Lee and Saunders have been bred to fight – says Fury

lee#7(Photo credit: Frank Warren) By Scott Gilfoid: Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury sees tonight’s contest between Billy Joe Saunders (22-0, 12 KOs) and WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee (34-2-1, 24 KOs) as a tough scrap involving what he sees as two “real men” battling it out at the Manchester Arena, in Manchester, UK.

Fury is sitting on the fence with this fight and not saying whom he favors in the fight. However, Fury does think the 31-year-old Lee will win if Saunders switches off for any length of time like he did in his close win over Chris Eubank Jr. last year in November.

read more

Saunders: The best of Andy Lee doesn’t worry me

lee33333(Credit: Frank Warren) By Scott Gilfoid: Unbeaten challenger Billy Joe Saunders (22-0, 12 KOs) says he’s seen the past fights of WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee (34-2-1, 24 KOs), when he was at his absolute best, and none of those fights have him worried at all about what he’s going to be facing on Saturday night. Saunders and Lee face each other this Saturday night at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK.

Saunders, 26, says he’s at his physical best for this fight and is at his best weight. Saunders looked a little drained to me though, and I’m just wondering if he’s going to be a little sluggish on Saturday night after he rehydrates for the fight.

read more

Billy Joe Saunders – Out to make his point

lee8By Daniel Hughes: This Saturday, on the 19th of December in Manchester, England, boxing fans will at last see Andy Lee face Billy Joe Saunders for the WBO middleweight title. Style wise, both fellow southpaw fighters also with similar backgrounds. It is the third time scheduled, twice postponed and a factor in removing the casual boxing fans interest.

The venue and country of the fight has been moved, and both men are from a traveling background. Both personable men, will no doubt see the irony in that fact. Both fighters are used to the versatility life brings and being true fighting men it will not bother either in the slightest.

read more

Weights: Lee 159.75, Saunders 160

lee123(Photo credit: Frank Warren) By Scott Gilfoid: WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee (34-2-1, 24 KOs) and his opponent Billy Joe Saunders (22-0, 12 KOs) both successfully weighed in on Friday for their big fight on Saturday night at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK. The 6’2” Lee looked good and not weight drained in coming in at 159.75 pounds.

This is how Lee looks when he steps foot inside the ring, and that tells you he did not have to drain down in weight a dramatic amount of weight like we see with some fighters like Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. I wish I could say the same thing for the 26-year-old Saunders. He looked badly drained in coming in right at the limit at 160lbs.

read more

Loeffler: Golovkin wants Lee-Saunders winner

1-GolovkinLemieux_HoganphotosBy Dan Ambrose: It looks like there’s going to be some competition to face the winner of this Saturday’s fight between WBO 160lb champion Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders. WBA “regular” middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs said today that he wants the winner of the Lee-Saunders fight. But now Tom Loeffler, the promoter for IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs), says they want the winner of the Lee-Saunders fight.

Golovkin has the option of making a defense of his IBF title against his #1 IBF mandatory Tureano Johnson or possibly facing the Lee vs. Saunders fight.

read more

Jacobs wants Lee-Saunders winner

Daniel Jacobs vs Peter QuillinBy Dan Ambrose: IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin isn’t the only interested observer who will be watching this Saturday’s contest between WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee (34-2-1, 24 KOs) and Billy Joe Saunders (22-0, 12 KOs). WBA World “Regular” middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs (31-1, 28 KOs) will be watching the fight, and he hopes to face the winner of the fight next.

However, Jacobs is rooting for the 31-year-old Lee to beat Saunders, because he sees that as a potentially bigger fight for him than a fight against Saunders.

read more

Booth has strategy for Andy Lee to negate Saunders’ speed

lee4By Scott Gilfoid: Trainer Adam Booth has come up with a strategy for his fighter WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee (34-2-1, 24 KOs) to use on challenger Billy Joe Saunders (22-0, 12 KOs) this Saturday night to try to nullify his natural hand speed advantage. Booth does not want Lee to be attacking the 26-year-old Saunders or trying to put any pressure on him, because he feels this is something that won’t work for Lee because Saunders does well against fighters that come after him.

Much of Saunders’ career has seen him get the better of fighters that applied pressure on him in his fights. So instead of having Lee pressure Saunders, Booth wants Lee to focus on throwing shots each time that Saunders throws his own. In other words, Booth wants Lee to punch with Saunders so that he can take advantage of Saunders’ natural aggressiveness.

“When you’ve got someone who has the speed advantage, if you go before you won’t land because they’ll move out of position,” Booth said to skysports.com. “If you try to go after, they could be in and out before you can get your shot off. The key is punching with people with good hand speed,” Booth said.

read more

Andy Lee: This is just another fight for me

saunders#1WBO World Middleweight Champion Andy Lee is boxing’s Jekyll and Hyde by saying he can turn on a nasty switch.

The Irishman is usually a happy character, but he knows his mean side will come out in the titanic battle against undefeated rival Billy Joe Saunders this Saturday night at the Manchester Arena when he puts his title on the line.

Lee and Saunders came face-to-face today in the final press conference before Saturday’s fight and the pair while previously friendly, the tension is definitely increasing between the two.

read more

Saunders: Andy Lee is no Golovkin; I can punch with him

saunders#1By Scott Gilfoid: Billy Joe Saunders (22-0, 12 KOs) is unafraid of the punching power of WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee (34-2-1, 24 KOs) despite the success he has had recently in defeating dangerous opposition by knockout.

Saunders, 26, says he will stand and trade with Lee at times in their fight this Saturday night on December 19that the Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK. Saunders says he doesn’t see Lee as having Gennady Golovkin type punching power, and he plans on getting in the trenches and slugging with him toe-to-toe.

read more

Andy Lee wants Golovkin fight after Saunders

lee65By Scott Gilfoid: If WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee (34-2-1, 24 KOs) can successfully defend his WBO title this Saturday night in his second defense of his strap against unbeaten #1 WBO Billy Joe Saunders (22-0, 12 KOs), he’d like to then face IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs) in a unification fight in 2016.

Lee, 6’2”, thinks he has the punching power, boxing skills and the experience to give Golovkin his first defeat. Golovkin is also interested in facing Lee for his WBO title. However, for that fight to happen, Lee must find a way to get past the 26-year-old Saunders, and that might not be an easy thing to do.

read more