By Keith Idec
There was a time late this summer that Mike Lee thought he would get a shot at Andre Ward.
Representatives for Lee and Ward had discussions about them boxing before the end of this year, but Ward eventually decided to retire. With Ward no longer an option, the undefeated Lee would like to take on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Chavez wants to come back from his loss to Canelo Alvarez later this year, but hasn’t solidified an opponent.
“When I started out, most people didn’t think I’d stick around for long because of my finance degree from Notre Dame,” Lee told BoxingScene.com. “Not only did I stick around, but I’m 20-0 and top 10 in the world. As a businessman, these are exactly the kinds of events I envisioned for myself when I got into the sport. Fighting a guy like Chavez Jr., meshing a loyal Mexican audience with an Irish/Italian and American audience, would make for a great commercial success. And our aggressive styles would guarantee a memorable fight. A fight with Junior would definitely excite me!”
The 30-year-old Lee (20-0, 11 KOs), a light heavyweight who gained nationwide notoriety from his appearances in Subway commercials, is ranked No. 10 by the WBO, No. 12 by the IBF and No. 14 by the WBA at 175 pounds. The 31-year-old Chavez (50-3-1, 32 KOs, 1 NC) fought Alvarez at a disadvantageous catch weight of 164 pounds, but he has competed within the light heavyweight division twice in recent years.
Lee believes his mainstream recognition could help make a fight against Chavez, a son of one of boxing’s greatest legends, an appealing event.
“I’m not into calling out other fighters, so I won’t do that,” Lee said. “However, I am looking for a big event that I can get behind. Mayweather versus McGregor got me very excited. In fact, the model has been proven. I want to be part of an event that the mainstream fan can get excited about. Mayweather versus McGregor couldn’t have taken place without mainstream sports fans. Most people that watched that boxing event never watched boxing before. I think that me and Chavez Jr. could capture some of that mainstream appeal.”
Chavez aside, Lee is disappointed that he didn’t get to test himself against Ward (32-0, 16 KOs), a two-division champion who retired September 21 as the No. 1 fighter on most credible pound-for-pound lists.
“I was getting ready for my last fight [September 15] and my agent [Mike Borao] sent me an offer in writing to fight Andre Ward,” Lee said. “I say this sincerely – he was one of my favorite fighters. I respected him as an athlete and a person, and it would have been an enormous honor to fight him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. But it was great to be in the conversation with a future Hall of Famer. I wish Andre a great retirement.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
