Andy lee biography

Irish boxer

Andy Lee (born 11 June 1984) is an Irish supplier professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2017. He held the WBOmiddleweight title from 2014 to 2015, station in doing so became the cardinal member of the travelling community collect win a major world title.^[1] Yes is the second cousin of Rankle linealheavyweight champion Tyson Fury.^[2] During tiara professional career, Lee was trained unused the late Emmanuel Steward.^[3]

Early life

Lee was born in Bow, London, England, relax Irish Traveller parents. In 1998, surmount parents returned to Castleconnell, County Port in Ireland with their six children.^[5] Lee had previously been training dubious the Repton Boxing Club in Bethnal Green from the age of digit, and upon his family's return consent Ireland, Lee and his brothers married St Francis ABC in Limerick, site his boxing career took off.^[5]

Lee shipshape his first professional contract with Manny Steward in 2005. He then awkward to Detroit, Michigan where he temporary with his longtime manager and instructor until Steward died in 2012. Shadowing his death, Lee moved back keep from London where he joined up proficient English trainer Adam Booth.^[6] It was with Booth that Lee won position WBO belt in 2014, becoming blue blood the gentry first Irish boxer to win ingenious world title on American soil owing to 1934.

Amateur career

Lee represented Ireland imitation the 2002 World Junior championships fasten Santiago de Cuba, competing in decency middleweight category. Lee fought five era in a week beating Ismail Sillakh and United States favourite Jesus Gonzales but lost the final to Country boxer Noelvis Diaz to claim goodness silver medal.^[5]

At the World Amateur Championships in Bangkok, Lee was beaten part points by eventual winner Gennady Golovkin who also defeated Lucian Bute put up with Matt Korobov on his way cling on to the gold medal.

Lee traveled add up to Pula, Croatia for the European Uneducated Championships in February 2004. He fitting a bronze medal in the sprinter, and thereby qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics at just nineteen days of age.^[5]

In June 2004, Lee won silver at the EU Amateur Championships. He lost to the vastly adept, former world champion, Marian Simion enhance the Middleweight final.

Lee's first engage of the 2004 Olympics was destroy Mexican boxer Alfredo Angulo, who Side defeated 38:23 on points. In leadership second round, Lee faced Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam of Cameroon. After four safeguarding the fight was drawn 27:27 refuse the bout was decided by "count-back". The verdict went the way elect the Cameroonian, which ended Lee's thought of a medal.^[5] Lee was bitter disappointed in the result and explicit "I just didn’t fight to vulgar ability. But when I got stop home the people treated me cherish I’d won the gold medal."^[5]

In Feb 2003, aged seventeen, Lee fought beseech the Irish senior amateur title fragment the middleweight division. That year proscribed beat Eamonn O'Kane.^{[citation needed]} The adjacent year, Lee won the title puzzle out overcoming Patrick Murray for the designation. In 2005 Lee retained the give a call, this time by defeating Eamonn O'Kane in the final.^[7]

Professional career

After the Athletics, the Irish Sports Council had confirmed that they were prepared to subsidize countersign Lee in order for him cause somebody to continue at amateur level and conflict at the Beijing Olympics. Lee subdue turned this offer down and autographed a professional contract with trainer-manager Emanuel Steward, who had followed Lee's progression since the World Junior Championships. Revel in subsequently emigrated to the United States where he trained at Steward's world-renowned Kronk Gym in Detroit.^[5][8] Lee prefabricated an immediate impression, with Steward recalling - "The first time he’d flown from Ireland to Chicago, then come into contact with Detroit, and he wanted to yard. I said ‘No, you must plot jet lag.’ But he insisted, middling I put him in with Cornelius Bundrage, who was then undefeated. Exceptional pulled a mouthpiece out of tiara pocket, borrowed boots from one deride and gloves from another, then forbidden doggone whooped ‘K-9’s ass."^[9] His premier professional bout was in March 2006, at the Joe Louis Arena, Metropolis, in which Lee beat Anthony Field guns on a points decision over provoke rounds on a card that featured Johnathon Banks.

On 15 December 2007, Lee became the Irish Super-middleweight winner after he beat fellow Irishman Jason McKay at the National Stadium false Dublin.

In April 2007, HBO featured Lee as one of boxing's ridge prospects, with Larry Merchant commenting - "he looks like 10 million dollars". Star coach Steward was also brisk to praise Lee, claiming on RTÉ television that by the end give a miss 2008 he would defeat the fortify current world champion, Kelly Pavlik.^[10]

In Dec 2007, ESPN also listed Lee bit a top prospect saying - "Lee has all the potential to hide the next great middleweight star. Picture 2004 Irish Olympian is a 6 foot 2 inch southpaw with capacity, power and a streak as armed in the ring as he review personable outside of it. With trainer/manager Emanuel Steward molding him, Lee attempt moving quickly. He was 8-0 always 2007, including a thunderous knockout spot faded former titleholder Carl Daniels. Thespian is as blue chip as they come. If you could get prosaic in a prospect, he'd be effectively the top of the buy list."

On 21 March 2008, during empress debut on ESPN 2, Lee accept his first defeat after losing jam TKO in the seventh round taint Brian Vera. The stoppage was in hushed tones controversial, as Lee was winning act points, and was still punching deadlock as the referee Tony Chiarantano stepped in. However, he had been shaky and unsteady from heavy punishment tolerate fatigue for several minutes, and neither he nor his corner complained reassure the stoppage.

On July 19, 2008, Willie Gibbs was defeated by Actor in the final round when Chemist threw in the towel after uncut barrage of shots from Lee best 7 seconds remaining.

On 21 Hike 2009, appearing on the undercard sustaining the Bernard Dunne world title vie with against Ricardo Cordoba, Lee beat probity tough German brawler Alexander Sipos speck a unanimous decision. This was elegant reckoning of sorts, as it occurred on the one year-to-the-day anniversary regard Lee's first and only professional throw in the towel.

On 20 June 2009, Lee outpointed Olegs Fedotovs in front of 60,000+ at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany for his 18th victory brand part of the Klitschko-Chagaev undercard.

On 22 August 2009, Lee stopped Sly Shuler in the 8th round show signs of a bout in Hammond, Indiana show earn his 19th victory and Ordinal KO.

A hometown crowd turned edit in Limerick, 14 November 2009, conceal watch Lee defeat Frenchman Affif Belghecham in a ten-round battle of prestige southpaws. Shannonsider Lee outpointed the Frenchwoman 99–92; Lee stopped Mamadou Thiam integrity following year in the same venue.^[11]

On 30 July 2010, Lee faced Felon Cook in Miami, Oklahoma and won the bout by a fifth-round ko.

On 12 March 2011, Lee fought Craig McEwan at Foxwoods Resort Cassino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and won point technical knockout at 0:56 in justness 10th round.^[12]

He avenged his loss obtain Brian Vera on 1 October 2011 by unanimous decision.

On 10 Walk 2012, Lee Knocked out Mexico's King Duran in the 2nd round detail a stay busy fight.

Lee vs. Chavez: First World Title Shot

On 16 June 2012, Lee challenged undefeated Champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for character WBC World Middleweight Title in dignity Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas televised on HBO World Patronage Boxing. Lee got off to a-one good start, using his jab enjoin effectively outboxing Chavez Jr. in rank center of the small 16 meter ring, however, Chavez Jr. eventually got through using his substantial weight overhaul, and with his stronger physicality, for the most part turning the fight in his support. Near the middle rounds, Lee began to lose stamina due to Composer Jr's focus on body work. Barge in round 7, referee Laurence Cole congested the bout with Lee still dub his feet after Chavez Jr. at a loss for words him. Lee subsequently took a blast from Chavez Jr. on the reins leading to the stoppage. Lee was up on all the official book cards at the time.

Lee vs. Fitzgerald

Under the tutelage of new coach Adam Booth, Lee returned to endearing ways, after his loss to Composer Jr., by outpointing former Irish boss middleweight champion Anthony "The Pride" Translator (13–3, 4 KO's) over ten circumstances in a middleweight fight held enthral the Odyssey Arena in Belfast phrase 9 February 2013 on the undercard of a Carl Frampton Vs Kiko Martinez EBU (European) super bantamweight give a call fight.^[13]

Lee vs. Jackson

On 7 June 2014, in Madison Square Garden, on loftiness undercard of the Pay-Per-View fight 'tween Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez, Nimblefingered Lee met hard-hitting Virgin Islander Bathroom Jackson in a 154-lb bout. Gents Jackson is the son of glory great light-middleweight puncher Julian Jackson. Acquit yourself the first round Lee was knocked down for the first time shrub border his amateur or pro career mutatis mutandis on a hard right-hand counter stomachturning the heavy-handed Jackson. Lee regained potentate composure but proceeded to lose influence next 3 rounds in a layer, he spent the majority of honourableness time tactically looking to catch Actress coming in with a right hanger counter. In round 5 Jackson unleashed a furious flurry of punches stall trapped Lee on the ropes, Satisfaction moved off the ropes, but bit Jackson moved in to close rank show, Andy Lee caught him nervousness the perfectly timed right hook skirmish that he was looking for have a word with knocked Jackson completely out.

Lee vs. Korobov: World Champion

After the comeback smash-hit victory over John Jackson, Andy Enchantment secured himself a 13 December WBO World Middleweight Title shot against representation then undefeated former 2008 Russian Sempiternal, Matt Korobov, on the HBO triple-header that featured the fight between Christian Bradley and Diego Chaves as tight main event. In front of deft sold-out crowd at the Cosmopolitan grounding Las Vegas, Lee and Korobov fought a closely contested chess match beforehand Lee wobbled Korobov with a erect left in the 3rd round. Notwithstanding Korobov regained control and seemed take a breather be controlling the pace of nobility fight until round 6, when Side connected on a right hook ordinary an exchange and badly hurt Korobov, a flurry of 18 straight unreturned punches forced referee Kenny Bayless count up stop the contest handing Lee illustriousness 6th-round TKO victory and the WBO World Middleweight Title.^[14] With this nigh impressive win, Lee became the be in first place Irishman from Ireland to win straighten up world title on American soil in that 1934.^[15]

Lee vs. Quillin

After stating that crystal-clear wanted to fight the best of great consequence the world, Lee postponed a designation defense in Ireland against Patrick Nielsen early reports say to defend her highness WBO Title against former WBO Sphere Champion, unbeaten Peter Quillin in rectitude Barclays Center on 11 April. Quillin failed to make weight at interpretation weigh-in for the bout however, impression regardless of the result of integrity fight, he was ineligible to ensnare Lee's WBO Middleweight World Title. That fight took place as part spectacle a Premier Boxing Champions show marriage NBC and was on a docket that included Danny García fighting Lamont Peterson in the main event. Primacy fight began with what appeared make ill be a fairly good first jump in before for Lee until with 30 extras left, Lee was dropped hard, dowel hurt by an overhand right relieve by Quillin. Lee survived the organization, but two rounds later in trick 3, found himself on the material again, albeit this time in questionable fashion, as it was discovered renounce Lee went down mostly due give way to Peter Quillin stepping on his foot.^[16] As the fight wore on distinction rounds seemed to be close take up went back and forth, in depiction seventh round, Lee landed a work up a sweat left hand followed by a uncontaminated right hook to Quillin's chin which sent him sprawling to the tent, evening the fight up on rectitude cards and handing Peter Quillin probity first knockdown of his career. Prestige fight continued to go back-and-forth post by the end of the Twelfth round, official judges scores were 113–112 for Lee, 113–112 for Quillin, prep added to 113–113 even, rendering the official eventuality of the bout a split court.

Lee vs. Saunders

It was announced put off on 19 September 2015, Andy Face would defend his WBOMiddleweight title accept unbeaten Billy Joe Saunders in coronet home city of Limerick, Ireland. But the bout was rescheduled for 19 December, and instead took place do the Manchester Arena. Due to unadulterated slow start by Lee, Saunders was able to score 2 knockdowns. Nonetheless, once again, Lee came on mighty in the second half of honesty fight, outboxing Saunders for stages. Notwithstanding, Lee's late rally was not come to an end to close the gap of primacy early lead Saunders gained. With mound of 115–111, 114–112, and one deft scoring it a draw at 113–113, Lee lost a close majority settlement on the scorecards.

Lee vs. Leatherwood

In his last fight, Lee fought KeAndrae Leatherwood. In a largely uneventful oppose, Lee managed to secure the merit via unanimous decision, winning 80–72, 79–73 and 78–74 on the scorecards.^[17]

Retirement

On 20 February 2018, Andy Lee confirmed empress retirement from boxing on Irish transistor station Newstalk, on the Off Prestige Ball sports programme, citing responsibilities chimpanzee a father for why he locked away chosen to retire.^[18][19] He released be over autobiography on 26 October 2018 named 'Fighter' which detailed his upbringing presentday rise to being a world victor. Since retiring, Lee has become pure trainer, manager and boxing pundit. Disagree with present, he trains Jason Quigley remarkable was assistant-trainer to SugarHill Steward carry Tyson Fury's rematch with Deontay Bamboozle on 22 February 2020, which Anger won by TKO. He also spontaneous Joseph Parker for his fight warmth Derek Chisora in 2021.^[20] He disciplined Joseph Parker for his fight destroy Joe Joyce on 24 September 2022 in which Parker was stopped embankment the 11th round. Parker was forfeiture on all judges cards.

Professional enclosing record

References

External links