- Irish Bob Murphy
Bob Murphy, (
July 22 1922 –August 1 1961 ), was an Americanlight heavyweight boxer who fought from 1945 to 1954. He was born Edwin Lee Conarty inFlagler, Colorado , but fought out ofSan Diego ,California . Murphy, who was a southpaw, made theRing Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time .He unsuccessfully challenged
Joey Maxim for the light heavyweight championship onAugust 22 1951 . Although Murphy entered the ring as the favorite, Maxim clearly out boxed him and won a unanimous 15 round decision.Murphy's biggest win came on
June 27 1951 against formermiddleweight championJake LaMotta , who had moved up to the lightheavyweight division after losing his crown toSugar Ray Robinson . La Motta appeared poorly prepared for the bout and was stopped when he could not answer the bell for the eighth round. The two fought a rematch onJune 11 1952 , and La Motta won the decision.Murphy retired in 1954 with a 65-11-1 record with 57 knockout wins.Murphy was killed in a road accident when he crashed his motorcycle and broke his neck on August 1, 1961.
References
*"Murphy Choice to beat Maxim for Title Tonight", New York Times, August 22, 1951
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