It was boxing's luck that Bos Murphy – he got the moniker from his second name Boswell – turned to the fight game. As a youth he was an outstanding cricketer and soccer player and he could have been anything in those sports.

But he took up boxing aged nine at Dick Dunn's boxing gym in the Lower Hutt Railway Institute and from then on his sporting career was contained within the square ring.

He was tall for a middleweight and he was fast. He had started off as a southpaw but Dunn switched him to orthodox thus he did most of his damage with a lightning left jab and a hurtful left hook.

Turning professional in 1944, Murphy, the son of Irish immigrants, had a disastrous start to the punch-for-pay ranks, losing to Dunn's son Tommy by a tko in the sixth round when he injured his ankle. He had gone to Jackie Parker's gym when he turned professional. Undeterred by this setback, he went on to win 10 straight fights, including a rematch with Dunn. In 1946 Murphy won the New Zealand welterweight title, stopping Vic Caltaux in the 10th round in Petone.

This set up the real fight of the century (never mind the billing for Shane Cameron vs David Tua) with world-rated Australian light and welterweight champion Vic Patrick, who had won 41 of his 48 fights via the short route.

Never has a fight in New Zealand before or since captured the imagination of the New Zealand sporting public. Murphy won on a hotly disputed points decision over 12 rounds before 13,000 fans at the Petone Recreation Ground. New Zealand's then Prime Minister, Peter Fraser, climbed in the ring immediately after the decision was given and pumped Bos' hand saying, "Enzed is proud of you, my boy."

Murphy followed that up with wins over locals Danny O'Keefe and Roy Stevens and two good Australians, Bobby Clarke and Jack Kirkham.

Then came his two controversial bouts with American Willie Jones. People still talk about what took place today, and many conspiracy theories abound. There were suggestions Jones took a "dive'' and Murphy was in on it. Whatever the New Zealand Boxing Council (which was in charge of local boxing then) revoked Murphy's license.

So in 1948 he went to England and in London's Royal Albert Hall, outpointed Vince Hawkins, a useful boxer and the British champion, for the vacant Empire middleweight title.

Two fights later he lost the crown to Dick Turpin, brother of world champion to-be Randy Turpin. Bos fought some good men while in Europe, including Scottish champion, Willie White and Italian champ Fernando Jannelli.

He returned to New Zealand in 1951 but the boxing authorities refused to give him his licence back. Murphy later ran a successful furniture removal business. He passed away November 9, 2006 aged 76 at Upper Hutt.