Andy Lee faces a tough task

BREAKING into the world’s top 10 is to the forefront of Andy Lee’s thoughts ahead of his third pro-fight in Limerick.
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

Trio set to thrill fans

FOR first time ever all three of Limerick’s professional boxers are set to appear on the same bill.
Earlier this month Andy Lee confirmed his 21st pro fight for the UL Sports Arena on November 14.
Leader Sport can now reveal that the 25-year-old Castleconnell middleweight will be joined on his undercard by fellow Limerick men Jamie Power and Willie Casey.
Lee, the US based southpaw, will headline the event when he takes on Frenchman Affif Belghecham on the Yanjing Fight Night.
Their opponents have yet to be confirmed, but Power and Casey will also fight in front of the passionate home crowd.
Power also fought on Lee’s undercard last year in Limerick in what was only his second pro fight.
The 28-year-old boxer from Norwood Park has since progressed his record to six wins from seven contests.
The ex-St. Francis amateur boxer lost his perfect record last month to Michael Sweeney, when they fought on the undercard of Bernard Dunne’s ill-fated WBA super bantamweight title defence against Thailand’s Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym in front of a capacity crowd of 9,000 spectators in Dublin’s O2.
For Casey it will be a first fight in front of his local supporters.
Just last Saturday night the 27-year-old featherweight recorded his second win. One year after his professional debut Casey was an impressive points winner over Bulgarian Stoyan Serbezov in the National Boxing Stadium in Dublin. The featherweight made his pro debut last October with a second round stoppage in the INEC in Killarney, however his career then stalled until last Friday night.
A former Irish intermediate featherweight champion, Casey is who is a former member of Our Lady of Lourdes Boxing Club and Southill Boxing Club, is being coached in Dublin by former Olympian and double European Championship bronze medal winner Phil Sutcliffe.
Now nicknamed ‘The Big Bang’, as an amateur Casey had up to a dozen fights with the Irish A team including bouts against fancied Russian and USA sides.
Further details of the undercard for the November 14 event will be confirmed in the coming days.
Tickets for the Yanjing Fight Night, priced from €40, are on sale from Ticketmaster (phone 0818 719 300 or visit ticketmaster.ie).

JEROME O’CONNELL

Shock cancellation stuns local boxers

THE economic downturn has been blamed for the shock cancellation of the Limerick pro-boxing double bill in New York on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day.
Castleconnell’s Andy Lee was to headline the event in Madison Square Garden with another former St. Francis Boxing Club member Jamie Power on the undercard.
Just 10 days before the event, Irish Ropes Promotions announced that ‘Erin Go Brawl II’ at the WAMU Theatre in Madison Square Garden had been cancelled, citing “the poor economy in the United States and Ireland that adversely affected advance ticket sales” for its decision.
“This was a very difficult decision to make, but ticket sales were way off compared to two years ago when the economy was much better here and back in Ireland,” Irish Ropes president Eddie McLoughlin explained.
“We apologise for any inconvenience, especially to all of the boxers who worked so hard to prepare for their fights.”


Detroit-based middleweight Lee was scheduled to fight three-time world title challenger Antwun Echols in the main event while former WBC bantamweight champion and 1992 Olympic silver medallist Wayne McCullough had been set to meet Alex Becerra in the 10-round co-feature. Jamie Power, a 28-year-old married father of two from Norwood Park, was to face Reggie La Crete in a six-round contest.
Jamie Power’s manager Ken Moore described the cancellation as a “huge” blow to the popular light heavyweight.
“This is a huge disappointment to Jamie - it was always his dream to box in Madison Square Garden.
“He has done so much work to get ready for this fight and everything was ready for him to fly out next Thursday,” Ken Moore told Leader Sport.
The cancellation has caused major travel problems for over 30 Limerick boxing fans who were due to fly to New York for the event.
“My brother Jamie Moore was flying out with Jamie Power next Thursday and nearly everyone on the flight was going over to see Jamie and Andy box,” explained Ken Moore.
While Andy Lee and manager Emanuel Steward take time to decide his next move, Jamie Power is hoping to get into the ring as soon as possible.
“Jamie has worked really hard since Christmas and is in the best shape of his career. We will try our luck and maybe get him on the undercard of the Bernard Dunne world title fight on March 21 and there is also a possibility of a Galway event at the end of the month,” said Ken Moore.

Jerome O'Connell