Frank Warren intends to use the European lightweight champion to re-establish Manchester as Britain's boxing capital
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Top promoter Frank Warren is hoping to rejuvenate the Manchester boxing scene which he so successfully managed during the hey-day of Ricky Hatton after signing new local hero John Murray.
The European and two-time British lightweight champion from Levenshulme joins Warren's talent packed stable alongside the best young fighters in Britain.
Murray, 26, has amassed the longest current undefeated record in Britain with 30 wins and his last six fights have all ended by stoppage.
Hall of Fame promoter Warren has guided and developed British boxing's biggest stars including Joe Calzaghe, Hatton, Nigel Benn, Amir Khan, Frank Bruno and Naseem Hamed, and now Murray wants to join those illustrious names.
"John is a tremendous talent and I'm thrilled that he's joined my organisation," said Warren, now into his 30th year in the sport. "I've always thought highly of him and what he needs now is the right promotion and guidance to turn him into a star and that's what I aim to do.
"He can fight and I believe that with his no-nonsense, all-action, style, he can be the man to get Manchester's boxing scene going again."
A jubilant Murray said: "I'm excited to be signing with Frank, who is the best promoter in Britain and one of the best in the world at developing talent. This is the next chapter of my career, which will be the most exciting, and I'm looking forward to being on the big stage.
"Frank can make the big fights happen; he got Kostya Tszyu for Hatton, Jeff Lacy for Calzaghe, Marco Antonio Barrera for Khan, all of which were in Manchester, and more recently Michael Katsidis for Kevin Mitchell.
"My ambition has always been to headline arenas. I've watched Ricky Hatton fill the MEN Arena in his hey-day making Manchester the boxing capital of Britain in the last decade.
"I want to get Manchester rocking again, I've got the exciting style that the fans love and I want to be part of the Frank Warren success story just like Naz, Ricky and Joe."
Murray's trainer Joe Gallagher, who also carries an unbeaten record with his fighters currently standing at 41-0, said: "I'm really pleased that John has gone with Frank, who I know is going to do a fantastic job on him.
"It's also a proud day for me as I've had John since he was a 14-year-old and brought him through the amateurs and professional ranks, winning the English, British and European titles, and now he's signed up with one of the world's best promoters.
"Frank's promoted the best fighters and puts on the best shows and John is in the best hands he could be in."
