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Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior Writer
Rising Australian heavyweight Jackson Murray couldn’t have asked for a better training camp as he prepares to take the next step in his young boxing journey and stay undefeated as a professional fighter.
The six-foot, seven-inch brawler from New South Wales, who will fight American Steven Torres on the Shakur Stevenson-Edwin De Los Santos undercard this weekend in Las Vegas, has been busy working out and honing his craft at a private Top Rank gym in Nevada since the beginning of October.
In that time, Murray has trained alongside some of the biggest names in boxing, including world champions Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez. He was also cherry-picked, due to his stature, reach and southpaw stance, to play sparring partner for Francis Ngannou in the lead-up to the MMA star’s highly publicized, and controversial, fight against Tyson Fury last month.
“You become a product of your surroundings,” Murray tells ESPN. “When I’m in the gym and I look to my left and see an undisputed world champion like Devin Haney putting in work like he is an unproven amateur, it inspires me to work harder and try and be as great as him. It not only inspires me, but it rubs off, too.
“I realised early on that the training and sparring in America is very different [to Australia]. There are no friends here and no one is going to work with you. You see people sparring in the ring and there is often smack-talking and insults being traded. It is dog eat dog but I love it and I feel that it is transforming me every day to improve and deal with this adversity for my boxing, and my career.”
Murray was a born fighter. Growing up in Cronulla, he spent his early years watching ESPN’s Friday Night Fights with his father as well as getting into scraps in the backyard with his three older brothers.
He began fighting at an amateur level as a way to stay fit during the rugby league offseason — a well worn path in Australia — steadily climbing the ranks before turning professional early in 2021. His debut fight came against Webster Teaupa on the undercard of Paul Gallen’s knockout win over Lucas Browne in Wollongong. From the opening bell he bossed the contest with his right jab, twice dropping his opponent in the first round to force an early referee stoppage.
While Murray believes he’s “not a typical heavyweight, in terms of movement,” the 28-year-old still carries immense power. He’s also displayed patience in the early stages of his career by not forcing the issue, and instead waiting for a knockout window to present itself.
He currently holds a 5-0 (4 KOs) record, with his most recent win coming via split decision against Louis Masters in September. It wasn’t all plain sailing, however, with Murray having to overcome an early knock down and cut over his left eye to earn the judges’ nod.
His training camp leading into this upcoming fight has been an incredibly lucrative opportunity. But training alongside a host of boxing royalty in the fight Mecca that is Las Vegas has meant enormous sacrifice. Hours after his win over Masters in Sydney, Murray waved goodbye to his family and jetted off to the United States, where he has remained.
“I have been in Vegas alone for the last month, training almost daily. It’s my birthday today and my three-year-old just sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me over FaceTime,” he says. “You are alone in this game [and] any corner you cut will get exposed on fight night. But if I didn’t believe in myself, I wouldn’t be making these sacrifices.”
Torres 6-0-1 (6 KOs) last fought in July, flooring James Evans in 70 seconds in what was the second edition of their fight which had initially been scored a draw. Like Murray, Torres, stands at six-feet and seven-inches, and that length will pose a unique challenge for Murray.
“It will be a battle of the giants,” Murray tells ESPN. “He seems to like to control the fight with his jab, but I have a left hand waiting for him. I know I have more power than him and I can’t wait to use it.
“[If I] keep winning, and making moves to better myself and my career, with the team I have, anything is possible. I want to fight on a Top Rank card in Australia in front of all my friends, family and Aussies.”
Source: www.espn.com