By Scott Gilfoid: Former WBO 160lb champion Peter Quillin (31-0, 22 KOs) will be facing WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee (34-2, 24 KOs) for his WBO title, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN. #1 WBO contender Billy Joe Saunders has stepped aside in order to let the Quillin-Lee fight to go ahead.
Some boxing fans might be upset to learn that the 31-year-old Quillin is getting immediate title shot at the WBO belt after he recently vacated his WBO title when he was in the position where he had to defend it against his then #1 WBO contender Matt Karobov.
It’s unclear how much Billy Joe Saunders got for him to step aside and let the Quillin-Lee fight take place, but you’d have to assume that it’s a nice amount of cash. Quillin matches up better with Saunders than Lee anyway, so it’s a win-win situation for Quillin. He not only gets to face a champion in Lee with stamina and a chin problems, but he also gets to make his first defense against a fighter who wilts when facing an aggressive fighter with power.
Quillin’s adviser Al Haymon had Quillin vacate the title after losing a purse bid for the fight to Roc Nation Sport.
Quillin gave up a $1.4 million payday by not taking the Korobov fight. It’s unknown how much Quillin will make for the Lee fight, but hopefully it’s more than the $1.4 million that he would have gotten for the Korobov fight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLJ4xCaye00
”A fight that is done: Andy Lee Boxing-@ KID CHOCOLATE for Lee’s title (the one Quillin vacated), per Lou Dibella. BJ Saunders stepped aside.”
It was thought that Haymon would steer Quillin to a fight against one of his other fighters in his huge stable of fighters like WBA middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs, but it looks like Haymon is going to positioning Quillin so that Haymon can have two champions at middleweight instead of just one.
If Haymon had made the Quillin-Jacobs fight, that would keep him in the same position he is now with just one belt holder in the division. It obviously makes sense for him to have two instead of just one.
Quillin has a great chance of beating Lee and recapturing his World Boxing Organization title 160 pound title, as long as Quillin stays disciplined and looks out for Lee’s right hooks. That’s pretty much Lee’s only real weapon in his arsenal. Lee’s straight left hand isn’t much of a threat to hurting Quillin.
It’s all about Lee’s right hook that he likes to throw all the time, especially when things start looking bleak for him like they were in the Korobov and John Jackson fights. As long as Quillin keeps his left hand high, he should be able to block all of Lee’s right hooks, and in turn have an easy fight.
Lee is relatively easy to out-box at this point in his career, and Quillin should have no problems winning every round against him to get the win. Lee wears down as the fight goes on, and Quillin will have an excellent chance of scoring a knockout once the fight goes past the 6th. Both Brian Vera and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr were able to stop a weary, red-faced Lee in the 7th rounds of their fights with him.
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