CANNOCK promoter Scott Murray has ended his bold bid to forge links with boxing rich Kazakhstan.
The ambitious fight figure – an emerging force on the scene – has walked away from Nomad Promotions, a new Kazakhstan based group aiming to give the country’s band of world class boxers the chance to fight on home turf.
It is a nation that has produced a stream of elite amateur champs as well as middleweight great Gennady Golovkin.
Murray, who runs the swank Excelsior Sporting Club, said today: “I resigned last month.”
His departure scuppers plans to feature top Midlands boxers such as Shabir Haidary and even Sam Eggington on Nomad shows.
Reasons for the breakdown of the ground-breaking partnership – forged during a London hotel meeting between Scott and a leading Kazakhstan businessman – remain unclear.
Scott said: “It has taken up too much of my time and my money.” He admitted there were issues he felt had not been addressed.
He added: “It’s been a great big learning curve. Working with a number of people internationally is challenging. You have to rely on people delivering on their promises.”
The news is in sharp contrast to the wave of excitement caused by Nomad’s launch. “From Cannockstan to Kazakhstan!” Scott announced when the deal was made public. Businessmen he had been working with even flew over for an Excelsior show.
Scott’s resignation does not spell the end for Nomad Promotions. It still intends to stage an inaugural show in Kazakhstan capital Astana on April 5.
And former heavyweight Murray – a bundle of entrepreneurial energy – is now looking at fresh boxing opportunities closer to home.
He and Birmingham manager Jon Pegg are working with other promoters on a major scheme. “We’re looking to set-up a promotional company staging shows in England and Scotland with TV coverage,” Scott said.
He is also toying with another project which is a long way from staging fight nights. Scott is working on the blueprint for a reality culinary programme, with boxers among the celebrities.
Taking centre stage would be Birmingham’s Michelin star chef Glynn Purnell, a big fan of the sport.
That’s Scott – always cooking up new business ventures, always spinning a lot of plates.
