February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Lee, recently ranked 14th in the 160-pound division by the World Boxing Association [WBA], further raised his stock with an impressive performance against a competent foe at the Horseshoe Casino.
The Limerick southpaw had Shuler on the canvas in the third, fourth rounds and three times in the eighth stanza before the referee waved it off at 2:05 minutes. The match was scheduled for ten rounds.
“Probably my best performance of the year,” Lee, who improved to 19-1 with 14 KOs, said on Saturday morning.
His bodywork was the difference against a shorter, cagey opponent.
“All the knock downs apart from one came from body shots. I was catching him with good shots,” said the 6-foot-two Lee. “He was very cagey and tried to counter me.”
Steward was impressed with his young charge, who was fighting in the United States for the first t ime since his shock stoppage loss to Brian Vera in March 2008.
“He was very polished, poised and professional,” the Hall of Fame trainer observed.
And Steward wasn’t coy in blowing Lee’s trumpet once again.
“Andy’s the best middleweight in the world right now. We just want a chance to prove it,” he said.
And while Lee zeroes in on a possible shot at WBA titlist Felix Sturm and the 160-pounder they really want – WBC/WBO champion Kelly Pavlik – Steward once again raised the prospects of an all-Irish mega-clash with John Duddy.
“I think it would be the hottest fight in the middleweight division,” he said.
In New York, Duddy advisor Craig Hamilton ruled out any imminent showdown between his fighter and Lee.
“Our entire focus is to get John a shot at a world title. If Andy had a world title we’d be calling him every day,” he said.
At any rate, up next for Lee is a well deserved vacation in Costa Rica and Ireland with his girlfriend. He’s scheduled back to his New York home on September 19.
DUNNE DEFENSE
Bernard Dunne will make the first defense of his WBA super bantamweight title against Thailand’s Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym at the O2 Arena in Dublin on September 26.
Dunne [28-1, 15 KOs] won the title off Panamanian Ricardo Cordoba in an epic match in Dublin last Ma rch. The hard punching Poonsawat [39-1, 27 KOs] also holds a win over Cordoba and is confident of dethroning Dunne.
“I’ve been waiting for this chance for a very long time but I’ve kept busy and I am very determined to finally get what I deserve,” the 28 year-old Thai told the BBC. “I believe that I will knock Dunne out inside seven rounds.”
Dunne, who’s 29, begged to differ.
“I worked so hard for the Cordoba fight but I’m even hungrier for this one and I’ve stepped up my training again for this fight.
“I’ve already been based in Belfast with Harry Hawkins for the past month and there’s another five weeks of hard work left,” Dunne said.