The 25-year-old former St. Francis Boxing Club Olympian faces reigning French and European Union Champion Affif Belghecham this Saturday night in the Yanjing Fight Night at the University Sports Arena.
The Limerick middleweight is seeking a win that will lift him into contention for a world title fight.
“I am expecting a hard fight. It is a risky enough fight. I had better be on my best to beat him,” said Andy Lee of his fight which will be televised live on RTE 2.
“Two of the world champions are from Europe so it is good to be ranked in Europe.
“This guy is highly ranked so if I can beat him it will be a good step forward. It’s good to remind people what you can do. This guy is ranked above me so if I can beat him it will be a small statement. It is a significant enough fight; it will be a real test,” Lee told Leader Sport yesterday when launching the new Honours Degree in Business Studies with Sports Management in LIT.
“If I can go out and impress and look good it will be a nice way to finish up the year and set me up nicely for next year,” said the ambitious Castleconnell southpaw.
“I love coming home to Limerick and every time I fight there it’s a special occasion for me. I’ve always had great support from the people of Limerick and I’ll be hoping to repay some of that support with a big performance on Saturday night. I don’t think there is any other city that loves it’s sport as much as Limerick,” he explained.
In what should be a memorable night of sport Lee will be joined in the ring by the only other two Limerick professional boxers, Jamie Power and Willie Casey.
Power will be hoping to return to winning ways after his defeat to Michael Sweeney on the undercard of Bernard Dunne’s loss to Thai boxer Pooswat Kratingdaenggym.
“Since I turned professional 18 months ago I have received great support, but since my first and only loss to Mike Sweeney in my last contest that support has increased hugely. People are stopping me on the street wishing me the best, telling me not to be too disappointed about the loss and look to the future. It really has been humbling.
“I firmly believe there is no other place in the world not to mind the country that I would receive this backing from the sporting public,” said Power.
Jamie has split his training between St. Francis BC and the UL Sports Arena.
“The training in my old amateur club is great - my coaches Finbarr and Mario push me to the limit every time as do the other boxers in the club. I have trained all over the world and can honestly say I have not trained in a better amateur club. It’s little wonder both Andy and I have done so well with the skills we learned there,” he said.
“I am already on my fighting weight and I feel fresher and more confident than I ever have before a fight. I really can’t see myself leaving that ring Saturday night without a win. I just want to do Limerick proud,” said the Caherconlish resident.
Also among the six bouts on the night will be Willie Casey, who will be attempting to extend his unbeaten record to three wins in his fledging career.
On Saturday night fans wishing to watch all the action from Croke Park between Ireland and France will be catered for with the game shown live on the big screens at the UL Arena while a full bar and food court will also be available.
Tickets for the Yanjing Fight Night priced from €40 are available from Ticketmaster, The George Boutique Hotel in Limerick and all usual outlets.
Jerome O’Connell
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