If Andy Lee is actually as good as Steward thinks he is and ends up beating Kelly Pavlik, he would be a huge superstar. Maybe the biggest in boxing.
Look at John Duddy's popularity. Duddy is a big ticket seller and he isn't ever even going to be a real top ten guy. At least I don't think so.
Take an Irish guy who is actually a great fighter and wins the undisputed middleweight championship of the world and imagine what it would be like.
No it's a different situation. Duddy is good-looking and a power-puncher, easy to relate to and understand. He's going to maintain a strong regional base.
Lee is a tactician in the Tommy Hearns tradition except without a good straight punch. He's never going to be a huge media star
If Manny is right and Andy Lee is actually that good then that's flippin' awesome. I never got to see Thomas Hearns in his prime, or even Michael Moorer. I got interested in boxing a few years too late to have since Lennox live, so if Andy does to out to be one of Steward's masterpieces, I'll follow every step he takes as a pro and attend his fight in person whenever possible.
Isn't their millions of 'Irish-Americans' in America with a great great great Irish grandfather? it's a great gimmick!
One of my cousins went to an Irish bar in New York and an 'Irish American' overheard his accent and said 'it's terrible what the english did the Irish'.......my cousin went mad..lol. Our family is Irish, our parents moved over to england in the 60's. But then we get you get americans who love to hyphenate identity due to an Irish sounding surname and an great great Irish grandfather. Crappy really. Considering how the Irish got shat on in America too. Now it's a brand.
That said, if I went to America and was a great fighter, I'd stick a shamrock on my shorts.lol.
If Andy Lee is actually as good as Steward thinks he is and ends up beating Kelly Pavlik, he would be a huge superstar. Maybe the biggest in boxing.
Look at John Duddy's popularity. Duddy is a big ticket seller and he isn't ever even going to be a real top ten guy. At least I don't think so.
Take an Irish guy who is actually a great fighter and wins the undisputed middleweight championship of the world and imagine what it would be like.
In the states, Pavlik could be much bigger. But in Ireland Lee could be HUUUUGE and he could get a BIG following in the NY area as well.
Like Cotto. Cotto is huge in Puerto Rico, and has a big NY-NJ following.