Andy Lee – Fortune favours the brave

By makingweight - 12/14/2014 - Comments

1-Andy Lee wins WBO titleBy Daniel Hughes: You wonder how former WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin must be feeling this morning? Quillin, guided by his adviser Al Haymon, decided to vacate his WBO middleweight title rather than face the then undefeated Russian Matt Korobov. To understand the decision has made boxing fans question the direction Peter Quillin’s career is heading.The money on offer for the fight,too good to turn down you would think, Quillin’s team did indeed turn down the offer.

For Quillin’s team to turn down a career high $1.4 million for facing Korobov, after Jay Z owned Roc Nation Sports bid $1.9 million dollars to promote the fight will probably be hurting Koborov this morning also. Korobov was due to collect a career high $500,000 dollars to face the undefeated Quillin. Instead, he faced Andy Lee last night with the vacant WBO title on the line and his unbeaten record and for a far, far smaller payday.

Andy Lee, the tall, rangy Irish southpaw matched to face the fellow left handed fighter,the touted Florida based Korobov for both fighters a win last night would open up doors both sporting and financial.The obvious fight for Korobov somewhere down the line the dubious task of facing the dangerous Gennady Golovkin, the best 160 lb fighter on the planet in this writers opinion. For Andy Lee a win would see him due to face number one contender Billy Joe Saunders,the fight makes massive money for both fighters whether staged in Ireland or the U.K,a real box office draw and life changing money for both men.

Las Vegas,Nevada last night played host to Matt Korobov who now moves to 24-1 (14 ko’s) versus Andy Lee 34-2 (24 KO’s). Lee was very much seen as the underdog and for the first five rounds of the contest and it was easy to see why. Korobov catching Lee in a competitive fight in which he was dictating the tempo.Lee fights beautifully from range when he lets his hands go. Lee certainly remembered to in the 6th catching Korobov with a massive right hook. Lee seized his chance and unleashed a barrage of punches that Korobov never recovered from.The Russian saved by the referee Kenny Bayless. Lee crowned the new WBO middleweight champion,a fantastic achievement for the classy southpaw fighter.

The Irish fighter who developed his style under the late great trainer Manny Steward in Detroit’s famous Kronk Gym was quick to remember his former trainer in a show of real class in his ring interview afterwards.Andy Lee a fighter that has always shown a tremendous amount of knowledge when talking about boxing,transforming that into a performance that would of had his old trainer nodding in approval.Typical Kronk fighter able to turn a fight on it’s head with one punch.That sentence has been talked about many times over the year’s and Lee can proudly add himself to the list of fighters that gym has developed into world champions.

Lee, hearing him talk, will feel that accolade will be worth more to him than the rewards that lay ahead.The chance taken last night with both hands. Only one needed a right hook from Ireland, developed in Detroit.



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