ALEX Murphy will have the ‘biggest fight of his career’ on April 5 in an English title eliminator in Manchester.
Murphy will face fellow unbeaten British prospect Khaleel Majid on the ‘Heavy Impact’ card at the Co-op Live Arena, featuring Joe Joyce, Lawrence Okolie vs Richard Riakporhe, and David Adeleye vs Jeamie Tshikeva.
“This is my world title fight,” Murphy told Boxing News Online.
“It’s the biggest fight of my career and I’m going to fight like it’s make or break. It’s a fight that I’m hungry for because if I win this fight, the world is my oyster.
“It’s massive for my career. This is the pivotal moment. Get this win and then I’ve hit the jackpot with where I want to go.”
On the surface, Murphy and Majid will battle for a shot at the English super lightweight title, but the winner may get signed by Frank Warren if they deliver an impressive performance.
Like Majid, Murphy has appeared on promotional outfits such as Conlan Boxing and Wasserman Boxing yet hasn’t sealed a multi-fight deal with a major promoter in the UK.
Murphy continued: “If I get this win, I’ll be a 23-year-old with a big following and a big career ahead. If I beat Khaleel Majid, I’ve proved I’m a serious fighter. I’m not just a ticket seller. I’ll prove that I can win big fights.
“That’s what is in the back of my mind now. It just makes me more hungry and drives me even more. Get this win, get a multi-fight deal with Frank Warren and then that will set me up nicely.”
Despite Murphy being from Salford and Majid being from Bolton near Greater Manchester, the pair have never sparred or spoken to each other.
“He only came on my radar last year. He was in my gym sparring, but it wasn’t with me. We had another coach at the time, Haroon Hedley, who had his own pro fighters and he was coaching those fighters out of my gym.
“I was in the gym a week after one of my fights, having a rest week. I wasn’t training but I was there coaching. One day, he was sparring with one of Haroon’s boxers, and I watched him because his coach, Buddy McGirt was there as well.
“I took notice of his sparring and I remember liking his style. I think he’s a good boxer. I think he’s nice and tidy and in a way, he’s got a similar style to myself. He’s tall, he’s long and he boxes well.
“So, that was the first time I ever heard of him. Then I looked him up on Boxrec and he had a good record. I was surprised I hadn’t heard of him before. But in my last fight, he was on the same bill.”
One week before the prospects competed in separate contests on February 21 at Bolton Whites Hotel, Murphy had already agreed to fight Majid next.
In the co-main event, Murphy extended his unbeaten record to 13-0 with a wide points win over Rajesh Kumar whereas Majid headlined the show with a unanimous decision victory against Ramiro Garcia Lopez to go 14-0.
“That’s when I got the call hearing that Frank Warren had offered this fight against Khaleel Majid on the Dillian Whyte vs Joe Joyce undercard.
“My manager asked me what I thought of the fight. I said to him and my coach, ‘I’ll fight anybody.’ I’m not bothered. I’m never going to turn down a fight. My manager and my coach are guiding my career.
“So I said, if you think this is a good fight, if you think this is a good opportunity and you think that I beat him, and you’re happy with it, then I’ll always take the fight.
“There are bragging rights as well. He’s from Bolton and I have massive connections with Bolton. I live in Salford and my football club is Bolton. A lot of people see me as a Bolton boxer and Khaleel is a Bolton boxer so I suppose it’s the bragging rights of Bolton there.”
On paper, Majid arguably has a better win than anyone on Murphy’s resume, stopping former WBA International Super Lightweight Champion Tom Farrell in the sixth round at the Echo Arena in 2023.
Regardless, Murphy is ready for the challenge and is keen to attain the best win of his career.
“These are our world titles. We’re going to be putting everything on the line so it could turn into a really entertaining fight.
“We’re on such a big platform and we’re fighting at such a good stadium. I love it there so I am buzzing to box there myself.
“What a cracking fight this is set up to be, 14-0 vs 13-0. These are the fights that I want. These are the fights that get me excited. There’s only five weeks to go and it can’t come quick enough.”
