Lee has to win to earn shot at title
POSING for a New York photoshoot, Andy Lee holds a snowball with a playful smile. His arm is cocked like a catapult — albeit in a slightly less threatening fashion than when the southpaw throws a right hook with his power hand.
The scene is the Madison Square Park, location of the original Madison Square Garden — a fitting setting for a throwback fighter like the Limerick man.
Lee has been ticking over at Mendez’s Gym beside the site of the old Garden. Tonight he fights at MSG’s current Pennsylvania Plaza spot, the fourth time in a 39-bout pro career.
‘At 32 now, I know I’m not going to have too many more fights,’ says the father-to-be ahead of his first ring outing since December 2015. ‘I know in terms of boxing I’ve had more yesterdays than I’ll have tomorrows.
‘I’m only going to be doing this [fighting] maybe one or two more times after this, so I’m going to enjoy every single day and that’s the way I’ve been approaching it — just going in the gym, enjoying it.’
Lee has diligently prepared for his eight-round bout tonight (live on Eir Sports’ Box Nation channel) against Alabama middleweight KeAndrae Leatherwood at the Garden.
A little under 24 hours after Michael Conlan’s professional debut at the same venue’s Theater arena — a bout that took place in this morning’s wee hours on an Irish clock — Lee will lace up his gloves for his first competitive contest since a December 2015 defeat to England’s Billy Joe Saunders.
That Manchester setback also marked the loss of the Castleconnell man’s WBO world title and ghosts are still lingering in his mind after a fight that was plagued by cancellations, postponements and a poor performance.
‘It was a fight I was hugely motivated for as a challenge but by the time I got to the end of the three training camps because of the three reschedules, I was burnt out,’ says Lee, recalling that bout. ‘I’d over-trained and I’d peaked a few weeks before it.
‘Looking back in hindsight, I can see that. You never admit to yourself when you’re training but in hindsight I can see I done too much and peaked too soon and I was burnt out.
‘Being in a boxing ring and a gym was the last place I wanted to be… It just never clicked for me until I got knocked down and after that it was weird.
‘It was just a poor performance and I just felt flat. I peaked too soon and overtrained and once you go past that there’s no coming back,’ added the Limerick man.
The comeback starts this evening, New York time, early Sunday morning Irish time.
Leatherwood clearly represents what should be a stepping-stone fight in terms of Lee’s worldtitle ambitions, although the 28year-old Alabama native carries a decent 19-3-1 record.
‘He’s going to raise his game because this will be his biggest fight,’ said Lee on his opponent. ‘For him this will be his biggest fight and biggest scalp and biggest opponent so he’ll be bringing his best and probably better than he’s ever fought before.
‘People probably look at this on paper and say that’s an easy win, but they’re never easy wins. ‘He’s got a 19-3 record, you don’t go into a ring and win 19 fights without having some ability so I have to be really careful and not be too eager to impress and force things, just box and use my experience and hopefully the opening will come,’ added the former WBO champion. An opening for an eye-catching knockout is clearly what Lee is hoping for. Lee was originally installed on tonight’s bill as a potential back-up opponent for Gennady Golovkin ahead of the world middleweight champion’s headline defence against Danny Jacobs. Victory is essential if the 32year-old is to have any chance of maintaining his ambitions of booking a fight against the winner of that bill-topper.
‘I know I’m not going to have many more fights’