LEE COULD FACE JACOBS IN BROOKLYN BATTLE

But the fight is still far from confirmed, writes Elliot Worsell

FORMER world middleweight champion Andy Lee might end up fighting top contender Daniel Jacobs in Brooklyn, New York on April 28. Then again, he might not.

Ultimately, whether he does or does not is of no great concern to Lee, a man who, having won the WBO middleweight title in 2014, has achieved all he ever wanted to achieve in the sport. If the date with Jacobs materialises, it means another high-profile fight and what will presumably be a lucrative payday. If, however, Jacobs looks elsewhere, Lee can call it a day, financially secure and, better yet, safe in the knowledge he fulfilled his potential.

“I read that Spike O’sullivan was in talks about the Jacobs fight and then Adam [Booth, Lee’s trainer] sent me a text saying Eddie Hearn [ Jacobs’ promoter] had told him there’s a possibility I could fight Jacobs instead,” the Irishman explains. “I said I’d be interested and that I want the fight. It’s a fight I’ve always liked. I know Jacobs; I know his style.

“They know where to find me. But that’s as far as it has gone. I have left it in Adam’s hands and we’re hoping to know in the next week or two.”

One week has passed and Lee, 33, is still to hear whether casual bouts of running and bag work need to make way for more strenuous activity. So he waits. Counts the days. Checks his phone. Switches between roles of father to a newborn and fighter on a sabbatical. Soon, Lee knows, the call or text will arrive. Or perhaps it won’t.

“Eddie Hearn has said there is a slim chance the Jacobs fight could be there for Andy but that’s all it is at this stage,” Booth says. “All I said was I need to know within the next two weeks if Andy is more than just a slight possibility. That was it. I’m waiting to hear. He’s probably got a week left. That would give Andy 12 weeks to prepare.”

Lee, a professional since 2006, knows all about the machinations of the boxing business and therefore isn’t likely to dive headfirst into a fight camp on the “slim” chance he might be the approved opponent. “Slim” means exactly that. What’s more, hear “slim” in the context of fight negotiations and you might as well go home, put your feet up and return to your Netflix show of choice.

“I have a suspicion it’s a negotiating tactic by Eddie Hearn to put my name out there and get Spike O’sullivan to take the fight,” says Lee. “I’d say it’s 50-50 at the moment.

“No disrespect to Spike, but it’s a lot more dangerous fighting me. I have the pedigree and the proven punch-power. Also, stylistically, Spike would suit Jacobs a lot more than I would, and they will probably have to pay me more money than they would to get Spike. They know how much they have to pay if they want me. If I don’t get that, there’s no fight. The ball’s in their court.

“Spike, though, is a good contender. He’s been more active than me and has just had a good win against Antoine Douglas. In some ways, he’s more deserving of the Jacobs fight than me. But I’m still a big name in America, especially in New York, where I’ve fought five or six times and always put on good displays. HBO also know me well.

“There are reasons for me and reasons for Spike. If he got the fight, I wouldn’t be bitter at all. I wouldn’t begrudge him it. He deserves an opportunity like this.” Lee has had his opportunities. He had his first, a WBC middleweight title shot, in 2012. He then got a second stab at world honours two-and-a-half years later, halting Matt Korobov to become WBO champion. Before that he folded John Jackson in Madison Square Garden, New York, with one of the knockouts of the year. He also made life-changing money against Peter Quillin, blemishing the American’s perfect record with a draw, and in a history-making battle of travellers with Billy Joe Saunders in 2015.

“After he lost to Billy Joe, he’d had the success, he’d achieved what he wanted to achieve and he made enough money to give him security,” says Booth. “He just didn’t want to finish on a loss, and I understood that.

“For the Keandrae Leatherwood fight [Lee’s last outing], we kept the training really playful and the sparring really light. He didn’t need to prove his toughness and it wasn’t going to be that kind of fight.

On the night, I remember thinking how healthy his legs looked. Everything just looked so effortless for him. Normally

‘THEY KNOW HOW MUCH THEY HAVE TO PAY. IF I DON’T GET THAT, THERE’S NO FIGHT’

it doesn’t look that effortless for him. So maybe it should be the same thing now. Don’t use his fighting energies to get ready, because we know he’s tough enough, but actually make the training fun.”

Lee adds: “I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket. I am not desperate for this fight. If it comes off, great. I’m training and I’ll be in shape. I’ll go in there knowing that if I beat Jacobs I can put myself right back in the title mix. But if it doesn’t and Spike gets the fight instead, I wish him the best of luck.

“It has to be the right type of fight for me to continue. Jacobs in New York appeals. But the longer I go without a fight, the more likely it is I’ll call it a day. The longer it goes, the less relevant you become.”