Jim Murphy

Jim Murphy started boxing in 1925 after joining Irish Garda (the national police and security service of the Republic of Ireland). The following year he was runner-up for the Irish middleweight title, and after moving up to cruiserweight in 1927 won the Irish title and was runner-up at the European Police Championships in London.

Murphy won the Irish Cruiserweight title again in 1929 and 1930, and in the second of those years enjoyed the highlight of his career when he won the ABA title at the Royal Albert Hall with a first round knockout of the young German student Flakowski (Polytechnic ABC). Murphy moved up to heavyweight in 1931 and tried to win the Irish title but lost to Matt Flanagan. Selected for the Irish team at both the 1932 Tailteann and Olympic Games, Murphy had to pull out of the former through injury, with his place being taken by Joe Gaffney.

At Los Angeles Murphy beat the fancied American Johnny Miler in his opening bout as he became the only Irish winner at the Games. Fancied to go further in the cruiserweight competition, Murphy’s medal hopes were dashed in the semi-final when an injured eye forced him to retire against the Italian Gino Rossi. Murphy had to miss his bronze medal encounter with Denmark’s Peter Jørgensen and the injury put him out of boxing for around nine months.

Murphy never fully recovered from the eye injury received at the Olympics and, despite continuing his career, eventually retired in 1935. He coached and trained young boxers and continued with this other sporting passion of rugby with Cork Constitution RUFC. In 1934 Murphy won the Munster Senior Cup with Garryowen RUFC.