Scott Harrison vs John Murray possible for Burns-Mitchell undercard on September 22nd
A clash between 34-year-old former WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison (26-2-2, 15 KO’s) and former EBU lightweight champion John Murray (31-2, 18 KO’s) is possible for the undercard of the Ricky Burns vs. Kevin Mitchell bout on September 22nd in Glasgow, Scotland.
It’s a risky fight for both guys, as Harrison hasn’t fought a high level opponent in seven years, and only recently make a comeback after a 7-year layoff, beating the inexperienced Gyorgy Mizsei Jr. by a 4th round TKO last June. Going from a fight against this guy to a bout against a young and tough Murray is going to be a very dangerous bout for the rusty Harrison to take.
The fight is also a risky one for Murray, because he’s lost his last two fights against Brandon Rios and Kevin Mitchell, losing both by knockouts last year in 2011. Another loss for Murray could sink his once promising career to the point where he’ll never be able to regain the footing that he had previously.
Harrison’s manager Alex Morrison told the telegraph.co.uk “Everything is in place and all that Scott needs to do is sign the contract. He won’t get a better or a quicker chance to become a world champion again.”
Morrison is right. If Harrison can blow out Murray in an impressive fashion, he’ll be in a great position to get a title shot against WBO lightweight champion Burns in what would be a huge fight in Scotland, as both fighters come from there. At the very least, it would give Harrison a nice payday no matter what happens in that fight.
The Murray fight should give Harrison a good gauge of where his skills are at. If he struggles to beat Murray then it suggests that he may be in over his head in a fight against Burns.
By: William Mackay