Revenge Lays the Foundations for Lee’s Assault on Martinez

As Andy Lee walked to the ring in the world famous Boardwalk Hall to a thunderous ovation, just one thought entered his mind. Revenge. This was the moment the Irish fighter had been dreaming about for three long years. Finally he would have the opportunity to put his demons to rest as he fought the man that took his unbeaten record.

Lee was about to come face to face with Brian Vera, the American fighter that shook his world when he gained a technical knock out in the seventh round. The Irishman had put Vera on the canvas in the first round and was ahead on all three score cards when the referee stepped in and stopped the bout. It was a sobering moment that forced Lee to revaluate his career.

“I had received a lot of praise in the build up to the fight as I had been knocking people out pretty early,” Lee says with a of hint anguish in his voice as he recalls his only professional loss. “I revelled in the praise and I think I actually believed it too much. That was my downfall.”

Before the loss to Vera, Lee had gained a reputation as one of the best prospects in the middleweight division.  In 2007, the well respected American sports website ESPN commented: “Lee has all the potential to be the next great middleweight star. A 6ft 2” southpaw with skills, power and a streak as mean in the ring as he is personable outside of it. Lee is as blue chip as they come. If you could get stock in a prospect, he'd be near the top of the buy list."

Having suffered that first defeat Lee admits he wanted to exact immediate vengeance on the American fighter, but legendary trainer Emmanuel Steward had a very different plan. Steward decided that Lee should continue to learn his craft and over the next three years helped his fighter put together a run of 11 straight wins to improve his record to 26-1.

“I immediately wanted a rematch but I had suffered a pretty bad cut in that fight. The cut then reopened against Willie Davies and it wasn’t healing properly so I had to have surgery,” recalled Lee. “I was sidelined for around eight months and it was the worst period of my career. I then fought in the middle of nowhere on a number of occasions but those fights were invaluable and taught me so much. By the time the rematch came round you could see the difference in class.”

Lee’s performance against Vera earned him further praise as he dissected his opponent for 10 rounds to lay his demons to rest. Now, under the tutelage of Steward, the man who started boxing at Repton Boxing Club in Bethnal Green is planning his attack on the middleweight division.

The 27-year-old has been forced to watch on as a number of British fighters have been handed title opportunities despite being ranked below Lee. Matthew Macklin lost a contentious decision to WBA champion Felix Sturn, while fellow Brit Matthew Murray will face the German in December. On the same night Lee gained redemption in New Jersey, he witnessed another graduate of Repton fight the current pound-for-pound number three Sergio Martinez.

The Argentinean is rated below two of the all-time greats in Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Barker bravely made it to the tenth round against Martinez and Lee is now targeting a showdown with the destructive southpaw.

“I watched the Macklin and Barker fight and they acquitted themselves well but my time is coming now. Martinez is under the same promoter as me and is regarded as the best out there so that is the guy I want,” declares Lee. “Darren said it himself, even if he would have beaten someone else and won a title he still would have had to fight Martinez to prove he is the best.”

While Martinez is viewed as the most dangerous and talented boxer in the middleweight division, the 36-year-old does not currently hold a major title. Lee is an ambitious fighter and knows that to be truly recognised he will have to lay claim to one of the recognised belts.

“I think I would beat [Julio Cesar] Chavez Jnr easy but I don’t think I would get a [WBC] title fight with him. [Dmitry] Pirog is a very dangerous opponent but he isn’t very well known. There isn’t much reward against risk with him and the WBO belt doesn’t hold much sway.

“Daniel Geale [IBF champion] is another fight I think I would win and I would like to make that happen but Martinez is the man. He is the biggest dog out there and if you beat him you get the most reward.”

The more time you spend in Lee’s company the more you realise that this is a fighter with a very clear and outlined plan. Having made the life changing decision to move from his quiet home in rural Limerick to the Krunk gym in bustling Detroit, there is very little that fazes the 2004 Olympian.

Working closely with Steward, the pair have outlined their attack on the middleweight division and it is apparent that Lee has the confidence to fight anyone. Sparring with the likes of Jermaine Taylor and Kermit Cintron has installed an unbreakable self-belief in Lee and he explains that he feels as though he is now part of boxing’s ‘inner circle’.

“Emmanuel invited me over to the Kronk gym back in 2004 and I have been around the likes of Taylor, Miguel Cotto, Chad Dawson and Wladimir Klitschko. Those experiences are invaluable as you get to see what it is like at the highest level from a very young age.

“Even now when I am around Wladamir I am learning all the time and for me he is my biggest role model. Just the way he prepares and how professional he is. He is a statesman and an ambassador for boxing. Getting to spare with those guys really gets your confidence up.”

Lee admits that he has never been intimidated to train alongside these world-class fighters and when questioned on whether he sees a future beyond the middleweight division he is quick to admit that he wants to become a multiple weight champion.

“Super middleweight is the hottest division out there and I think my future could see me move up to 167lbs and maybe even as high as light heavyweight. Right now I am at middleweight and hopefully I should have a title fight in the first quarter of next year. But Martinez is certainly the guy I am focusing on.”

It is evident that Martinez is never far from Lee’s thoughts and, with both fighters represented by Lou DiBella, it seems a clash is almost inevitable. While many boxers would be intimidated by the brutal knockout Martinez delivered to Paul Williams, it seems Lee believes his amateur background and pedigree would be too much for the South American.

“Martinez is 5ft 11” and weight about 158lbs and I am 6ft 2” and naturally weight around 163lbs. He gives you a lot of opportunities with his hands down; using shakes, feints and trying to be elusive,” explains Lee, who has watched the fighter on numerous occasions with Steward. “He is explosive, has fast hands and power but Darren Barker exposed some of the flaws and I said before the fight that good fundamental boxing will beat Martinez. He is so unorthodox that the basics will beat him.”

Should anyone doubt the success of fundamentally good boxers with orthodox techniques then they should look at the success of another Emmanuel Steward trained fighter. Wladimir Klitschko is undoubtedly the best heavyweight in the world and it is clear that Lee has learned much from the Ukrainian. Boxing with intelligence behind an iron jab can get you a long way and should Lee follow in the giant’s footsteps then there is no reason why he cannot become the new pound-for-pound king.