Murray battles past Bone
05 December 2009 – By Cormac Campbell
Andy Murray was drawn into all-out war in grinding out a six-round points victory over Ecuadorian buzzsaw Alex Bone on the Macklin vs Pintos undercard.
Unbeaten Cavan star Murray, the reigning EU lightweight champion, has been out of the ring since winning the title last March against Daniel Rasilla after fracturing his collarbone in training for a September title defence.
Sceptics questioned whether it was too early for the former amateur champion to return following such a series injury and will feel vindicated after the fan favourite looked rusty and easy to hit at times. What Murray did show however was immense grit, a solid chin and a willingness to go into the trenches when things are not necessarily going his way.
At times his head was worryingly stagnant however as the bout went on and some of the rust was shaken off Murrays defence improved and his ability to slip shots whilst landing his own accurate combinations was noted.
After the contest Murray acknowledged that the level of rust that had set in and also his concerns in relation to the shoulder injury. However, a win is a win and with a promise of being considerably better next time out, Murray has said he will forgo Christmas in a bid to return to full fitness.
Stay tuned to irish-boxing.com this week for all the post fight reaction from Macklin vs Pintos, including news on Andy Murray, Paulie Hyland and the prospect of an intriguing clash between lightweights Oisin Fagan and Michael Kelly.
