Professional fighter, Jordon Murphy, born in Bensalem, PA, and currently fighting out of Deerfield Beach, FL, will put his 1-0 record on the line when he faces Nasir Mickens (2-0, 1 KO), of Philadelphia, PA, in a four-round, lightweight bout at Live! Casino in South Philadelphia on Thursday, February 24. The fight is one of eight fights featured that evening.
Tickets at $50, $75 and $125 are on sale now at https://philadelphia.livecasinohotel.com/events-and-shows/joe-hand-boxing and at AXS.com or by calling 215-364-9000. Must be 21 or older to attend.
Here is a question and answer with Murphy for consideration as a preview to the fight and a profile of a fighter.
What got you into boxing?
“Being born in Philadelphia you know Rocky is a huge part of that city, so I grew up a lot watching Rocky with my brother. Then I moved to Florida at a young age, and my brother was so influenced by Rocky, he begged my dad to sign him up for boxing, and we all were playing baseball. It just so happened that my old boxing coach, Butch Santy, came around somehow and started talking to my dad. They started to talk about boxing and then he (Butch) was like I’m opening a boxing gym in a few months and that is how it started, following in my brother’s footsteps.”
What do you enjoy the most about boxing/fighting?
“Basically everything about it. There is not one specific thing I can say. I love the training. Most people don’t like running. I enjoy running; I enjoy the workouts we do; I love sparring; I love being in the ring. What I like the most is seeing myself improve every time I step into the ring and learn new things.
Is there current or former fighters that you took pieces of their style from and implemented into your game?
“I would definitely say Sugar Ray Leonard was a big part of that. I watched Sugar Ray as a kid and then Floyd Mayweather came around. Floyd Mayweather was a huge star, and then Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez. I like watching those type of guys. They all have a unique style that you don’t usually see in boxers.”
Did you always want to be a boxer?
“So like I said, at first it was baseball. That was really the first sport I started playing, and I was really good at it. I always thought I was going to be a professional baseball player, but the first time I stepped into a gym was on my birthday, and that was the only thing I asked my dad for. I said I do not want anything for my birthday; I just want you to put me in boxing. Since the first day, I fell in love with it. My mom was pregnant with my little brother, and every day she would drive us to the gym, and it was something I really admired.”
What is the biggest life lesson you have learned in boxing?
“Definitely you learn a lot of discipline being in boxing. You know how to control your anger a little more. Nobody is perfect. Everyone gets mad, but me personally, I do not like getting mad. Boxing has helped with that over the years. I feel like my temper has gotten a lot better than when I was a kid, and also my discipline and wisdom, as well as how to speak to people when you’re interacting with people nonstop throughout your career. As a kid, I won 4 national titles, 7 regional titles and 12 state titles, so the attention was always on me, and I always had to interact with older people coming up to me. So, it definitely taught me a lot over the years.”
After your last fight, what is something that you have been working on that you want to showcase in the ring?
“It literally is those two things that you said were exactly what I needed to work on. I have watched my pro debut every day, and you start taking little pieces off. I did see I was fighting off of my front foot a lot. Obviously, it’s not good. You have to be sitting on your back foot to generate more power. So, something I have been working on a lot is sitting down more on my back foot and picking up my left hand. Watching Floyd Mayweather throughout my whole life, you probably know from seeing a lot of younger boxers, a lot of kids do the Philly shell now and try to mimic the Floyd Mayweather stance. But in professional boxing, that does not work.”
What do you find the most rewarding or gratifying in boxing?
“I think the most special part about boxing is definitely winning. That is a huge aspect. You never want to lose; you never want an L on your record even though you can’t be scared to have that on your record. A lot of champions who are still Hall of Famers have multiple L’s on their record. So it’s not something you should be scared of. It’s just something nobody wants. Definitely something special is having those people around you supporting you as well. They walk you step by step. Having my coach teach me new things and learning new things throughout the years, those things are special to me, knowing that I can get better and do better every time I’m in the gym.”
Who are your biggest supporters outside the ring?
“For sure, my girlfriend. I met my girlfriend a few years back. She’s my ride-or-die for sure. She has always had my back. She makes sure I’m eating well, going to the gym and doing the things I need to do. She helps me edit pictures; she does a lot too. She is definitely my number 1. My dad is also like my best friend. He is the one that put me into this sport, and he has been nothing but supportive of me and moving forward in the future. My whole family, I have a big family, I have my mom, my 2 older brothers, my younger brother, my younger sister, my uncle, who is also my manger. So, I have a pretty big team around me. Those people definitely hold a big spot in my heart. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do this. The support they give is something special for sure.”