ALEX Murphy is adamant he deserved the victory against Aqib Fiaz and has called for a rematch.
On July 5, Murphy was brought in as a late replacement opponent for Fiaz on 12 days’ notice at Manchester Arena on the undercard of Jack Catterall vs Harlem Eubank, live on DAZN.
Despite the short notice, Murphy produced a spirited performance and lost a contentious 10-round unanimous decision with the judges scoring the contest 96-95, 96-94 and 97-93 in favour of Fiaz.
“I still believe I won the fight,” Murphy told Boxing News Online.
“The first four rounds were a shutout. I boxed very well. I kept it long and he couldn’t really get near me.
“Then, the 12 days notice started showing a little bit. I started losing my shape midway through the fight. Fatigue started kicking in and that’s when he came into the contest.
“I admit it was a close fight but I have watched it twice and I don’t want to watch it again, because it frustrates me. The scoring frustrates me. Both times I scored it six-four to me. Personally, I don’t see how I lost that fight.”
Murphy’s second official defeat of his career follows another highly-entertaining, competitive bout against Khaleel Majid back on April 5 when he fought on the undercard of Joe Joyce vs Filip Hrgovic.
He continued: “There’s nothing I can do about it now. There’s no point crying over it. I honestly don’t believe that’s me being biased because like I said after the Majid fight, I’m the first to admit that I thought I lost that fight. I thought Majid nicked it by a round or two.
“I think the Fiaz fight was different. I thought I won the fight and it’s just a shame about the decision. But no regrets whatsoever. I’m still happy I was able to perform like that on 12 days’ notice.
“I’d love a rematch with a full camp of six to eight weeks. But I can’t see him jumping at that.”
Before being offered to fight on a Queensberry show and then a Matchroom card, Murphy had spent the majority of his career fighting on small hall shows.
“I remember scrolling through Twitter after the Fiaz fight and the amount of people who agreed that I should have won, was all I saw.
“It’s good to be on those platforms. You feel important. You feel like people care about your career. At the small hall shows it’s mainly your family and your friends who come to support you.
“When you’re on these shows live on DAZN, people are tuning in because they are actual fans. They like your style. They like to watch you box. I’m very grateful to be in that position where people want to see me box.
“When I started boxing I was just an eight-year-old who had no interest in turning pro or anything like that. It sort of shows how far I’ve come with it all. No doubt I’ll be on more shows live on DAZN.”
Despite competing on a few Wasserman Boxing cards, the Salford native was not signed to a promoter, unlike Majid, who is signed to Queensberry and Fiaz, who has a contract with Matchroom.
“I’ve experienced it twice now. Two close fights against two fighters who are signed to big promoters. In a close fight like that, I feel like they are always going to get the nod. It’s an uphill battle.
“It’s down to me, going forwards, to not make it close. That’s all I can do. I’m not signed with any promotion. My only chance is to get on their shows and fight their fighters. If that’s the path I have to go down, then so be it.
“I’m just going to have to improve and make it more evident, more obvious that I won the fight. It’s the only way I can go about it.”
Regardless, Murphy, 24, believes his two consecutive appearances on DAZN have improved his reputation amongst the boxing fraternity.
“Although it’s another loss, it’s done me no harm. They aren’t bad losses, especially with the circumstances of 12 days’ notice and me stepping in.
“Even though I was staying in the gym, staying fit, sparring and remaining sharp, there is a difference to being in the gym ticking over and having a six-to-eight week camp, mentally focusing on a big fight like that.
“To step in and be able to give that performance, my stock has risen from it. The last two fights have put my name out there. Now I need to rebuild and run with it. Get a win and just go from there. My name is in the mouth of the right people and we just have to see where we go now.”
Murphy now has a professional record of 13 wins and two losses, yet losing his unbeaten record this year has just made him more determined to bounce back.
“It doesn’t bother me, it really doesn’t. It just shows that I’m not afraid to take big fights. I’m in the sport to be involved in big fights, exciting fights and I’m not scared of going into bouts where I’m the underdog.
“I’ll take more risks going forward. I’ll be in more fights where everyone will write me off again. The last two haven’t gone in my favour, but eventually I’m going to get these fights where people write me off and I’m going to turn them over and I’m going to win.
“It’s going to catapult my career and eventually I will be the A-side and it will be me with all the power. I’m looking forward to when the time comes.
“Unbeaten records seem impressive, but are they really? It depends on who you have fought. I’m not bothered about that and I have nothing to protect now. I’m happy to get into risky fights and see what I’m all about.”
However, on October 11, ‘Super’ Murphy will first return to a small hall show at The Hideout in Farnworth as he attempts to get back to winning ways.
“I’m buzzing. I’ve had two big fights and learned so much from it. I’ve stayed in the gym since then and been working on a lot of stuff. I’ve taken my recent experiences away and put it into sparring.
“I’m feeling good in training and sparring. I feel like I have improved so much in such a short space of time. I’m looking forward to get back out on October 11 and show everyone an improved version of myself.”
