark him as a wonderful ring general even if he was fighting at 160. Watch Byrd drop his hands, stand within two feet of a puncher, and make him miss every shot. Not by jumping around, but by seeing every punch and moving his head a couple of inches this way or that. Watch him lie against the ropes and twist his torso to the left and right to deflect blows downstairs. And watch him counter a guy to death with the calm he might show while taking a nap. ... |
Chris Byrd, one of the greatest fighters you may never know about |
Byrd (right), vs Derek Amos |
Carib-Sport |
Claude Noel |
