It seems not long ago that Irishman, Andy Lee (34-2-0, 24 KOs) was crowned the new WBO Middleweight Champion after defeating Matt Korobov for the vacant title.
He is now up for his first title defense against Peter Quillin (31-0-0, 22 KOs), the same fighter who vacated the title by advisement of manager, Al Haymon when he was set to defend it against Korobov. When Lee faced Korobov he went into the fight as an underdog and many didn’t give him a chance of making it past the early rounds against the previously undefeated fighter.
As the bout entered Round 6, Lee hurt Korobov with a right hand and followed up with a combination of punches to the body and the head, leading the fight to be stopped in Lee’s favor. Lee saw an opportunity, and as has happened many times before, he simply took it and ran with it, making him a world champion for the first time.
Lee has been behind on the scorecards in his last two fights before storming back and winning in surprising knockout fashion. So we know the upcoming bout will definitely be a huge test for the Irishman when he sets to defend his title against Quillin.
Quillin defeated Hassan N’Dam (31-1-0, 18 KOs) which earned him the title in a fight where he managed to send N’Dam to the canvas six times. When Quillin met Lukas Konecny (50-5-0, 23 KOs) in his last bout, his performance failed to impress. Though he defeated his opponent, he didn’t do it in a very convincing manner, leaving fans and critics asking for more. What could have been perhaps a strong defense showing ended up dragging out into a decision.
Quillin could have ended the fight in the early rounds against his overmatched foe, but seemed to lack the power to finish Konecny off who wasn’t much of a danger since all he seemed to be was a standing target for the Brooklyn fighter.
This will be Quillin’s first time returning to action after having vacated his title in September of 2014 with the irony being that that he will be fighting for a shot at the same title he previously held. The boxing world and fans find it hard to believe he is being given another shot at the title he so easily gave up.
When asked during a media conference call whether or not he had regrets about vacating the Middleweight belt Quillin was clear.
“I never have regrets in life. If you have regrets in life, then you kind of punish yourself and I never have regrets in life. I think the decision I made was vacating my belt for my family.”
With that being said, the question now is, does Lee have what it takes to defeat Quillin?
Lee will certainly be up against a serious challenge once he meets Quillin because “Kid Chocolate” has power and he’ll have a massive hometown advantage.
The crowd might make it a tougher task of getting a fair scorecard in Lee’s favor unless he dominates the bout at all times. A points domination is something that is quite hard to imagine since Lee was losing in his last two fights until the well-timed punches that ended those fights emerged.
During the same media conference call, Lee made a statement about his recent wins and on how he considers himself a technical boxer.
“I just know if I land at the right time with my power, I can knock anybody out and that does give you great confidence. But in saying that, I’ve always considered myself a technical boxer and that’s always what I’ve been proud of. So, people may have got the wrong impression of me, especially in the last two fights, as a [indiscernible] fighter who comes from behind, but I’m very much a boxer and that’s what I pride myself on being.”
If Lee is on his A-game come April 11 and manages to connect cleanly on Quillin, he could score a KO, which would be huge for the Irish fighter.
Although Quillin has been inactive since April of 2014, he is determined to place his name once again among the top fighters in the Middleweight division. We know he will come prepared to score an impressive win in his adopted home of Brooklyn. His inactivity could play a major role in the later rounds, but it shouldn’t be something to worry about.
If Lee maintains a strong jab and fights on his back foot he should be able to keep his opponent away for a short amount of time just enough to quickly unfold his strategy and get to work, since making it past Round 5 or 6 could be difficult for him.
Lee does have a height advantage of three inches and he would be smart to use this in his favor since it could perhaps be one of his biggest weapons against Quillin. Lee should be looking to land his powerful hooks, but he needs to start early and not let Quillin get ahead on the scorecards since this could be disastrous for him.
The winner of this matchup is set to fight No. 1 WBO middleweight contender Billy Joe Saunders(21-0-0, 11 KOs).
Once again, the odds are against Lee, but he’s already used to this and knows quite frankly what it’s like to be the underdog and still thrive.
Will Lee have what it takes to hold on to his newly acquired belt? The projected winner for this fight is Quillin, but as Andy Lee and the fans know all too well, anything can happen in boxing.
All photos by NYSE/Valerie Caviness
