Andy Lee, Irish middleweight boxer chalked up the 19th win of his career yesterday evening in a thrilling bout against a game Anthony Shuler (20W, 6L, 1D) at the Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, Indiana. Lee put on a class performance using his superior technical boxing ability and punching power to dispose of Shuler by KO in the eighth round.
In the last twelve months, the Limerick southpaw has been quietly working under the radar picking up valuable experience in the gym and his four outings in Germany, Ireland and the United States. Lee is presently ranked 3rd in European Boxing Association (EBA) and 14th in the World Boxing Association (WBA) ratings.
Premier Irish boxing promoter, Brian Peters this week put an offer on the table to both the Andy Lee and John Duddy camps to pair the star boxing duo in a prestigious boxing event at the University of Limerick Sports Arena, Ireland on Saturday, November 28 to be broadcast live by RTE. Peters, who has previously promoted both Lee and Duddy fights in Ireland in recent years commented “I see the deal for this fight as a 50/50 one because to me the status of both men is on a par – but to make it that bit more attractive to them I’m prepared to offer a $50,000 ( €35,000) bonus to the winner.”
After his successful victory in Indiana, Lee commented ‘ 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.’
The proposed fight is attracting enthusiastic media interest, viewed as a major sporting event that Irish boxing fans the length and breadth of Ireland and the Irish Diaspora in America have been longing to see happen for some time.
The vast majority of boxing pundits would share that this would be a battle of epic portions and styles; the fight would be an historic event with two great current talented Irish fighters sharing the same ring, something not witness since the late John Caldwell fought Freddie Gilroy in the Kings Hall, Belfast on October 20, 1962.
The public want to end the years of debate of who is the best Irish middleweight boxer in the world today, Andy Lee or John Duddy?
Will it happen? Craig Hamilton, John Duddy’s Management Advisor has indicated on Irish Radio he will consider the proposal outlined by Brian Peters.