Notes: Lee eyes fall return and big names

 Andy Lee hasn’t fought since December, but the former middleweight titlist is ready to get back in the ring this fall. Chris Farina/Top Rank

A few notes from around the boxing world:

• Former middleweight world titleholder Andy Lee (34-3-1, 24 KOs) told ESPN.com he hopes to return to the ring this fall. “I haven’t anything in the works at the moment but I hope to return in the fall,” he said. “I took a little time off as the last three years have been intense. Now I’m looking forward to returning to the ring refreshed. I’ve kept ticking over in the gym and when I return I’d like to fight [secondary titleholder] Danny Jacobs or have a rematch with [titleholder Billy Joe] Saunders. My ultimate goal is to regain a title and challenge [Gennady Golovkin].” In December, Lee, of Ireland, got knocked down twice in the third round by Saunders and lost his title by majority decision. In 2014, Lee, 32, was scheduled to challenge Golovkin for his title but when Golovkin’s father died — just as the deal was being wrapped up — the fight was canceled while Golovkin returned home to Kazakhstan for his father’s funeral and to be with his family.
• The date is set for the fight between cruiserweight world titleholder Krzysztof Glowacki and mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk. There had been two options, but it will take place Sept. 17 at Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland, organizers announced on Wednesday. The sides made a deal two weeks ago to avoid a purse bid for the fight, which shapes up as an action-packed match. The 29-year-old Glowacki (26-0, 16 KOs), of Poland, who won the belt in dramatic comeback fashion by knocking out long-reigning titleholder Marco Huck in the 11th round last August, will be making his second defense. Usyk (9-0, 9 KOs), 29, who won the 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medal for Ukraine, has moved quickly as a professional but will be taking a big step up in competition against Glowacki.
• All-Star Boxing promoter Tuto Zabala announced that he has signed featherweight Matias Adrian Rueda (26-0, 23 KOs), of Argentina, to a promotional agreement. The 28-year-old is scheduled to face Mexico’s Oscar Valdez (19-0, 17 KOs) for a vacant world title July 23 (HBO PPV) on the Terence Crawford-Viktor Postol card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “I’m thrilled to have signed with Tuto’s company,” Rueda said. “[Zabala and] Mario Margossian of Argentina Boxing Promotions will take my career to another level in the United States.” Said Zabala: “We had Matias on a ‘Boxeo Telemundo’ show last October and he looked impressive. Working with him and longtime friend Mario Margossian made it a no-brainer. He will be the next world champion of Argentina.”

www.espn.com.au/blog/dan-rafael/post/_/id/16209/notes-andy-lee-eyes-fall-return-and-big-names

                                                                                 Andy Lee (right) and Billy Joe Saunders trade blows during their bout

By Rory O’Callaghan –

Billy Joe Saunders is the new WBO world middleweight champion after defeating Andy Lee at the Manchester Arena on Saturday.

Saunders, 26, was awarded a close points decision by the judges to extend his unbeaten record to 23-0-KO12.

Defending champion Lee, who won the title against Matt Korobov in Las Vegas last year, was knocked down twice by Saunders in the third round – a 10-7 round which proved pivotal.

One of the judges scored the fight level at 113-113 but was overruled by the other two, who scored it 114-112 and 115-111 in favour of Saunders, giving the British fighter a majority decision victory.

The pair began the bout in tentative fashion with the first two rounds passing off without major incident.

The fight burst into life in the third round after Lee connected with a solid straight left. Saunders then caught his Irish opponent with a powerful right hook which floored the 31-year-old.

Lee looked vulnerable when he returned to his feet and was soon on the canvas again after Saunders connected with another hook.

The defending champion took the majority of the count and held on to survive the round. He then recovered to take the next round after some good work with the jab.

Saunders and Lee continued to trade subdued rounds as the fight slipped back into a tense standoff between two evenly matched fighters.

Both boxers seemed wary of the other fighter’s punching power and neither was able to connect with any telling blows in the final rounds.

“Andy Lee is a good champion, I beat a good champion here,” Saunders told BoxNation after the fight.

“But I used his power against him. When I was boxing him he got a little bit careless – dropping his lead hand and I caught him with the hook.

“I’m not going to start running my mouth but it was a good shot. With someone as fast as me you’ve got to keep your hands up – I’m not the biggest puncher in the world but this shows you that I can punch.

“Lee showed that he can be dangerous. He actually caught me on a shot when I tried to finish him. I thought, ‘I won’t rush’ and I got back to my boxing and recuperated.

“When I put him down twice I knew he had to come and that’s when I had all the time in the world.”

http://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/10105753/billy-joe-saunders-beats-andy-lee-to-claim-wbo-middleweight-title

Date: Saturday, December 19, 2015

WBO MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location: Manchester Arena (formerly M.E.N. Arena), Machester, Lancashire, United Kingdom

Promoter:  Queensberry Promotions / Frank Warren

Supervisor:  Francisco Valcarcel, Esq.

Referee:  Steve Gray

Judges:  Phil Edwards (112-114);  Dave Parris (111-115);  Marcus McDonnell (113-113)

Results:  Billy Joe Saunders is the new WBO middleweight champion by a 12 round majority decision over Andy Lee.

TV:

“He’s not good enough to beat me.” – Andy Lee

“I’m not going to leave that ring without the title.” – Billy Joe Saunders

NEW YORK (Dec. 15, 2015) – WBO Middleweight World Champion Andy Lee and undefeated challenger Billy Joe Saunders held separate media workouts in Manchester, England, as they conclude preparations for their eagerly awaited showdown this Saturday, Dec. 19, live on SHO EXTREME (5 p.m. ET/PT) from Manchester Arena.

Ireland’s Lee (34-2-1, 24 KOs) will make the first defense of his 160-pound title against England’s Saunders (22-0, 12 KOs), the WBO’s No. 1 middleweight contender.

The SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL offering of the BoxNation telecast will feature analysis from SHOWTIME boxing experts Brian Custer, Al Bernstein and Paulie Malignaggi before and after the world championship showdown. An encore presentation of the bout will air on SHO EXTREME later that evening at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Here’s what Lee and Saunders had to say at their media workouts on Tuesday and Monday, respectively:

ANDY LEE:

“I have a punch that can end a fight, lights out, in any given second.

“I won’t rely on the punch. I will look to dominate from the start with educated pressure.

“I’m feeling very dangerous at the moment.

“Saunders’ unbeaten record is a disadvantage. He’s always been in fights he’s expected to win and has been well managed by (Frank) Warren.

“I’ve never lost a fight on points and I never will on points. If I’m down on the cards I will go out swinging in the last round.

“Saunders being a fellow traveler does add another layer, but at the end the day it’s about how good you are and he’s not good enough to beat me.”

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS:

“I’m ready to go for Saturday night. This is the best camp that I’ve ever had. I’m prepared for the toughest test of my career, but I know that I’m in excellent shape to win this fight and become world champion.

“Andy Lee is a tough fighter – he’s proved that by becoming world champion and having the type of career he has had. But I’m undefeated and hungry and know that I’m on the brink of fulfilling a childhood dream. I’m not going to leave that ring without the title.

“Training in Spain allows me to lock myself away from all distractions and focus solely on the fight. It’s hard being away from home, but it’s all part of boxing. It’s been a long camp, a tough camp, but after that I know that I’m ready to go through hell to make sure that I’m successful come fight night.

“The middleweight division is one of the hottest around and I’m prepared to fight any of the other champions in there once I win the title.

“Danny Jacobs had a great win against Peter Quillin, and then there is Canelo (Alvarez) and (Gennady) Golovkin. I know the importance of this fight for the division and I want my name to be among the very best. I’m taking it one step at a time, but I’m open to fight anyone.

“There has been no trash talk with Andy because we know what each person is about. We share a similar background and neither of us is going to take a back step.

“This is going to be a very exciting all-action fight because we’re going to leave it all in the ring. I know I have the skills to beat him and I intend to show the world why I’m among the best around.”

Saunders on fellow Brit Chris Eubank Jr.:

“The truth of the matter is that Eubank Jr. does not belong at the world level – he’s a phony. It’s as simple as that. I wasn’t impressed with his win over Gary O’Sullivan, who I’ve already beat. He thinks he can fool the public with a win like that, but he can’t.

“His aim now is to move up and fight the best guys in the world, but we saw what happened the last time he stepped up a notch and faced me: he was badly exposed. The same thing will happen with him if he fights someone like Danny Jacobs for the WBA title.

“You’re not the best middleweight in your own country and you want to fight a world champion and say you’re going to beat him? I think it’s a delusion and he thinks he’s greater than he actually is.

“Sooner rather than later he’s going to get exposed again as the fraud that he is. You can keep talking, but eventually you have to back it up in the ring against top-level fighters. He’s won his last fight and now he’s back talking (expletive) again like he’s the best fighter in history.

“If he has the balls to fight again, which I doubt, I would happily hand him another beating, this time in even more convincing fashion.”

http://philboxing.com/news/story-114743.html

2015 has been a good year for the Middleweight division, as the rise of 2015 “Fighter of the Year” candidate Gennady Golovkin has given the weight class a ton of attention, going (3-0) in increasingly higher profile fights.

In November, Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez secured the WBC World Middleweight title with his win over Miguel Cotto.

And on December 5th of 2015, WBA World Middleweight Champion Daniel Jacobs entered his showdown with undefeated Peter Quillin a slight betting underdog, but his white wash of Quillin in less than 90 seconds established him as one of the top three talents in the weight class.

Before the end of 2015, two cards in England will present Middleweight fights that will add even more clarity to the WBO World Middleweight title picture.

On December 19th, veteran Andy Lee (34-2-1) faces the undefeated Billy Joe Saunders (22-0) in defense of his WBO Middleweight title at the Manchester Arena.

Lee won the belt back in December of 2014 when he defeated Matt Korobov to take the belt vacated by Peter Quillin.

Lee then fought Quillin in Brooklyn for his first title defense.

Quillin failed to make weight meaning the title was not on the line, but Lee fought Quillin to a respectable draw and retained his hold on the belt.

Saunders is from a traveler family and he represented Britain in the 2008 Olympic games, and the young southpaw has held a slew of regional titles while competing at a high level as a pro.

The books have Lee as slight (-130) favorite, with Saunders returning at (+110).

The December 12th event at the 02 Arena in London features a Middleweight fight that will also impact the WBO title seen as Chris Eubank Jr (20-1) takes on Gary OSullivan (22-1).

In this one, O’Sullivan is a wide (+650) underdog, with Eubank the favorite returning at (-1000).

The lone blemish on both men’s record is a loss to Billy Joe Saunders, and though it is not a perfect indicator, Saunders out-boxed O’Sullivan winning (120-109, 120-109 and 119-110) with the judges, while Eubank thoroughly tested Saunders in a match that saw a split set of judges 115-114 and 115-113 for Saunders while the third judge had it 116-113 for Eubank Jr.

Eubank has held an interim version of the WBA title he won after the loss to Saunders and he raised his stock further by destroying outclassed Tony Jeter in his US television debut on Showtime.

For O’Sullivan a win here would be a huge step up, but should Eubank Jr. win as expected he could be lined up to face the winner of Lee vs Saunders, with the re-match with Saunders with a world belt now in play perhaps the best financial option.

But it would be wrong to ignore Andy Lee in this fray, as he is the most seasoned of the group and is still in his prime at 31 years old.

With a win this Dec 19th and his experienced resume, Lee could be a candidate to face Daniel Jacobs in a truly international showdown at Middleweight.

With Triple G and “Canelo” waiting in the wings, we could be in for good times in the Middleweight division.

http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles/21850-british-middleweights-take-center-stage-to-close-out-2015

(Credit:  Photos by: Getty Images; PA; Graham Chadwick; Reuters)

• Billy Joe Saunders has returned to the ‘big stage’ as a professional boxer
• His early exit at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing was a great disappointment
• Saunders fights Andy Lee for the WBO middleweight title on December 19
• He said he’s learned from his mistakes as a highly-regarded 18-year-old

Billy Joe Saunders is still haunted by what he did in the summer of 2008.

At just 18 years old, he was considered one of the hottest prospects in all of world amateur boxing and had broken ground as the first ever member of the British Romany community to qualify for the Olympic Games.

But it all turned sour that August in Beijing and, seven years on, what happened in China still keeps him up at night.

He had reached the pinnacle of his sport only to come crashing down to earth with an early exit. He’s back at the peak again, now as a professional, and insists there will be no tumble this time around.

Saunders faces Andy Lee for the Irish southpaw’s WBO middleweight title at Manchester Arena on December 19 in his first crack at world honours after racking up a perfect 22-0 record in the paid ranks. He insists he’s ready this time.

Billy Joe Saunders is ready for the big time this time as he fights Andy Lee for the WBO middleweight belt

‘I know I can’t come out of that ring a failure,’ he said, leaning back from a table at the Slainte restaurant above Marbella’s MGM gym. ‘I failed on the big stage, at the Olympic Games, and I think about it all the time.

‘I’m at that stage again now and I’m not prepared to do that. I’m not prepared to fail on this big stage again.

‘What happened then was a blessing in disguise because now I know what I lost there.’ Saunders, the teenage welterweight, had cruised past Turkey’s Adem Kilicci 14-3 in the first round to set up a showdown with gifted Cuban Carlos Banteaux in the Last 16.

That’s where it all went wrong for the Hatfield youngster, who initially blamed the judges’ scoring on his exit and resulting failure to medal.

But, reflecting on the trip to the far east, the 26-year-old knows the damage was done long before he stepped through the ropes that day. He said: ‘I did that when I was 18 through my own stupidity.

‘I was in the Olympic Village, running up and down, partying, I was 17, 18 and I didn’t know what stage I was on.

‘The Cuban, I would have beaten eight times out 10 and he went on to win silver. Think what I could have done at that age.

‘But it’s the reason why I’m here, at the MGM Gym in Marbella, in these surroundings, away from everyone on my own training and everything is going perfectly.

‘So now there is nothing I can look back on and say, ‘I didn’t do this right, I didn’t do that right, that was my excuse’. There aren’t any excuses.’ Jimmy Tibbs’, Saunders’ fabled east-end trainer, has worked with British world champions such as Nigel Benn, Barry McGuigan, Charlie Magri and Chris Pyatt. He has often said that Saunders is better than any of them.

   Saunders won the Commonwealth               and European belts when he beat Chris Eubank Jr last year

Saunders will fight Andy Lee (above) for the WBO middleweight title he won from Russian Matt Korobov

Tibbs has, however, always insisted that his unbeaten charge would only attempt to join that clutch of esteemed fighters by claiming the world title once he was completely ready.

Now, seven years since he turned over, Saunders’ run to 22-0 has been punctuated by the British, Commonwealth and European middleweight titles. He also became the first traveller to win the British title outright when he successfully defended the Lonsdale belt for the third and final time in his high-profile money fight with Chris Eubank Jr last year.

Tibbs, his promoter Frank Warren and Saunders himself are now all confident that everything is in place to add a world title to his collection.

Saunders said: ‘I never really did say I want to be world champion in another ‘X’ years. I always said I want to fight for a world title when I am 26, 27, that’s what I said. Now I am 26.

‘I wanted to be that little bit more mature. I didn’t want to just go in there, win it and then get beaten. I want to keep it and I’m not scared of anybody at middleweight.’

Despite his heartbreak in China, Saunders has turned it around to become one of the most successful members of that talented seven-man squad which eventually represented Team GB in 2008 after Frankie Gavin missed the weight.

Light-welterweight Bradley Saunders has had bad trouble with his hands and was disqualified in a stay-busy eight-rounder in September while light-heavyweight Tony Jeffries had such terrible hand injuries he was forced to retire after just 10 professional fights. He now runs two successful boxing gyms in Los Angeles.

The career of Beijing bantamweight Joe Murray, currently 15-2, has stagnated and he has not boxed since February when he was stopped inside five rounds by Liam Walsh in his challenge for the British and Commonwealth super-featherweight titles.

  Saunders says, as a teenager, he brought the defeat on himself but now he’s a more mature competitor 

Super heavyweight, and captain of the team in China, David Price was tipped as a potential long-term king of the heavyweight division but he has considered retirement after being badly knocked out by Erkan Teper in July.

The flyweight, Khalid Yafai, since turning professional has captured the British super-flyweight champion and is widely expected to go on to challenge for world honours.

But so far the only man from that team to become champion of the world is James DeGale, the middleweight gold medalist in Beijing, who is now the IBF king up in the 168lb super-middleweight division.

And Saunders, who is bidding to join him at boxing’s top table later this month, thinks his old friend from Harlesden will unify the titles to become the undisputed champion following his successful first defence against Lucian Bute.

Saunders added: ‘I think people have forgotten about his performance a bit because unfortunately for him, he boxed on the same night as Tyson Fury.

Saunders believes his friend James DeGale didn’t get the recognition he deserved for beating Lucian Bute

‘But I think DeGale is a very very good fighter and is a very good friend of mine as well.

‘He loves pressure. To go to Canada and do that to Bute, you have to take your hat off to him. He’s a really good fighter and he won’t be a flash in the pan, he’s going to keep it going.

‘All the tools are there for DeGale, as long as he turns up he’s going to be a tough cookie to beat. I think he’s going to unify the division now.

‘Given Andre Ward has moved up, the champions at his weight are Badou Jack, Arthur Abraham and Fedor Chudinov. In my personal opinion, DeGale beats all of them within a month.

‘He was always talented, now he’s showing it. He’s come a long way since the Olympics and so have I. Now it’s my time to win that world title.’ Suddenly, seven years in boxing seems like a very long.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-3347880/Billy-Joe-Saunders-spurred-failure-2008-Olympics-ahead-WBO-title-bout-against-Andy-Lee-m-not-prepared-fail-big-stage-again.html

Date:   Saturday,  October 10, 2015

WBO MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:  Thomond Park Stadium, Limerick, Ireland

Promoter:  Queensberry Promotions / Frank Warren

Supervisor:

Referee:

Judges:

Results:

TV:

• WBO middleweight belt at stake in Limerick on 19 September
• Fight will be first between Travellers for a legitimate world title

Andy Lee, left, and Billy Joe Saunders will fight for the WBO middleweight title in Limerick on 19 September in front of an expected crowd of 33,000. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images –

Andy “Irish” Lee is a travelling man in every sense, a proud member of his widespread roaming community and a fighter who has had to seek work in big and little towns all across the US and Europe, in near-empty halls and packed casinos, ballrooms and bars, in front of mugs and millionaires.

Now he is coming home, to Limerick, in front of an expected audience of 33,000 – an overwhelming majority of whom he will claim as allies – to defend his world middleweight title against fellow Traveller Billy Joe Saunders on 19 September.

“It’s a small community,” Lee says of the world that he and Saunders inhabit, “and everyone knows everyone. He’d know a lot of people I know and I’d know a lot of people he’d know. But the crowd will probably be 85 to 90% in favour of me.”

This is the first fight between two Travellers for a legitimate world title and, when they shared a podium in London on Wednesday, the mutual respect and bonhomie was in stark contrast to the bogus trash-talking that characterises many of these face-offs.

It is, they agreed, for a real world title, with the unbeaten Saunders from a site in Hatfield the mandated No1 challenger and Lee the acclaimed 31-year-old champion who has been given no favours in a career of several ups and a few significant downs.

“We’re both in love with the game,” Saunders said. “For me it’s about walking away with that belt. But it is a huge fight for the Travelling community. Andy’s the first Traveller to win a world title. I’m the first to win a British title outright. There’s a lot of talk about this fight in our community. But it’s for the rest of the fans as well. But, yeah, it’s for bragging rights. It adds spice to it.”

Lee said: “I’d agree with that. And I’d say our upbringing and our background is the reason we’ve both been so successful. The pride we will bring to this fight is the pride we bring to every fight. As long as we both shall live we will have to face up [to the outcome] of this fight. Whoever wins will be hailed as hero. We’re both good men and the loser won’t be shamed but the loser will be known as the loser. There’s a lot on the line for us both.”

Until a year ago, when Lee found a finisher when getting battered on the ropes to level the knockout artist John Jackson in front of a stunned crowd at Madison Square Garden, Saunders had the higher profile, notably for his win over Chris Eubank. But Lee is the man with the belt that matters.

His journey has taken in Mannheim and Cologne in Germany, Esbjerg in Denmark, Detroit, Memphis, Las Vegas, New York, Michigan, Illinois, Connecticut, Indiana, Oklahoma, New Jersey, his adopted city of Dublin, Belfast – and now the rugby headquarters of Munster, Thomond Park, where he will walk to the ring with the blessing of the Ireland rugby captain, Paul O’Connell, a Limerick man, and the club’s “Stand Up And Fight” as his anthem.

“I’ve paid the price,” he says. “I’ve been all over. I’ve fought in I don’t know how many different countries.”

Lee has spent much of his career picking up the crumbs of others. “I only got the [Julio César Chávez Jr] fight because Martin Murray wasn’t allowed to travel to America,” he said, referring to a bout that was cancelled because Murray had been convicted of various offences in his youth.

“And I only got the [Matt] Korobov fight [when he stopped the Russian in six rounds to win the vacant WBO belt] because Billy Joe had signed to fight Eubank. But there here have been a lot of fights I should have got that other guys got.

“I’ve got to thank Adam Booth [his trainer and business partner] because, when we got together, we started to work on the contracts that I already had in place, with Lou DiBella and the management company I was working with then in America.

“I’m now in a position where I’m champion of the world and a partner in this fight with Adam. So I’m promoting my own world title fight in a huge stadium in my home town. I’ve come a long way.”

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jul/22/andy-lee-billy-joe-saunders-world-title-bout-travellers

Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders were full of respect for each other at the press conference for their WBO middleweight title clash at Thomond Park on September 19.

Champion Lee (34-2-1-KO24), 31, defends the belt he won from Matt Korobov in December for the first time – but was in action in New York back in April as he fought back to draw with Peter Quillin, who had failed to make the championship weight.

The unbeaten Saunders is the reigning British, European and Commonwealth champion and was last seen in November in outpointing bitter rival Chris Eubank Jr, having snatched headlines with some fierce insults in the lead-up to the fight.

There was no such bad blood this time, though, with Lee and Saunders – who are both from travelling backgrounds – dignified in their answers to journalists.

Lee said: “I would have driven past this stadium countless times and I always dreamed of fighting here. As soon as I won the title in December, my thoughts turned to defending here. It’ll be seen all over the world and I’m proud to put Limerick on that stage.

“It’s an honour really and it goes some way to repaying the support from the people of Limerick.

“I’m fighting one of the best middleweights in the world. He’s British champion, European champion and undefeated. He’ll come with a spirited challenge and I’ll be trying to keep hold of my belt. We’re going to put on a great show.

“The dream was to step off the plane at Shannon with the belt and people put on a great welcome for me. This is the natural progression.

“I’d like to thank Billy Joe because it takes a lot. I’ve been doing it all my career, going in to other people’s hometowns. I’ve said it all along. This is going to be a massive event and I’m delighted to be part of it.

“How can I not respect him? He’s undefeated and he was an Olympian. He’s going to take a lot of beating. His strength is his will and passion, how much he wants to win a fight. That’s going to take a lot of beating. This is a real fight.

“I know how much it hurts to lose and I never want to taste that again. I’ve been armoured by my defeats.”

Saunders (21-0-0-KO11) was equally excited by the prospect of fighting in front of 34,000 – even though the vast majority of those in attendance will be cheering on the home fighter.

The Hatfield fighter said: “As soon as I pulled up to the place, I looked at it and it was a dream come true. Everyone wants home advantage but he’s the champion and he deserves it.

“A lot of fights need building up and talking about with trash talk but this doesn’t need it. I’ve got a lot of respect for Andy. I just want his belt. You’ve got two proud travelling fighters going out there. There’ll be mixed fans coming from everywhere.

“I guarantee that both me and Andy will leave everything in there. All his support’s here but when you pull up to a place, as soon I walked in there I got a homely feeling straight away. I’ve boxed in Ireland seven times and have seven wins.

“In boxing, you have to do what’s financially right for you and your family. I stepped aside for the Korobov fight and Andy grabbed it with both hands. Fair play to him. I think he deserves to be champion and it’ll take a lot for the belt to change hands but I’m going to give it my all.”

http://www.sportinglife.com/boxing/news/article/543/9912903/andy-lee-and-billy-joe-saunders-respectful-ahead-of-wbo-middleweight-title-clash

UK promoter Frank Warren has revealed that plans have been set in motion for the WBO World middleweight champion Andy Lee (34-2-1, 24 KO’s) to defend against his mandatory challenger Billy Joe Saunders (21-0, 11 KO’s) on September 5th in London, UK.

Speaking to iFL TV Warren said the proposed date should be confirmed soon and that he will be looking for a suitable outdoor arena in which to stage the bout.

“Yeah I think it deserves that, it’s a big fight. It’s a great fight. I mean, you look at Andy Lee and what he has done over the last few years. It’s marvellous what he’s done when you think he’s gone into every fight as the underdog and the old equaliser has taken everybody out.”

Lee’s last three fights have seen him claw back from severe deficits and emerge with the upper hand. He went down heavily in the first round against John Jackson in June last year and was under intense pressure in the fifth round when he pulled out a counter right hook that left his pursuer face down inhaling the canvas.

Six months later he was matched against the undefeated Russian Matt Korobov for the vacant WBO belt and was behind on points in a close contest until another right hook turned the tide for him.

He followed up with a sustained barrage that forced the referee to step between them, ending the contest in his favour.

His last fight finished in a draw against Peter Quillin, who vacated the belt Lee claimed against Korobov.

Again, he was down in the first and made the trip again in the third, but rallied back in a very tetchy affair to score his own knockdown in the seventh; a crucial contributor to being able to hold on to his belt as the judges could not separate them at the final bell.

Lee is on the best run of his career and looks to continue in the same vein against a young, undefeated southpaw who has been out of action since handing Chris Eubank Jr. his first pro defeat last November.

Saunders obtained the mandatory spot for Lee’s belt with that win but was given step aside money by Quillin’s representatives to allow the American ahead in the queue.

Now, his time has finally come around and instead of traveling to the States as the away fighter, he will likely get to fight close to home in front of a packed stadium of fans.

It looks like he made the right decision, and he will prepare for his first world title shot with a warm-up against an as yet unnamed opponent at the Velodrome in Manchester on July 11th(Boxrec.com). The plan is to shake off the cobwebs as well as a calf injury Warren says he picked up six weeks ago.

Lee is from Limerick in Ireland but spent a good chunk of his childhood in London, and Saunders’ accent indicates he is based somewhere near the capital

It will build into a significant enough event to warrant the hiring and booking of a huge venue. Then it is all up to the fighters to put on a good show.

http://thaboxingvoice.com/lee-saunders-for-the-wbo-title-nearly-confirmed-for-95/46651?var=no

By Matt Richardson and Arvin Nundloll at ringside
Credit – Photos: Emily Harney –

Going into their middleweight fight on Saturday, most observers figured the Andy Lee-Peter Quillin encounter to be the best and most competitive fight of the night.

They weren’t disappointed nor were they wrong as the two hard-hitters fought to a 12-round split draw. Scores for the fight were 113-112 for Lee, 113-112 for Quillin and 113-113. Fightnews figured Quillin (31-0-1, 22 KO’s) to be a close winner, largely due to the two knockdowns he scored earlier in the fight. One of those was later negated, however, when Lee (34-2-1, 24 KO’s) dropped Quillin. 

The fight began tentatively with neither fighter willing to throw punches. It appeared that both were looking for one knockout punch to end it all. Quillin found it first. In the final thirty seconds of the round he landed a hard, straight right that dropped Lee near the ropes. Referee Harvey Dock issued an eight-count but Lee still appeared to be hurt. Quillin cautiously moved in again and soon landed a flush left hook in the corner but the bell rang right after, halting his opportunities for the moment. Lee wobbled Quillin with a straight left in the third but he was soon on the floor again, this time after taking a right-left hook combination. Lee appeared to be off balance and not shaken but he was bleeding in the corner of his left eye by rounds end.

Quillin connected well with combinations in the fifth and again in the sixth but he walked into a great left thrown by Lee in the seventh and soon a left-right combination dropped him to the floor. Again, the timing didn’t work out and the round ended before Lee could capitalize.

Lee appeared to be slightly more active in the eighth. Quillin landed big left hooks in the ninth and tenth but was largely outworked in both rounds. Going into the eleventh Lee seemed capable of winning the fight but it wound up being Quillin who was more accurate and all three judges gave him the final round. If Lee had won the round he would have won the fight.

“There’s a reason why judges are judges,” Quillin said after the fight concluded. Lee, who retained the WBO title he won last December, said he would be open to a rematch but that it should be overseas. “It should be in Ireland,” he said, “because he has an Irish last name and he might find some of his ancestors.”

Quillin would not have been able to win the belt even if he won the fight due to a failure to make the 160-pound weight limit on Friday afternoon.

http://www.wboboxing.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

Date: Saturday – April 11, 2015

WBO MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Promoter:  DiBella Enterprises / Lou DiBella – Golden Boy Promotions / Oscar De La Hoya

Supervisor:  John Duggan, Esq.

Referee:  Steve Willis

Judges:  Guido Cavalleri (113-112); Glenn Feldman (113-113); Erick Marlinski (112-113)

Results:   The WBO Middleweight Champion Andy Lee retains the title by split-decision draw and non-title bout due to Quillin not making weight.

TV:  USA NBC   Panama RPC Channel 4   Latin America: Canal Space   Australia Main Event

Credit:  Photos by Angela Cranford / Barclays Center /

Article by Martin Domin /

• Andy Lee defends the world title he won against Matt Korobov last year
• The Irishman has had a renaissance working under Adam Booth
• But Lee faces a tough challenge in unbeaten former champion Peter Quillin
• Lee insists he is ready for whatever ‘Kid Chocolate’ can throw at him

Andy Lee is confident he has improved even further since winning his world title last year.

The Irishman makes the first defence of his WBO middleweight belt against Peter Quillin in New York on Saturday.

And he is confident he is ready for anything the former champion has in his locker.

‘We’ve made unbelievable progress in the last year on my skills and everything has really just clicked for me and my team and now we’re seeing the results in the ring,’ Lee said.

‘I’m very proud to be an Irishman from Limerick defending his world championship in New York, it doesn’t get much better than that.

‘There’s been a huge weight lifted off my shoulders since winning the world title. It’s what I always wanted to do and I’ve been touted as a champion for years and if I never got it I would have been disappointed. Now the monkey is off my back and I can just box and show people who I am.

‘We’ve made physical and tactical improvements in the gym since the last fight and hopefully they’ll show up in the ring on Saturday.

‘I think this could be a technical fight or it could be a bit of a fire fight. It’s going to be a little of both at times. There will be moments where we’re looking at each other, figuring each other out, but once we exchange it could be explosive.

‘Quillin is sure of himself, but he has to be, I have the same mentality. You have to be to compete in this sport.

‘Fighting at home like Quillin is on Saturday, brings a different kind of pressure to the table, it’s the pressure of expectations and people you know coming to the fights. That’s also pressure and I know all about that.

‘I haven’t needed to build up my confidence for this fight. It’s not time to think. It’s time to do what I’ve been doing every day in the gym.’

Quillin, meanwhile, believes the fight will just be another struggle he has to overcome.

‘I never trailed in a fight and came back and won like Lee. I’ve just won all the time right out of the gate. Those other guys aren’t ‘Kid Chocolate’ so I think that’s why this fight was made,’ he said.

‘It’s a big fight for him and a big fight for me. He’s a smart fighter when he’s in trouble so I have to watch out for that. Most importantly I just need to be true to myself.

‘A lot of people had Lee as the underdog in his last fight but he came out and did great. That’s the thing about boxing; one punch can change the fight.

‘I’m getting paid for 12 rounds so I’m preparing for 12 rounds but if I can get him out of there early I will.

‘My whole life has been struggles and I’ve had to overcome every single one of those struggles. This is going to be no different from that.

‘Being a father of course made me more inspired and watching my uncle pass has made me more motivated than ever to accomplish everything I want.

‘When I gave up the belt I learned that I can be a bigger man and make tough decisions like that all of the time. People think losing is easy, but winning all the time is a different kind of pressure.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-3029890/Andy-Lee-confident-hand-Peter-Quillin-defeat-retain-world-title.html

Andy Lee admits that his first WBO middleweight world title defence against the unbeaten Peter Quillin next weekend in New York will be a tough task but he remains confident of victory.

The Limerick man (34-2-0) won the belt in December when he stopped Matt Korobov in the sixth round of their championship bout, which only happened because Quillin (31-0-0) had chosen to vacate the title.

Quillin is now a heavy favourite to reclaim the crown when he faces Lee at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday (early Sunday morning Irish time).

“This is very much a 50-50 fight. The winner of this will have a good claim to call himself the best middleweight in the world,” Lee told RTÉ Sport.

“He’s a very good boxer. He’s a former champion. It’s a hard fight, no doubt about it, but it’s one I’m capable of winning and confident of winning.”

“I know a lot of people get involved

in trash-talking and hyping up

but it has to be real” – Andy Lee

Lee doesn’t see the fact that Quillin gave up the title as particularly significant as he doubts the American feared Korobov.

“I believe it was for political reasons that he vacated the title,” said Lee. “His promoter didn’t win the purse bid and I think that was more the reason why he gave up the title.

“Because he did I got the opportunity to fight Korobov and here I am now champion. It’s funny the way it works out.

“I don’t think he turned down the Korobov fight out of any fear. I’m not trying to gain any confidence from that, I’ll just take it at face value.”

Lee declined to get involved in “trash-talk” about Quillin, saying he considered the former champion a friend, but warned against thinking he would be a “nice guy” in the ring.

“There’s no ill-feeling. There’s nothing personal between us. After the fight we’ll shake hands but when the bell rings we’ll be trying to take each other’s head off.

“We both now that while we’re in there, there’ll be no friendship in battle but once it’s over we can be friends again.

“I know a lot of people get involved in trash-talking and hyping up but it has to be real. For me, if it’s not genuine it doesn’t come across well. I’ve never been the type to do that.

“That’s me outside the ring but as you walk from the dressing room it’s time to switch on and change. You become a different person once you get inside that ring. You have to. You can’t be the nice guy in the ring because you’ll get quickly found out.”

Lee also revealed that he never lost faith in his ability to become a world champion, even when it looked his chance had gone after losing a WBC title shot against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in 2012.

“Through perserverance, hard work

and believing in myself I got

there in the end” – Andy Lee

“There definitely were times when I had moments of doubt but perseverance, I believe, is the reason I got here,” Lee said.

“[I was] working every day towards something that I wanted, even when it looked like it was never going to happen. Keep working, keep believing, and every day just making small increments, improving on a small level.

“Eventually I got the chance, my big break came and I took it. Through perseverance, hard work and believing in myself I got there in the end.”

Lee is hoping for big support in a city where he has fought three times previously but admitted his dream bout would be a title defence in Limerick.

“It’s a place I’m comfortable fighting in. I spent a lot of my career over there and I have a lot of friends in New York so I should have a good crowd for the fight.”

“To defend the world title in Limerick would be a dream come true. I’d be very much pushing for it during the summer or maybe the early autumn. But I can’t look too far ahead, I have a hard fight this Saturday.”

https://www.rte.ie/sport/boxing/2015/0406/692419-andy-lee-confident-ahead-of-first-title-defence/

Andy Lee celebrates his win over Matt Korobov after their fight for the vacant WBO middleweight title

Photos:  Getty Images /

By:  Declan Taylor –

• Andy Lee recovers from a slow start to stop Matt Korobov Irishman landed huge right hand in the sixth round to rock the Russian
• Lee threw a barrage of unanswered punches and the referee stepped in
• Lee is the new WBO middleweight world champion 

The old saying goes that nice guys finish last.

But Andy Lee made a mockery of that, and the bookmakers here in Las Vegas, to become the new middleweight champion of the world on an emotionally charged evening on the strip.

And, although he might not describe it as such, there was a sense that the popular 30-year-old fulfilled his destiny in front of the widow of his former trainer, the legendary Emanuel Steward at the Chelsea arena inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel. 

It was Steward who took Lee under his wing, immersed him in his famous Kronk philosophy in Detroit, even let him stay at his home after they met in 2002.

Steward guided Lee through his formative years as a professional and even up until his first challenge for a world title, the unsuccessful attempt to wrestle the WBC title from Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in 2012.

But Lee was forced to go it alone four months later when Steward passed away until he linked up with Adam Booth, who was in the corner here, and the brains behind Lee’s preparation for this shot at the WBO title.

Lee admitted in the week, in the suite 45 floors above the venue, that a defeat here would likely end his career, with no desire to fight his way back from another failed title challenge. He also said that he was completely confident of beating undefeated Matt Korobov.

And he showed exactly why in the sixth round of this contest, which was otherwise tentative, quiet and cagey. In fact, the only moment of note before the stoppage was when Lee momentarily stiffened the Russian with a left hand in the centre of the ring.

It was a sign of things to come.

In the sixth round, Lee shipped a left hand but, almost immediately, connected with a right hook that is swiftly becoming his trademark. Korobov tottered, stunned from the impact, and Lee did not waste a second, swarming the 31-year-old. Referee Kenny Bayliss waved it off quickly.

The celebrations were passionate as Lee, truly one of boxing’s good guys, embraced his new trainer Booth. His wife was also hoisted into the ring to join the new WBO champion.

He is the first Irish middleweight to clinch a world title since Steve Collins who, 20 years ago, won this very belt. He is also the first man from the travelling community to win a world title in the history of professional boxing.

Speaking of the traveling community, this victory also sets up a mouth-watering contest between Lee and Billy Joe Saunders, who is the mandatory challenger for the new WBO king.

That is one to look forward to next year, but for now, Lee and his team should savour this moment and their achievement against the odds in this famous gambling district.

When asked how to sum up the feeling of becoming champion, he said: ‘It’s tough to describe. When I thought about this moment, I had a speech in mind.

‘I would like to say than you to my manger who has done so much for me over the last couple of years.’

But then Lee paid a poignant tribute to Steward, whose widow Marie was in attendance for the bout, along with a clutch of other Detroit natives who cheered Lee on from the crowd.

He went on: ‘But it’s also for the man who made me, Emanuel Steward.

‘We spent seven or eight years together and he said I would win a world title.

‘His wife Marie came here today, flew all the way from Detroit so from everybody from Detroit and Kronk, thank you very much.

‘Matt Korobov was giving me nightmares but i could hear all the cheers from all that came to see me from New York and Detroit.

‘We were trading and a lot of the times he was having the better of it but my right hook is a killer punch I thought he wasn’t going down but i wasn’t taking any chances.’

And what of that showdown with Saunders?

‘I am a champion now and I want to defend my belt in Ireland,’ he said.

But, for now, it’s back to Ireland to celebrate a Christmas as world champion.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-2873160/Andy-Lee-stops-Matt-Korobov-win-WBO-middleweight-world-title-Las-Vegas.html

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank – Andy Lee won his first title after defeating Matt Korobov by TKO on Saturday.

LAS VEGAS — Andy Lee spent most of his career at the side of the late, great Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward. They traveled everywhere together and became almost like father and son.

Lee even spent several years living in Steward’s Detroit home when he moved from Ireland to the United States. In their first title shot together, Lee got knocked out by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in the seventh round in 2012. A few months later, Steward died from cancer.

Vowing to win a world title in Steward’s memory, Lee knocked out Matt Korobov in the sixth round to win a vacant middleweight world title on Saturday night on the Timothy Bradley Jr.-Diego Chaves undercard at the Cosmopolitan.

Lee, 30, of Ireland, and Korobov, 31, a 2008 Russian Olympian now living in Florida, were both tentative early in what was a jabbing contest between southpaws as they each tried to establish control. It was a close contest all the way and neither man had taken control when the fight suddenly came to an end.

Out of nowhere, Lee (34-2, 24 KOs) landed a tremendous right hook that badly staggered Korobov. He did not go down, but he was in terrible trouble and Lee jumped all over him. Lee landed numerous punches until referee Kenny Bayless had no choice but to stop it at 1 minute, 10 seconds.

“We were trading and a lot of the times he was having the better of it but my right hook is a killer punch. I thought he wasn’t going down but I wasn’t taking any chances,” Lee said.

Lee said during the lead up to the fight that he wanted to win the title in Steward’s memory and then he paid respects to him in victory.

“When I thought about this moment, I had a speech in mind,” Lee said. “I would like to say thank you to my manager [and trainer Adam Booth], who has done so much for me over the last couple of years, but it’s also for the man who made me, Emanuel Steward.

“We spent seven, eight years together and he said I would win a world title. His wife, Marie, came here today, flew all the way from Detroit, so from everybody from Detroit and Kronk [Gym], thank you very much. Matt Korobov was giving me nightmares but I could hear all the cheers from all that came to see me from New York and Detroit.”

Korobov (24-1, 14 KOs) was ahead on all three scorecards, but had no complaints about the stoppage.

“I’ve never been hurt before but he got me with a tremendous hook,” he said. “I was stunned. I couldn’t continue.”

Said Charles Mooney, Korobov’s trainer, “He should have taken a knee but it didn’t happen and he couldn’t continue.”

Lee won the fight with titleholder Gennady Golovkin ringside and they could meet in a unification bout.

“Great performance and strong performance,” Golovkin said of Lee’s knockout.

Before a Golovkin fight, however, Lee had something else in mind.

“I am a champion now and I want to defend my belt in Ireland,” he said.

Lee and Korobov were fighting for the 160-pound belt that Peter Quillin vacated rather than defend against Korobov, the mandatory challenger, for a career-high purse (about triple) of $1,428,630 under the terms of a purse bid won by Roc Nation Sports. Lee, the next leading available contender, quickly accepted the fight.

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/12024793/andy-lee-surprises-matt-korobov-win-middleweight-title

Date:  Saturday, December 13, 2014

WBO VACANT MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:  Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Promoter:   Top Rank / Bob Arum

Supervisor:   Richard De Cuir

Referee:  Kenny Bayless

Judges:   Tim Cheatham (45-50); Richard Houck (47-48); Don Trella (45-50)

Results:     Andy Lee won the vacant WBO middleweight title by scoring a TKO win over Matt Korobov (24-1) in the sixth round.

TV:   USA HBO

A deal has been struck for Matt Korobov to fight Andy Lee in Ireland for the vacant WBO middleweight title.

By Wil Esco –

Bob Arum announced a deal has been agreed to for Korobov and Lee to fight for the vacant WBO middleweight belt, in a bout promoted by Frank Warren, taking place in Dublin, Ireland. The fight will determine the ultimate replacement for Peter Quillin, who vacated the WBO title rather than fight Korobov. I think it’s probably fair to assume that “Irish” Andy Lee will be the crowd favorite on fight night.

“We have confirmation from last week from Frank Warren that we’re going forward with that fight. The fight will be in Dublin, Ireland, on Dec. 13,” said Arum. “We have an agreement through e-mail, and our lawyers are drawing up a provision of services agreement to send to Frank to sign. I think that it’s a very good fight and a very interesting fight.”

Andy Lee (33-2, 23 KOs) was the protege of the late Emanuel Steward, and was a rising force in the middleweight division until Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. put a tremdous beating on him. Andy hasn’t seemed quite the same since then, or perhaps he was just exposed on that night. Either way, Andy was getting beaten up again, pretty comprehensively, by young prospect John Jackson this past June, when in a moment of despair and retreat, Lee managed to land a picture perfect right hook on the button that ended Jackson’s night. It was a great punch and an exciting ending, but it hardly restored any legitimate faith in Lee as a top middleweight in my view.

So here comes Matt Korobov (24-0, 14 KOs), who doesn’t have any flashy names on his resume but appears to be fairly competent in the ring nonetheless. Solely based on Lee’s recent outings, I would be inclined to favor Korobov, but in no way would be surprised if Lee were able to take this one. I guess that makes this a fair and intriguing fight!

http://www.badlefthook.com/2014/10/7/6934815/matt-korobov-andy-lee-scheduled-for-dec-13th

By Dan Rafael –

When Peter Quillin gave up his middleweight world title in early September at the behest of manager Al Haymon rather than face Matt Korobov for a career-high payday (by far) of $1,428,630 — because Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports swooped in and won a purse bid to grab control of the fight from Haymon — it set things in motion for how the vacancy would be filled.

And what a roller coaster that has been.

Originally, the vacancy was to be filled by Korobov taking on Billy Joe Saunders. Korobov promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank and Saunders promoter Frank Warren quickly made a deal for Korobov to travel to England for the fight, which was ticketed for the Tyson Fury-Dereck Chisora undercard on Nov. 29 in London.

But then Banner Promotions’ Artie Pelullo, the co-promoter of junior middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade, petitioned the WBO to give Andrade the shot at Korobov for the vacant title. It is commonplace for the WBO to allow a titleholder from one division to get an immediate shot at the title in the weight class above where they hold the title.

So it came as no surprise when the WBO ruled in Pelullo’s favor, causing Arum to rip Pelullo because Arum claimed they had worked out a deal for Andrade to step aside.

But a funny thing happened on the way to Korobov-Andrade: Andrade’s camp rejected the fight this week, instead electing to remain at junior middleweight to defend his title, even though he has no specific date or opponent lined up just yet while Pelullo battles it out with HBO over his next bout.

So that set things back in motion for a possible Korobov-Saunders fight right? Sort of. Saunders is supposed to meet Chris Eubank Jr. on Dec. 13 in a fight that was agreed to when it looked like Saunders wouldn’t get the world title shot.

Arum said he got a call this week from Warren saying that it looked as though Saunders-Eubank — which has had trouble of its own getting finalized — would indeed take place. If that actually happens, it means that Korobov could instead face perennial contender Andy Lee for the vacant belt on Dec. 13 on the HBO undercard of Timothy Bradley Jr.’s next fight or in the United Kingdom.

“The deal would be the winner of Korobov-Andy Lee could fight Saunders if he beats Eubank,” Arum said.

Arum was still steamed that Pelullo went to so much trouble to get Andrade the shot at the vacant belt only to back out of the position and mess up the plans for Korobov-Saunders.

“I’m pissed off,” Arum said. “I’m not against a promoter doing the best he can for his fighter but to go off on a tangent and disturb everything that was planned and not even have the fighter on board is amateur night. You get your ducks in order before you make that move [with the WBO]. If Andrade really wanted to fight for the middleweight title then I would have understood it. I wouldn’t have liked it but I would have understood it. This I don’t understand. Why make such a production out of getting the kid the fight for the vacant title and then you don’t take the fight?”

Korobov is going to fight for the vacant belt against whomever the WBO approves for the fight. As for Lee, promoter Lou DiBella said, “It’s a possibility. Andy would definitely be interested in fighting Korobov for the title.”

The WBO is considering a request to approve Korobov-Lee for the belt.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dan-rafael/post/_/id/10573/korobov-lee-for-vacant-160-belt