What Made Prokick Great in 2008

When you think of kickboxing in Northern Ireland it is always to Murray and his incredibly successful ProKick Gym that thoughts first turn. This year, he increased his reputation by continuing to turn out a succession of champions, while all the time acting as key administrator and figurehead for the sport.

One of his proudest achievements came right at the end of the year. It was his KICKmas Box event at the Waterfront Hall – and it was the stage for yet another ProKick-produced world champion.

“At the start of December, Ian Young took the world amateur super middleweight title,” said Murray. “It was the crowning glory of a lifetime of dreams and many years of training and commitment."

Ian came late the sport. Until a few years ago he was knocking in goals for Linfield. But he loved kickboxing and he wanted to be the best in the world. He worked harder than anyone I have ever trained. He had knock-backs and injury scares, one in particular threatened to end his career, but he never gave up. And on that night he became another of ProKick’s world beaters. The roar of the fans lifted the roof. “And he still trains in the gym every day showing the young kids what can be achieved.”

Murray said he was also proud that though the credit crunch was biting and people had less cash and were getting ready for a tough Christmas, kickboxing fans still packed the hall. “It shows how important the sport is in Northern Ireland,” he said.

An incredible shining example of how the sport is a force in another way came in April. Then, a dizzying array of diplomats, ambassadors, senior UNICEF representatives and senior politicians gathered in Geneva to hear Murray and his team unveil the Kickboxing for Peace initiative.

The scheme was two years in the making. Born out of Murray’s experience of using kickboxing to bring together disenfranchised kids from across the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland, its aim is to promote peace and respect through sport.

Following the incredible launch, Prokick continues to bring together leading groups involved in martial arts and combat sports across Europe and to organise inter-community meetings and international events including competitions, training, courses, trips and demonstrations. “It was amazing, terrifying and thrilling,” said Murray of the reception to the plan from such rarefied guests from across Europe. “It’s essential we build on the success of the launch.

There is a growing belief that using sports like kickboxing and boxing, kids who would otherwise go the wrong way can be taught respect, for self and for others, can be taught control and ultimately can find and achieve new goals in life. I have always striven with ProKick to provide, for those who need it, an alternative that regular schools and government schemes don’t meet. And it has been successful for 17 years. And in 2009 it will go on.”

Murray’s approach has now also seen him embraced by the educational establishment. He is increasingly asked into schools to talk to kids about the importance of discipline and respect – and has also been hired by some local authority schemes set up for those with specific educational needs, like those excluded from school. In 2009 he says he will continue to devote a huge percentage of his time to this.

Last year, Murray also somehow found the time to bring through a dizzying array of new talent through his east Belfast gym HQ. There were upwards of 1200 classes taught, to varying ages and varying abilities – from junior beginners and the ever growing army of ProKick Kids, to world champions to those just wanting to use the cardiovascular rigours of kickboxing to get fit.

Young fighters such as Mark Bird shone at events across Britain and look set to join ProKick’s pantheon of greats – like long established world champions, Gary Hamilton, Ken Horan and Lydia Braniff, to champions of Europe Mark Hennessy and Stuart Jess.

Murray also continued to forge links with other organisations across the globe. A fact-finding trip to China in March saw link-ups established in a nation where few existed before.

The gym’s web-site ProKick.com is proving to be more of a hit on the world-wide web than homegrown football, rugby and most political sites on the internet. Since it was relaunched earlier last year, http://www.prokick.com has soared past the IFA, Sport NI, the Sports council and Ulster rugby websites to become one of the top three sports web-sites in Northern Ireland.

“ We’re in the top 300,000 sites in the world, and in the top three sporting web sites in Northern Ireland. That’s remarkable when you start to consider the mind-bogglingly vast number of sites in the world. We’re aiming to be one of the top 100,000…..and the NO.1 sport web- site at home. That day is coming!” Said ProKick’s boss, Billy Murray.

Kickboxing legend Ernesto Hoost also became a regular visitor to these shores, making a trip to Belfast four times. So revered within kickboxing and the mega-bucks K1 world that fight fans call him simply Mr Perfect, Hoost also took several seminars at the ProKick Gym.

There were also new links built with TV. Murray has previously brokered deals to broadcast kickboxing on Sky and Eurosport. The deal-maker this year set up a series of transmissions on Setanta Sports. The recent KICKmas event brought them in figures that matched conventional boxing and other combat fighting sports on their channel. Hopefully there might be more from this in 2009.

On a personal note, it was a year of landmarks for Murray, one tragic. In the year that the kickboxing king hit 50, his father, also called William, passed away after a short battle with cancer. The death hit Murray hard but it also gave him renewed focus and vigour.

“I was close to my father and I feel very blessed to have been able to spend some time with him as death came close. We knew what was happening and we said the things that needed to be said. But it reminded me that we’re not invincible, that life is for living and that I had to fill every moment and every second of every day to do the best I can. “In 2009, I will not stop.” – check out http://www.BillyMurray.com for a tribute.

And the Queen? Well the meeting with head of the House of Windsor came in March. Murray was invited, with several other local sporting figures, to meet HRH Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip at Hillsborough Castle. And what did they talk about? Why kickboxing of course! Her Royal Highness was curious about its origins and Murray’s training regime. He has been dining out on the quips since.