It all started on a cold, whipping January night at Legends Casino in Toppenish, Washington in 2024. The crowd was buzzing, and tension filled the air. The atmosphere was electric. Devontae McDonald, of Wenatchee, Washington, just 4-3 at the time, was about to go against an undefeated Andrew “White Lightning” Murphy, of Yakima, Washington. The blue and white sparks flew as Devonte crossed the point of no return with his team. Then, all eyes turned to Andrew. With thye great Roy Jones Jr. guiding him, “White Lightning” walked the same path only a few have gone before him. As they stepped into the ring, the crowd could feel the hunger in the air. They could see the firmness of purpose in both of their eyes. McDonald, with a fragment of amateur experience, stood across from the decorated and accomplished Murphy. The bell rang, and the two super middleweights clashed like titans in the ring. This was unexpected to many who had the notion that Murphy, the RJJ protege and knockout savant, should demolish McDonald. However, at the end of round eight, there was room for interpretation - which is never a good thing in boxing. Little did either of them know that people would still be talking about this fight two years later.
Although Murphy walked away with a unanimous decision, one lingering question remained in the minds of the fans who watched it: Did he deserve to win? Was McDonald simply the underdog people were rooting for? Should the fight have been scored a draw? Or did McDonald deserve the win outright?
McDonald wanted the rematch, that's for certain. In the years that followed, the rivals clashed online. People began calling Murphy a “duck.” At one point, even Roy Jones Jr. had to address a crowd yelling, “We want Devontae!” From Murphy’s side, this was a bridge they had already crossed. There was no need to prove what had already been done. But this fight didn’t disappear. Instead, it created a wave of division in Washington. Half of Washington believes McDonald won and deserves the chance to win officially. The other half wants Murphy to fight him again just to shut him up, once and for all. Now they're finally going to get their answer. McDonald comes into the rematch more mature after several toilsome fights against tough competitors, including exchanging blows with one of Murphy’s stablemates, Shady Gilmour. He now enters this fight with 14 total professional fights behind him and a record of 8-6. Andrew enters still undefeated after thirteen pro fights, including multiple first-round knockouts.
One could say McDonald has gained more experience in fighting through to the final bell, while Murphy has repeatedly ended fights before those later rounds ever arrived. Does that give McDonald an advantage in a long, grueling fight? Is Murphy’s undefeated record as good as it appears to be, or has he not been tested enough? Those are questions that can only be answered on October 3rd, the night they meet again? The two are scheduled to go head-to-head in an epic, eight-round rematch in the same venue.
And that brings us to perhaps the biggest inquisition of all: Who is in the more dangerous position? The boxer who says, "I know I won, and I will do anything to prove it" or the boxer who says, "proving it will be the last thing you do"?
The rivalry has now reached beyond Washington. What began as a regional battle has reached boxing fans from the Pacific Northwest all the way to Pensacola and the South. Because this rivalry has reached an intrastate level, the Roy Jones Jr. team wants it accessible to all of us invested; That's why it will be shown on TikTok live. Boxing commentator Christian Schmidt, a Boxingtalk regular, says “This will be the most watched boxing fight on the planet on that day.” This coming Saturday, October 3rd at Legends Casino Hotel, (or virtually, on TikTok live) Devontae gets another chance to prove what he has believed since that icy January night. Andrew gets a chance to prove there was never anything to doubt in the first place. If you want a preview of the kind of fight this rivalry has the potential to produce, do me a favor and watch the fifteenth round of Larry Holmes vs. Ken Norton. Then, imagine witnessing it yourself at Legends Casino on October 3rd.
Boxingtalk welcomes the author, Emmerscyn Grigsby, a former amateur boxer and US Army member who co-founded the 509 Boxing Gym in Yakima, Washingtom
