Andy Lee has Irish rival John Duddy in his sights

ANDY Lee has thrown down the gauntlet to fellow Irish middleweight boxer John Duddy.
On Friday night in the United States Limerick’s pro boxer brought his record to 19 wins from 20 fights when knocking out Anthony Shuler in the eighth round.
Now the Castleconnell southpaw has his sights set on an all-Irish clash.


“I’m up for the fight with John Duddy. This is a fight the public have been speculating about for some considerable time and I believe it will be a memorable occasion with plenty of edge and drama,” said Andy Lee after his latest career win in the Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, Indiana.
The fight is being proposed for Limerick’s University Arena on November 28.
Top Irish promoter Brian Peters is hoping to entice the duo to what would be a sell-out fight in UL.
“I see the deal for this fight as a 50/50 one because to me the status of both men in on par, but to make is that bit more attractive to them I’m prepared to offer a €35,000 bonus to the winner,” said Peters who also manages Bernard Dunne.
“Dangling the carrot of a bonus of this nature should certainly make the fight more interesting to both parties although there is a lot of serious talking still to be done,” explained Peters.
However any deal must wait until after October 10 when Duddy fights on a Top Rank Card in New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Another option for Andy Lee is another potential all-Irish clash against Matthew Macklin. Macklin meets Finnish fighter Amin Asikainen on September 25 for the European title and has already hinted that he would like to defend that potential title against Lee.
“That would be a great fight for Irish boxing fans,” said Macklin of a potential title defence against Lee.
“It would be the biggest all-Irish fight for a long, long time and to have a major belt like a European title on the line would make it a massive occasion. Andy’s a good fighter and a decent lad, but business is business at the end of the day and if I’m European champion then I think it’s a fight that makes real sense,” said Macklin.
After Friday’s 20th fight of his pro-career Lee is due back in Limerick this week.
In the last 12 months, the Limerick southpaw has been quietly working under the radar picking up valuable experience in the gym.
Following four outings in Germany, Ireland and US he is currently ranked as high as third in the European Boxing Association (EBA) and 14th in the World Boxing Association (WBA) rankings.

JEROME O’CONNELL