The 20-year-old personal trainer is considering dropping a few kilos to compete as a lightweight as opposed to a light welterweight at the ABA English Championships next year – so he and trainer Dave Thompson now have to work out if it’s the right way forward.
‘If I can get down to lightweight comfortably then I’ll be a pretty big one so it gives me another edge,’ said the accomplished Leonis boxer.
‘It’s now a case of dieting and modifying my training and I’m hopeful I can drop from my current 63 kgs to 60.
‘But if I remain a light-welterweight, then so be it – I’ll still be effective at that weight.’ Indeed, Murray has recently been proving his point.
The boxer has been training in Scotland at the Morrison Gym in Glasgow, where he fought a bout against national light welterweight champ Paul King.
‘I lost on a majority points decision but I gave him a good contest and thought I’d done enough to nick it,’ he said.
‘My four months in Scotland were tremendously valuable and although I spoke with trainers there about going professional, I want to stay an amateur for the time being.’ Now back in Jersey, Murray is a full-time personal trainer at Fitness First and is beginning to build a healthy, or would-be healthy client base.
‘I’m not going to go professional until I have reached a level that I want to get to as an amateur,’ he said.
‘And that level is a Commonwealth medallist so my focus is on the 2006 Games in Melbourne.’ Murray is confident that, in two years time, he can return from Australia with a gong around his neck.
‘People say that boxing is 90 per cent mental and only ten per cent physical and a lack of mental strength was my downfall when I was younger.
But now I’m lot more positive and confident about the season ahead.
‘But I’m only 20 and there’s no need to rush anything.
I’m still learning this trade and I need to take things one bout at a time.’
