Ringside Report Looks Back at Former World Champion Andy Lee

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

Successful transitions from being a boxing superstar and world champion into the training game are well enough documented. Whilst in the UK, the likes of Joe Gallagher, Ben Davidson and Shane McGuigan show that having been in the ring at the top level is not a precursor to being a highly successful trainer, having the war stories to back up your advice must surely help in your relationship with any boxer.

Just now one former Irish world champion is, quite correctly, getting plenty of praise for his work at the highest level from all and sundry – Andy Lee, 35-3-1, 24 KOs. Competing in the professional ring at light middle, middle and super middleweights, Lee was an exceptional southpaw who, though he was born in London chose to fight under the flag of his parents, particularly after they returned home to Ireland … and did so with distinction.

A fighting member of the traveler community, he made less of that distinguishing feature of his upbringing than some, but it gave him his heritage and he managed to serve with great power and success. Related to many other fighters in the community he is currently part of the background team in Tyson Fury’s camp; a man to whom he is related.

Mind you, Lee was trained by the late, great Manny Steward so it could be argued that he was always likely to learn enough to be a valuable member of the background team for any boxer.

His nomadic early life and part of his career saw him begin training in London, move with his family to Limerick and then when he signed with Steward, move to Detroit, Michigan. Seven years with the great man from 2005 until his death in 2012 laid the ground rules that another trainer who is a very distinctive student of the game, Adam Booth used to great effect, giving Lee, his first world title on American soil in 2014.

The route to that title was predicted from the amateurs where Lee represented Ireland with such success. He earned a silver medal in the 2002 World Junior Championships, was beaten by Gennady Golovkin in the next World Amateur Championships in 2003 and made his Olympic debut in 2004 where he lost in his second fight by countback. Having drawn the bout, he was out the running for a medal when Hassan N’Dam got the decision. It saw the beginning of the end for Lee’s amateur career. He did defend the Irish amateur middleweight title in 2005, which he had won the previous year and plans were on offer for him to go to Beijing in 2008 and represent his country once again. But Manny Steward offered him a contract professionally that was impossible to turn down.

He then headed to the Kronk Gym in Detroit and the rest follows this historical pathway…

A professional debut arrived in 2006, in March, at the Joe Louis Arena, Detroit where he fought over 6 rounds, a statement of intent in itself, and beat Anthony Cannon on points. His first title was the vacant Irish super middleweight belt when he went to the National Stadium in Dublin on the 15th of December 2007 and beat Jason McKay with a retiral recorded in the 6th round.
Lee was getting noticed and when HBO featured him as a top prospect in 2007, the pressure seemed to galvanize him. In the same year, Larry merchant was to comment that he ‘looks like $10million’.

But on the 21st of March 2008, live on ESPN, Lee’s career faltered.

A first defeat – by stoppage in the 7th round to Brian Vera – was no disgrace but it was a problem. It was felt by some to be controversial as the referee stopped the fight when Lee was still firing back at Vera. Lee and Steward sucked it up and made no excuses.

Lee rebuilt and got back to winning ways in arenas around the world including when he fought at the Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen as part of the Klitschko-Chagaev undercard. He won, significantly one year one, exactly from his first ever professional loss. On the 18th of May 2011, he 2on his second and third tiles as he beat Alex Bunema on points for both the NABA and NABF middleweight titles.

On the 1st of October 2011, in Atlantic City, he went back to Brian Vera and beat him by unanimous decision. Just over three years on from his first defeat, he was ready for a world title.
On the 16th of June 201 he got his chance for the WBC middleweight belt against the champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. For all his skills and all his ability, Lee was winning the fight – on all the scorecards – when in the 7th round, Chavez stunned him and once again it was an unlucky 7th round that saw him being stopped. Lee was devastated, especially as he had been on the way to winning the title.

The death of Manny Steward was always going to be a bit of a struggle for all of his charges and none more so than Lee. Steward had watched his emergence and targeted him for tutelage. Lee, however, never got his hands on a world title under Steward’s management. That was to come when he matched himself with Adam Booth; and it was to happen within two years.

No matter against who, a loss needs to be reflected upon and the boxer needs to rebuild. Lee, in 2014, on the 7th of June, found himself in Madison Square Gardens opposite John Jackson. The NABF title was on the line as Jackson proceeded to knock Lee down, for the first time ever in his career, was caught on the ropes in the 5th round under a barrage of punches that would have stopped a lesser fighter before a right hook counter was sent from the Lee armory, caught Jackson flush and sent him to the canvass. It was a perfect showreel stoppage and Lee was now looking like he was ready for another world title chance.

13th December 2014, at The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, Matvey Korobov fought him for the vacant WBC world middleweight title. Korobov was dangerous and undefeated. Lee was simply determined. In the 6th round, the referee Kenny Bayless stepped in as Korobov was not answering any of Lee’s battery of punches and for the first time since 1934, an Irishman had won a world boxing title on US soil.

He did not hold onto the title for long as fellow Traveler, Billy Joe Saunders was to pick his belt from him in Manchester on the 19th of December 2015 with a majority decision win – one judge scored it a draw, the other two a Saunders’ win.

Before facing Saunders, Lee was involved in a strange first defense that ended in a draw, as his opponent, Peter Quillin failed to make weight and therefore was not going to be able to win the title. Both fighters hit the deck in the fight and the action was thrilling and end to end however as one judge failed to split them, the decision was recorded as a majority draw – the other two judges had gone for a point between the fighters, one for Lee and the other for Quillin.

Under two years later Lee retired following a Madison Square Gardens points win against KeAndrae Leatherwood, which was notable by being less than exciting! Perhaps that lack of edge and jeopardy led Lee to make an easier than you might have thought decision.

His retirement has seen him go into the realms of the media and often heard on DAZN broadcasts – at which he excels – as well as in the corner of fighters like Tyson Fury and Joseph Parker. In his Twitter biography he calls himself an “Irish Knockout Artist”. Given the 24 fighters who can attest to that who were knocked out by him in his 39 fights it may be a bold boast but an accurate one.

[si-contact-form form=’2′]