Lee Roy Murphy (born July 16, 1958) is a retired American professional boxer. He held the IBF cruiserweight title from 1984 to 1986.
Amateur career Murphy represented Chicago at three consecutive Intercity Golden Gloves dispatching his rivals with first-round knockouts in 1977 and 1978,Big Apple and the Windy City Glovers clash by Jack Smith, Daily News from New York, April 24, 1979, p. 56.N.Y. kayos Chi 4th time in row by Jack Smith, Daily News from New York, April 24, 1979, p. 56. and winning the 1979 Light Heavyweight National Golden Gloves and earning a spot on the 1980 United States Olympic team. However, as the USA boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow due to political reasons, Murphy and the rest of his team were not granted Olympic berths. Murphy did, however, receive one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created specifically for the boycotted athletes. Instead the U.S. team dispatched to West Germany for a match-up with the West German national team,Five Olympic boxers to fight in German meet (AP,) The Decatur Herald, June 26, 1980, p. 12. and then to Kenya, to compete in the inaugural Gold Cup international boxing tournament funded partially by the U.S. State Department, for the benefit of countries which boycotted the Summer Olympics.Sports, Pacific Stars And Stripes, September 15, 1980, p. 21. He is now 64 years old, living with his wife Barbara and his daughter Ariel Murphy with his grandchildren Matthew Townsend, Brooklyn Lewis, and Eloni Lewis.
Leeroy Murphy was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Los Angeles, California in May 2022.
Highlights
Chicago Golden Gloves (165 lbs), International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, March 1976: (no data available) USA–USSR Duals (165 lbs), Las Vegas, Nevada, January 1977: Lost to Gennadiy Tolmachyov (Soviet Union) by decision National Golden Gloves (165 lbs), Honolulu, Hawaii, March 1977: 1/4: Lost to Keith Broom by decision Chicago Golden Gloves (165 lbs), International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, March 1977: Finals: Defeated Mark Scully by unanimous decision, 5–0 35th Intercity Golden Gloves (165 lbs), Madison Square Garden, New York City, April 1977: Defeated Paul Christiani KO 1 AAU National Championships (178 lbs), Ohio State Fair, Columbus, Ohio, August 1977: Finals: Lost to Mark Frazie by decision USA–Romania Duals (178 lbs), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 1978: Lost to Constantin Dafinoiu (Romania) by decision National Golden Gloves (178 lbs), Albuquerque, New Mexico, March 1978: 1/16: Defeated Dennis Stanley KO 2 1/8: Defeated Sonny Westbrook RSC 1 1/4: Defeated Ron Brown by decision 1/2: Lost to Charles Singleton by decision Chicago Golden Gloves (178 lbs), International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, April 1978: Finals: Defeated Willie Phillips 36th Intercity Golden Gloves (178 lbs), Chicago, Illinois, April 1978: Defeated Ron Huston KO 1 Chemistry Cup (178 lbs), Halle, East Germany, June 1978: Finals: Lost to Michael Seefeldt (East Germany) RSC 1 National Sports Festival (178 lbs), Fort Carson, Colorado, July 1978: 1/2: Lost to Elmer Martin by decision
USA–USSR Duals (178 lbs), Troy, New York, February 1979: Lost to Nikolay Yerofeyev (Soviet Union) by decision USA–Poland Duals (178 lbs), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, February 1979: Defeated Jacek Kucharczyk (Poland) by split decision, 2–1 National Golden Gloves (178 lbs), Indianapolis, Indiana, March 1979: 1/2: Defeated Steve Adams RSC 1 Finals: Defeated Alvino Manson KO 1 37th Intercity Golden Gloves (178 lbs), Madison Square Garden, New York City, April 1979: Defeated Porfirio Llanes RSC 1 Pan Am Trials (178 lbs), Toledo, Ohio, May 1979: 1/2: Lost to Andre McCoy by split decision, 2–3 USSR–USA Duals (178 lbs), Moscow, Soviet Union, January 1980: Defeated Nikolay Yerofeyev (Soviet Union) by split decision, 2–1 National Golden Gloves (178 lbs), Hirsch Memorial Coliseum, Shreveport, Louisiana, March 1980: 1/8: Defeated Thomas Landry by split decision, 3–2 1/4: Defeated Jay Strickland by decision 1/2: Lost to Bernard Benton by decision Olympic Trials (178 lbs), Atlanta, Georgia, June 1980: 1/4: Defeated Bluford Spencer RSC 3 1/2: Defeated Steve Eden by unanimous decision, 5–0 Finals: Defeated Elmer Martin KO 1 FRG–USA Duals, West Berlin, West Germany, July 1980: Defeated Kurt Seiler (West Germany) by decision Gold Cup (178 lbs), Nairobi, Kenya, September 1980: Finals: Defeated Danny Jackson (Puerto Rico) by decision
He finished his amateur career having 162 victories to his credit.
Professional career Known as "Solid Gold", Murphy turned pro in 1980 and won the IBF Cruiserweight Title with a 14th-round TKO of Marvin Camel in 1984. He defended the title three times before losing the belt to Ricky Parkey in 1986. After the loss, Murphy's career drifted into obscurity with losses to Dwight Muhammad Qawi in 1987 and Mike Evans in 1991. He retired after the loss to Evans, but launched a brief comeback in 1998, winning both of his bouts.
Personal Lee Roy's brother, Kenny Murphy, was also a prizefighter and fought Fabrice Tiozzo for the WBA Cruiserweight Title in 1999. He won four Intercity Golden Gloves' championships in 1977 at 165 lb. and in 1978 through 1980 at 178 lb.
Lee Roy gave up fighting and focused more on his family life, now residing in the Chicago suburbs and spending time with his wife, Barbara Murphy, their daughters Tabitha Townsend and Ariel Murphy, along with his six grandchildren Matthew Townsend, Brooklyn Lewis, Eloni Lewis, Parker Lewis, Clint towers and Krue Jefferson. Lee Roy lives a very quiet and private life.
Although he lives a private life, Lee Roy makes his appearance on special occasions. His most recent appearance, In May of 2022, Lee Roy was inducted into the Los Angeles boxing hall of fame. He was accompanied by his wife, Barbara Murphy and his two granddaughters, Brooklyn Lewis and Eloni Lewis.
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes34Win30–4 Kimmuel OdumUD607/08/1998 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.33Win29–4 Jerry BrownTKO426/06/1998 Alumni Hall, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.32Loss28–4 Mike EvansUD1202/03/1991 Dolphin Centre, Darlington, England31Win28–3 Terry ArmstrongUD1012/09/1990 Gateway Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.30Loss27–3 Johnny du PlooyPTS1009/06/1990 Sun City, South Africa29Win27–2 Alfonso RatliffKO426/06/1989 Odeum Expo Center, Villa Park, Illinois, U.S.28Loss26–2 Dwight Muhammad QawiTKO615/08/1987 Saint-Tropez, France27Win26–1 Bobby CrabtreeUD1028/04/1987 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.26Win25–1 Steve MorminoPTS827/03/1987 Viareggio, Italy25Loss24–1 Rickey ParkeyTKO1025/10/1986 Marsala, Italy24Win24–0 Dorcy GaymonKO919/04/1986 Sanremo Casino, Sanremo, Italy23Win23–0 Chisanda MuttiKO1219/10/1985 Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo, Monaco22Win22–0 Eddie TaylorTKO1220/12/1984 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.21Win21–0 Marvin CamelTKO1406/10/1984 MetraPark Arena, Billings, Montana, U.S.20Win20–0 Darnell HayesKO215/03/1984 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.19Win19–0 Steve ZouskiUD1020/12/1983 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.18Win18–0 Ralph CuomoTKO102/12/1983 Shirley, New York, U.S.17Win17–0 Willie CrawfordTKO107/11/1983 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.16Win16–0 Frank PayneUD1018/10/1983 Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.15Win15–0 Keith AllenTKO605/10/1983 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.14Win14–0 Ivy BrownKO107/08/1983 Paradise, Nevada, U.S.13Win13–0 Rahim MuhammadKO922/05/1983 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.12Win12–0 Charles AllenKO407/02/1983 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.11Win11–0 Terry DennyKO319/07/1982 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.10Win10–0 Eddie SmithKO419/03/1982 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.9Win9–0 Charles PresswoodKO105/02/1982 Civic Center, Danville, Illinois, U.S.8Win8–0 Frank DiaperTKO222/01/1982 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.7Win7–0 Elvis ParksPTS603/10/1981 Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois, U.S.6Win6–0 John TrollingerKO127/07/1981 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.5Win5–0 Darnell HayesK0205/06/1981 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.4Win4–0 Reggie WalkerTKO216/04/1981 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.3Win3–0 Floyd CrossKO309/03/1981 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.2Win2–0 Gary HunterKO111/12/1980 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.1Win1–0 Roger MooreKO213/11/1980 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
See also List of world cruiserweight boxing champions
References
External links