Articles and media mentions of Torpedo Billy Murphy
ucklander Magazine | Boxing On
By Hayley Hannan, 5th May 2011
A Ponsonby park will be home to a lifesize statue of a boxer in honour of a forgotten champion, writes Hayley Hannan.
Marie Dempsey surveys St Marys Reserve, the Ponsonby park where her, and her family's, hard work will remain for history.
The Mangere Bridge resident has banded with her four siblings to raise $90,000 for a lifesize bronze statue of her great-uncle, Billy Murphy.
"Torpedo Billy" is the only New Zealand-born boxing world champion, winning the featherweight championship in 1890.
At the park the three sisters - Ms Dempsey, Ann Smith and Sharron Peters, all in Billy T-shirts - are spilling over with stories.
"Ponsonby is where he spent most of his life," says Marie. "He was quite a man about town, he wore top hats and all that. He didn't drink or smoke: it must have been wild women, that's all."
The 167cm-tall Billy boxed when fighters wore tights and no gloves - just bare knuckles.
He was a tailor by trade, travelled the world boxing, and brought the first phonagraph into New Zealand, a gift from Thomas Edison himself.
Billy was one of four boys. Timothy and Jimmy were also renowned fighters. "There's probably never been another band of brothers like them," says Marie.
Lyttelton sculptor Mark Whyte is crafting the statue, but work has been delayed by the Christchurch earthquakes.
The statue should be finished, and installed, next March.
Billy will stand where the footpath meets the grass, facing the Leys Institute Library across the road in Ponsonby.
Despite being born in Auckland, sports historians say Thomas William Murphy (3 November 1863-26 July 1939) was sometimes billed as "Australian Billy Murphy".
On 13 January 1890 he fought Irishman Ike Weir in San Francisco to win the world title. Murphy knocked out Weir in the 14th round, having knocked him down five times in the 13th round.
Murphy was considered to have forfeited his title when he left the United States to return to New Zealand. However, Australia and New Zealand continued to recognise his title until he lost to Albert Griffiths in Sydney in September 1890.
Build Billy
The family is selling 40 bronze mini-replicas (maquettes) of the Billy Murphy statue. Each one is about 30cm high and priced at $3200. Contact us to order your own bronze marquette.
Billy died in Auckland at the age of 76 in 1939, then and still today, our only world champion.
