Lee Roy Murphy facts for kids

Lee Roy Murphy, born on July 16, 1958, is a retired American professional boxer. He was a champion in the cruiserweight division, holding the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title from 1984 to 1986. He was known by his nickname, "Solid Gold."

Lee Roy Murphy's Early Boxing Days

Lee Roy Murphy started his boxing journey as an amateur. He represented his hometown, Chicago, in the Intercity Golden Gloves tournaments. In 1977 and 1978, he won his matches with quick first-round knockouts.

In 1979, he won the Light Heavyweight National Golden Gloves championship. This win earned him a spot on the 1980 United States Olympic team. However, the USA decided not to send its athletes to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. This was due to political reasons.

Even though he couldn't compete in the Olympics, Murphy and his teammates were honored. They each received a special Congressional Gold Medal. Instead of the Olympics, the U.S. team traveled to West Germany for a boxing match. They also went to Kenya for the first-ever Gold Cup international boxing tournament. This tournament was for countries that boycotted the Olympics.

Lee Roy Murphy was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Los Angeles, California, in May 2022. He is now 67 years old and lives with his wife, Barbara, and their daughter, Ariel Murphy. He also has grandchildren named Matthew Townsend, Brooklyn Lewis, and Eloni Lewis.

Amateur Career Highlights

Lee Roy Murphy had many important matches during his amateur career. Here are some of his notable achievements:

• In March 1977, he won the Chicago Golden Gloves (165 lbs) by defeating Mark Scully.
• In April 1977, he won the 35th Intercity Golden Gloves (165 lbs) by knocking out Paul Christiani.
• In April 1978, he won the Chicago Golden Gloves (178 lbs) by defeating Willie Phillips.
• In April 1978, he won the 36th Intercity Golden Gloves (178 lbs) by knocking out Ron Huston.
• In March 1979, he won the National Golden Gloves (178 lbs) by knocking out Alvino Manson in the finals.
• In April 1979, he won the 37th Intercity Golden Gloves (178 lbs) by stopping Porfirio Llanes.
• In January 1980, he defeated Nikolay Yerofeyev from the Soviet Union.
• In June 1980, he won the Olympic Trials (178 lbs) by knocking out Elmer Martin.
• In September 1980, he won the Gold Cup (178 lbs) in Kenya by defeating Danny Jackson.

He finished his amateur career with an impressive 162 victories.

Lee Roy Murphy's Professional Boxing Career

Lee Roy Murphy became a professional boxer in 1980. He quickly made a name for himself, earning the nickname "Solid Gold." In 1984, he won the IBF Cruiserweight Title. He achieved this by defeating Marvin Camel in the 14th round.

Murphy successfully defended his title three times. However, in 1986, he lost the championship belt to Ricky Parkey. After this loss, his career became less prominent. He had further losses to Dwight Muhammad Qawi in 1987 and Mike Evans in 1991.

He decided to retire from boxing after his loss to Evans. However, he made a brief return to the sport in 1998. During this comeback, he won both of his fights.

Lee Roy Murphy's Family Life

Lee Roy's brother, Kenny Murphy, was also a professional boxer. Kenny fought for the WBA Cruiserweight Title in 1999 against Fabrice Tiozzo. Kenny also won four Intercity Golden Gloves championships. He won at 165 lbs in 1977 and at 178 lbs from 1978 to 1980.

Lee Roy is married to Barbara Murphy. They have one daughter together, Ariel Murphy. Lee Roy is now retired from his job at CTA. He is enjoying his life with his family.

Professional Boxing Record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
34	Win	30–4	Kimmuel Odum	UD	6	07/08/1998	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
33	Win	29–4	Jerry Brown	TKO	4	26/06/1998	Alumni Hall, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Referee stopped the bout at 2:40 of the fourth round.
32	Loss	28–4	Mike Evans	UD	12	02/03/1991	Dolphin Centre, Darlington, England	IBF Intercontinental Heavyweight Title.
31	Win	28–3	Terry Armstrong	UD	10	12/09/1990	Gateway Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
30	Loss	27–3	Johnny du Plooy	PTS	10	09/06/1990	Sun City, South Africa
29	Win	27–2	Alfonso Ratliff	KO	4	26/06/1989	Odeum Expo Center, Villa Park, Illinois, U.S.	Illinois Heavyweight Title.
28	Loss	26–2	Dwight Muhammad Qawi	TKO	6	15/08/1987	Saint-Tropez, France
27	Win	26–1	Bobby Crabtree	UD	10	28/04/1987	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
26	Win	25–1	Steve Mormino	PTS	8	27/03/1987	Viareggio, Italy
25	Loss	24–1	Rickey Parkey	TKO	10	25/10/1986	Marsala, Italy	Lost IBF cruiserweight title
24	Win	24–0	Dorcy Gaymon	KO	9	19/04/1986	Sanremo Casino, Sanremo, Italy	Retained IBF cruiserweight title
23	Win	23–0	Chisanda Mutti	KO	12	19/10/1985	Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo, Monaco	Retained IBF cruiserweight title
22	Win	22–0	Eddie Taylor	TKO	12	20/12/1984	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Retained IBF cruiserweight title
21	Win	21–0	Marvin Camel	TKO	14	06/10/1984	MetraPark Arena, Billings, Montana, U.S.	Won IBF cruiserweight title
20	Win	20–0	Darnell Hayes	KO	2	15/03/1984	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
19	Win	19–0	Steve Zouski	UD	10	20/12/1983	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
18	Win	18–0	Ralph Cuomo	TKO	1	02/12/1983	Shirley, New York, U.S.
17	Win	17–0	Willie Crawford	TKO	1	07/11/1983	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
16	Win	16–0	Frank Payne	UD	10	18/10/1983	Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
15	Win	15–0	Keith Allen	TKO	6	05/10/1983	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Referee stopped the bout at 0:39 of the sixth round.
14	Win	14–0	Ivy Brown	KO	1	07/08/1983	Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Brown knocked out at 2:13 of the first round.
13	Win	13–0	Rahim Muhammad	KO	9	22/05/1983	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
12	Win	12–0	Charles Allen	KO	4	07/02/1983	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Allen knocked out at 1:25 of the first round.
11	Win	11–0	Terry Denny	KO	3	19/07/1982	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Denny knocked out at 1:28 of the third round.
10	Win	10–0	Eddie Smith	KO	4	19/03/1982	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Smith knocked out at 2:09 of the fourth round.
9	Win	9–0	Charles Presswood	KO	1	05/02/1982	Civic Center, Danville, Illinois, U.S.	Presswood knocked out at 2:39 of the first round.
8	Win	8–0	Frank Diaper	TKO	2	22/01/1982	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Referee stopped the bout at 2:43 of the second round.
7	Win	7–0	Elvis Parks	PTS	6	03/10/1981	Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois, U.S.	Parks down twice in the sixth round.
6	Win	6–0	John Trollinger	KO	1	27/07/1981	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Trollinger knocked out at 0:35 of the first round.
5	Win	5–0	Darnell Hayes	K0	2	05/06/1981	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Hayes knocked out at 2:01 of the second round.
4	Win	4–0	Reggie Walker	TKO	2	16/04/1981	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Referee stopped the bout at 2:25 of the second round.
3	Win	3–0	Floyd Cross	KO	3	09/03/1981	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Cross down three times in the first round and knocked out at 2:53 of the third round.
2	Win	2–0	Gary Hunter	KO	1	11/12/1980	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Hunter knocked out at 1:34 of the first round.
1	Win	1–0	Roger Moore	KO	2	13/11/1980	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.	Moore knocked out at 1:22 of the second round.

See Also

• List of world cruiserweight boxing champions