On Saturday evening Belfast’s Colm Murphy defeated Surrey’s Luke Pearson to clinch the vacant EBU silver title. Murphy looked in control throughout and rightfully got the unanimous decision to retain his perfect record and move to 15-0.
From the start he looked composed, working from centre ring and keeping Pearson on the back foot throughout the opening rounds. By the end of the third Murphy was beginning to find his rhythm and land shots with conviction.
To his credit Pearson kept coming forward to get within range and although showing flashes of potential, he struggled to find the sort of momentum that would worry the Belfast man. The ‘Posh Boy’ is certainly not to be messed with; a smooth but brutal operator who went through the gears with ease, his performance crescendo-ing in the twelfth round when he was close to getting the stoppage. An intelligent performance in his first 12-rounder against an undefeated opponent; a big test of stamina and focus.
Post fight the softly spoken Murphy was full of praise for his opponent and re-iterated his total faith in his manager, Mark Dunlop. In contrast to the overt bravado often associated with boxers, Murphy is not one to stake claims or make bold statements regarding his future. When quizzed ‘what’s next’ he simply replied "I’ll take whatever opportunity Mark throws at me."
No call-outs required, he’d rather focus on his craft in the ring. At only 25 he shows a maturity that will surely complement his fighting ability when facing trickier opponents down the line.
Even if Murphy won’t let himself think too far ahead you can guarantee that he will be fighting for a European title soon. The sky is the limit.
