Andy Lee

Andy Lee, also known as "Irish," is a retired professional boxer from Ireland with an impressive record of 35-3-1. Lee fought in the light-middleweight, middleweight, and super-middleweight weight classes at a height of 6ft 2in (188cm) with a reach of 75in (191cm) and a southpaw stance.

During his 11-year professional boxing career from 2006 to 2017, Lee fought a total of 39 times, with 24 of those fights ending in knockout wins, and one of those fights resulting in a title win. One of Lee's most notable achievements was his world title win at middleweight, making him the first member of the travelling community to win a major world title.

In his professional debut in 2006 against Anthony Cannon, Lee won via six-round unanimous decision, and he went on to win 14 more consecutive fights, including 12 wins via stoppage. Lee's first world title fight came at the age of 28 in 2012 against Julio César Chávez Jr. for the WBC title. Unfortunately, Lee lost to Chávez Jr. via 7th round TKO.

However, Lee redeemed himself in December 2014 by winning the WBO middleweight title after defeating Matt Korobov via 6th round TKO, which was one of the highlights of his career. Throughout his career, Lee fought some of the best boxers in the world, including Darryl Cunningham, Ferenc Hefner, Matt Korobov, Jason McKay, John Jackson, Anthony Shuler, and Craig McEwan, and he proved himself to be a worthy opponent.

Although Lee had a record of three losses in his professional boxing career, two of them were in title bouts, and he lost once in a non-title bout. His first loss was against Brian Vera via 7th round TKO on March 21, 2008, which ended his 15-fight win streak. He suffered losses via KO in both of his title fights.

Lee's boxing career started long before he became a professional. In 2002, he won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Santiago de Cuba, followed by gold medals at the 2004 European Championships in Pula and Madrid in the middleweight category while representing Ireland. Moreover, before he became a professional, the Irish Sports Council offered to fund Lee to compete at Beijing Olympics, but Lee declined and instead signed a professional contract with Emanuel Steward, one of boxing's most famous trainers.

Steward immediately noticed Lee's potential and trained him at his world-renowned gym, the Kronk Gym in Detroit. Steward saw Lee as the complete package, describing him as "good looking, explosive power, physically structured to be a great fighter, and intelligent." In 2007, Lee was named as one of boxing's top prospects by HBO, and in December of the same year, ESPN listed him as "the next great middleweight star."

Lee's fighting style was a combination of power punches and technical finesse, allowing him to throw knockout punches with speed and accuracy. His imposing height and remarkable reach were an added advantage, allowing him to outbox his opponents from afar.

Lee's last professional fight was a non-title bout against KeAndrae Leatherwood on March 18, 2017. Lee won the fight via 8 round unanimous decision before he retired from professional boxing.

After retiring from professional boxing, Lee continues to stay involved with boxing. He works as a boxing pundit for various platforms, including BT Sport boxing coverage and is also an ambassador of the Irish Sports Council. Lee also started a boxing gym in Limerick and coaches several up-and-coming Irish boxers.

Overall, Andy Lee's professional boxing record and accomplishments as an athlete are remarkable. His ability to deliver knockout blows coupled with his technical finesse and physical strengths made him one of the most exciting boxers to watch in the middleweight class. His achievements and his journey to becoming a professional boxer make him a true inspiration to many aspiring boxers.

Andy Lee Fight Record