By Edward Chaykovsky
WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee (34-2, 24 KOs) will have his hands full when he makes his first defense against Peter Quillin (31-0, 22 KOs) on April 11th from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Lee won the vacant title in December, a few months after Quillin vacated the title.
Quillin, due to personal reasons, dropped the belt after being ordered to face mandatory challenger Matt Korobov, whom Lee knocked out in December to capture the belt.
This will be the third time in five fights where Quillin is going to appear at the Barclays Center.
Quillin took a lot of heat from the fans after vacating his title. He wants to make a statement in April, and then plans to target all of the other champions in his weight class - although the winner of the bout will have to face mandatory challenger Billy Joe Saunders, who took a step-aside fee to allow Lee-Quillin to happen.
"To be able to fight at home in Brooklyn and win a title on such a big stage is a dream come true," he said. "I'm honored and excited to be a part of something that is great for my career, but also for the sport of boxing as a whole. I know that I'm going to win on April 11, become champion once again, and then I'm going after anyone and everyone at 160 pounds."
NBC will televise as part of the 'Premier Boxing Champions' series.
