Andy Lee (boxer)
Andy Lee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Bow, London, England | 11 June 1984||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Irish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other names | "Irish" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight(s) |
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Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reach | 75 in (191 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stance | Southpaw | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total fights | 39 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wins | 35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wins by KO | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Losses | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Draws | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Andy Lee (born 11 June 1984) is an Irish former
Early life
Lee was born in
Lee signed his first professional contract with
Amateur career
Lee represented Ireland at the 2002 World Junior championships in Santiago de Cuba, competing in the middleweight category. Lee fought five times in a week beating Ismail Sillakh and United States favourite Jesus Gonzales but lost the final to Cuban boxer Noelvis Diaz to claim the silver medal.[4][5]
At the World Amateur Championships in Bangkok, Lee was beaten on points by eventual winner Gennady Golovkin who also defeated Lucian Bute and Matt Korobov on his way to the gold medal.
Lee traveled to Pula, Croatia for the European Amateur Championships in February 2004. He earned a bronze medal in the competition, and thereby qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics at just nineteen years of age.[5]
In June 2004, Lee won silver at the
Lee's first fight of the
In February 2003, aged seventeen, Lee fought for the
Professional career
After the
On 15 December 2007, Lee became the Irish
"I’ve never had a fighter that I’ve rated higher. To be good is one thing but to be great takes a great passion for what you do and Andy loves to fight. He is the complete package – good looking, intelligent, explosive power, physically structured to be a great fighter. There are more Irish people spread out around the world than any other race and I honestly believe Andy could be the biggest draw in boxing history."
- Emanuel Steward speaking about Lee in 2008.[9]
In April 2007, HBO featured Lee as one of boxing's top prospects, with Larry Merchant commenting - "he looks like 10 million dollars". Star coach Steward was also quick to praise Lee, claiming on RTÉ television that by the end of 2008 he would defeat the then current world champion, Kelly Pavlik.[10]
In December 2007, ESPN also listed Lee as a top prospect saying - "Lee has all the potential to be the next great middleweight star. The 2004 Irish Olympian is a 6 foot 2 inch southpaw with skills, power and a streak as mean in the ring as he is personable outside of it. With trainer/manager Emanuel Steward molding him, Lee is moving quickly. He was 8-0 in 2007, including a thunderous knockout of faded former titleholder Carl Daniels. Lee is as blue chip as they come. If you could get stock in a prospect, he'd be near the top of the buy list."
On 21 March 2008, during his debut on ESPN 2, Lee suffered his first defeat after losing by TKO in the seventh round to Brian Vera. The stoppage was mildly controversial, as Lee was winning on points, and was still punching back as the referee Tony Chiarantano stepped in. However, he had been reeling and unsteady from heavy punishment and fatigue for several minutes, and neither he nor his corner complained at the stoppage.
On July 19 2008, Willie Gibbs was defeated by Lee in the final round when Gibbs threw in the towel after a barrage of shots from Lee with 7 seconds remaining.
On 21 March 2009, appearing on the undercard of the Bernard Dunne world title fight against Ricardo Cordoba, Lee beat the tough German brawler Alexander Sipos in a unanimous decision. This was a reckoning of sorts, as it occurred on the one year-to-the-day anniversary of Lee's first and only professional defeat.
On 20 June 2009, Lee outpointed Olegs Fedotovs in front of 60,000+ at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany for his 18th victory as part of the Klitschko-Chagaev undercard.
On 22 August 2009, Lee stopped Andy Shuler in the 8th round of a bout in Hammond, Indiana to earn his 19th victory and 14th KO.
A hometown crowd turned out in Limerick, 14 November 2009, to watch Lee defeat Frenchman Affif Belghecham in a ten-round battle of the southpaws. Shannonsider Lee outpointed the Frenchman 99–92; Lee stopped Mamadou Thiam the following year in the same venue.[11]
On 30 July 2010, Lee faced James Cook in Miami, Oklahoma and won the bout by a fifth-round knockout.
On 12 March 2011, Lee fought Craig McEwan at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and won via technical knockout at 0:56 in the 10th round.[12]
He avenged his loss to Brian Vera on 1 October 2011 by unanimous decision.
On 10 March 2012, Lee Knocked out Mexico's Saul Duran in the 2nd round of a stay busy fight.
Lee vs. Chavez: First World Title Shot
On 16 June 2012, Lee challenged undefeated Titleholder
Lee vs. Fitzgerald
Under the tutelage of new trainer
Lee vs. Jackson
On 7 June 2014, in Madison Square Garden, on the undercard of the Pay-Per-View fight between Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez, Andy Lee met hard-hitting Virgin Islander John Jackson in a 154-lb bout. John Jackson is the son of the great light-middleweight puncher Julian Jackson. In the first round Lee was knocked down for the first time in his amateur or pro career respectively on a hard right-hand counter by the heavy-handed Jackson. Lee regained his composure but proceeded to lose the next 3 rounds in a row, he spent the majority of the time tactically looking to catch Jackson coming in with a right hook counter. In round 5 Jackson unleashed a furious flurry of punches and trapped Lee on the ropes, Lee moved off the ropes, but as Jackson moved in to close the show, Andy Lee caught him with the perfectly timed right hook counter that he was looking for and knocked Jackson completely out.
Lee vs. Korobov: World Champion
After the comeback knockout victory over John Jackson, Andy Lee secured himself a 13 December WBO World Middleweight Title shot against the then undefeated former 2008
Lee vs. Quillin
After stating that he wanted to fight the best in the world, Lee postponed a title defense in Ireland against
Lee vs. Saunders
It was announced that on 19 September 2015, Andy Lee would defend his WBO Middleweight title against unbeaten Billy Joe Saunders in his home city of Limerick, Ireland. However the bout was rescheduled for 19 December, and instead took place in the Manchester Arena. Due to a slow start by Lee, Saunders was able to score 2 knockdowns. However, once again, Lee came on strong in the second half of the fight, outboxing Saunders for stages. However, Lee's late rally was not enough to close the gap of the early lead Saunders gained. With scores of 115–111, 114–112, and one judge scoring it a draw at 113–113, Lee lost a close majority decision on the scorecards.
Lee vs. Leatherwood
In his last fight, Lee fought KeAndrae Leatherwood. In a largely uneventful fight, Lee managed to secure the win via unanimous decision, winning 80–72, 79–73 and 78–74 on the scorecards.[17]
Retirement
On 20 February 2018, Andy Lee confirmed his retirement from boxing on Irish radio station
Professional boxing record
39 fights | 35 wins | 3 losses |
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By knockout | 24 | 2 |
By decision | 11 | 1 |
Draws | 1 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
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39 | Win | 35–3–1 | KeAndrae Leatherwood | UD | 8 | 18 Mar 2017 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
38 | Loss | 34–3–1 | Billy Joe Saunders | MD | 12 | 19 Dec 2015 | Manchester Arena, Manchester, England | Lost WBO middleweight title |
37 | Draw | 34–2–1 | Peter Quillin | SD | 12 | 11 Apr 2015 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, US | |
36 | Win | 34–2 | Matt Korobov | TKO | 6 (12), 1:10 | 13 Dec 2014 | Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, US | Won vacant WBO middleweight title |
35 | Win | 33–2 | John Jackson | KO | 5 (10), 1:07 | 7 Jun 2014 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Won WBC-NABF super-welterweight title
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34 | Win | 32–2 | Frank Haroche-Horta | MD | 8 | 12 Apr 2014 | Blue Water Dokken, Esbjerg, Denmark | |
33 | Win | 31–2 | Ferenc Hefner | TKO | 2 (6), 1:19 | 23 Nov 2013 | Phones 4u Arena, Manchester , England
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32 | Win | 30–2 | Darryl Cunningham | TKO | 1 (10), 1:27 | 15 May 2013 | B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, New York City, New York, US | |
31 | Win | 29–2 | Anthony Fitzgerald | PTS | 10 | 9 Feb 2013 | Odyssey Arena, Belfast , Northern Ireland
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30 | Loss | 28–2 | Julio César Chávez Jr. | TKO | 7 (12), 2:21 | 16 Jun 2012 | Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas, US | For WBC middleweight title |
29 | Win | 28–1 | Saul Duran | KO | 2 (10), 0:54 | 10 Mar 2012 | Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi, Michigan, US | |
28 | Win | 27–1 | Brian Vera | UD | 10 | 1 Oct 2011 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
27 | Win | 26–1 | Alex Bunema | UD | 10 | 18 May 2011 | Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois, US | Won vacant WBC-NABF, and WBA-NABA middleweight titles |
26 | Win | 25–1 | Craig McEwan | TKO | 10 (10), 0:56 | 12 Mar 2011 | MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Ledyard, Connecticut , US
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25 | Win | 24–1 | Troy Lowry | TKO | 4 (10), 2:59 | 2 Oct 2010 | Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, Indiana, US | |
24 | Win | 23–1 | Michael Walker | TKO | 8 (10), 2:03 | 17 Sep 2010 | UIC Pavilion, Chicago , Illinois, US
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23 | Win | 22–1 | James Cook | KO | 5 (8), 2:42 | 30 Jul 2010 | Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma, US | |
22 | Win | 21–1 | Mamadou Thiam | RTD | 2 (10), 3:00 | 15 May 2010 | University Arena, Limerick, Ireland | |
21 | Win | 20–1 | Affif Belghecham | PTS | 10 | 14 Nov 2009 | University Arena, Limerick, Ireland | |
20 | Win | 19–1 | Anthony Shuler | TKO | 8 (10), 2:05 | 21 Aug 2009 | Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, Indiana , US
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19 | Win | 18–1 | Olegs Fedotovs | UD | 6 | 20 Jun 2009 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen , Germany
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18 | Win | 17–1 | Alexander Sipos | PTS | 10 | 21 Mar 2009 | The O2 , Dublin, Ireland
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17 | Win | 16–1 | Willie Gibbs | TKO | 10 (10), 2:46 | 19 Jul 2008 | University Arena, Limerick, Ireland | |
16 | Loss | 15–1 | Brian Vera | TKO | 7 (10), 2:17 | 21 Mar 2008 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, US | |
15 | Win | 15–0 | Alejandro G. Falliga | KO | 5 (10), 1:49 | 2 Feb 2008 | University Arena, Limerick , Ireland
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14 | Win | 14–0 | Jason McKay | RTD | 6 (10), 3:00 | 15 Dec 2007 | National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland | Won vacant Irish super-middleweight title |
13 | Win | 13–0 | Marcus Thomas | KO | 1 (10), 1:13 | 15 Nov 2007 | Compuware Arena, Plymouth, Michigan , US
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12 | Win | 12–0 | James Morrow | TKO | 1 (8), 2:43 | 2 Oct 2007 | Bourbon Street, Merrionette Park, Illinois, US | |
11 | Win | 11–0 | Ciaran Healy | RTD | 4 (8), 3:00 | 25 Aug 2007 | Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland | |
10 | Win | 10–0 | Thomas Hengstberger | KO | 2 (8), 1:22 | 7 Jul 2007 | Kölnarena, Cologne , Germany
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9 | Win | 9–0 | Clinton Bonds | TKO | 1 (8), 2:09 | 18 May 2007 | The New Daisy Theatre , Memphis, Tennessee, US
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8 | Win | 8–0 | Carl Daniels | KO | 3 (8), 2:36 | 16 Mar 2007 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
7 | Win | 7–0 | Arturo Ortega | TKO | 6 (6), 0:32 | 25 Jan 2007 | The Orleans, Paradise, Nevada, US | |
6 | Win | 6–0 | Dennis Sharpe | UD | 6 | 11 Nov 2006 | New York City, New York , US
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5 | Win | 5–0 | Jess Salway | KO | 1 (4), 1:34 | 14 Sep 2006 | The Orleans, Paradise, Nevada, US | |
4 | Win | 4–0 | Carl Cockerham | UD | 6 | 10 Aug 2006 | The Orleans, Paradise, Nevada, US | |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Rodney Freeman | TKO | 1 (6), 1:38 | 15 Jun 2006 | Pepsi Pavilion, Memphis, Tennessee, US | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Wassim Khalil | TKO | 5 (6), 2:51 | 22 Apr 2006 | SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Anthony Cannon | UD | 6 | 10 Mar 2006 | Detroit, Michigan , US
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References
- ^ "Lee retains leading role in the ring". The Independent. 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ Hopkinson, Tom (12 December 2015). "World champ Tyson Fury can no longer mouth off on every subject, says Andy Lee". mirror. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ "Andy Lee praises influence of Emanuel Steward in world title victory". SportsJOE.ie. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Andy Lee - profile". Ringside by Gus. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ron Borges. "Future Star: Andy Lee". The Sweet Science. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
- ^ "Irish middleweight Andy Lee teams up with English trainer Adam Booth". Irish Central. 24 November 2012.
- ^ "Irish ABA National Finals". Strefa. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
- ^ Boxrec. "Andy Lee". Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
- ^ a b "FLASHBACK Emanuel Steward: I've never had a fighter I've rated higher than Andy Lee". Boxing News.
- ^ Mark Vester. "Andy Lee Stops McKay, Pavlik in 08?". Retrieved 13 March 2007.
- ^ Leonard Gunning. "Andy Lee Turns His Attention To Facing Darren Barker". Boxing-Ireland.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ Lee will now go on to face Sergio Martinez for the WBC Middleweight championship.
- ^ Nick Peet (10 February 2013). "Frampton arrives with TKO of Martinez". ESPN.com. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ "Lee stops Korobov to win title". ESPN. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ "Andy Lee claims world title". Irish Independent. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ "Danny Garcia defeats Lamont Peterson in majority decision at Barclays Center". New York Daily News.
- ^ "Andy Lee vs. KeAndrae Leatherwood – Results ⋆ Boxing News 24". Boxing News 24. 19 March 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Former World Champion Andy Lee Announces His Retirement from Boxing".
- ^ "Andy Lee: The nice guy who finished first". The 42. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^ "Joseph Parker looking to turn new page in career-changing bout against Derek Chisora". TVNZ.