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MIKE BRUDENELL: Irish Olympian set for pro debut
March 9, 2006
What: Kronk professional boxing.
What: Andy Lee (pro debut), Limerick, Ireland, vs. Anthony Cannon (1-0), Saginaw, middleweight.
Also featuring: Johnathon Banks, Aaron Pryor Jr., Anthony Dirrell, Octavio Lara, Angie Simpson, Lonnie Zane and Larry Carter.
Young Irish middleweight Andy Lee, one of his country's most popular athletes, is in Detroit to prove a couple of things -- that he's a good boxer, and that he has a solid future in the Motor City.
Lee, from Limerick on the River Shannon, is fiercely proud of his heritage, but he won't flaunt it Friday night at Joe Louis Arena, where he will make his pro debut. He wants to become known as a Detroit-based fighter from the Republic of Ireland -- not another overseas boxer traveling through town.
Lee, 21, will wear a small shamrock on his boxing trunks, and his corner workers will carry an Irish flag into the ring. But while living and training in Detroit for the past few weeks, he has formed a strong bond with locals, who have taken him under their wing.
In facing Anthony Cannon (1-0) of Saginaw, Lee said he just wants to be boxer Andy Lee -- "no nickname, no song and dance. I'm here to fight and show my skills," he said. "I'm still Irish, but I'm fighting in America and I want to entertain the folks of this great city and do justice to the Kronk."
Emanuel Steward, dean of the Kronk Gym, where Lee is working out, thinks Lee is one of the most naturally talented fighters he's seen. Steward, who has signed Lee to a five-year contract, rates him on par with Sugar Ray Leonard and Kronk's current teen sensation, Isiah Thomas, as amateurs.
"Andy is a gifted and coordinated boxer," said Steward, who has opened his home to Lee. "He's very intelligent and mature for his age. He shows aggressiveness in his boxing. He wants to box you, but he also wants to knock you out."
Lee made the quarterfinals in the middleweight division at the 2004 Athens Olympics, only to lose a controversial decision to a fighter from Cameroon.
Almost immediately, the Irish Sports Council offered Lee a lucrative grant to remain an amateur and represent the country at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Lee said he never signed the contract, though many of his fans in Ireland thought differently.
"It would have taken care of my education and funded me to the next Olympics," Lee said, "but I didn't actually sign it."
Instead, Steward, who had kept close tabs on Lee as an amateur, made the rangy Irishman an offer he couldn't refuse: to come to America, train under him and become part of the world-famous Kronk organization.
"It was the biggest decision in my life, and still is, to come to America," Lee said. "My life has changed; it's all about a new challenge. But it's something I had to do. Some of my friends back home have never, ever been out of Ireland. I'm a young fella and this is a chance of a lifetime."
Steward believes Lee's move to Detroit was the right one.
"The same thing could happen to Andy in Beijing that happened to him in Athens," said Steward, who knows the ins and outs of the often-puzzling world of Olympic boxing. "It's a computer game and political game, and Ireland doesn't really carry much clout. I think Andy thought about it and decided to get on with his career."
Lee has been living in a room at Steward's home in Rosedale Park in Detroit, helping with the chores and sharing cooking duties with his new manager/trainer.
"Emanuel is a down-to-earth guy," Lee said. "He cooks. I cook. We take turns."
What's for breakfast?
"We eat cereal, boiled eggs, bacon -- stuff like that," Lee said. "It's pretty unbelievable that I'm here, in Detroit, cooking for Emanuel Steward."
In turn, Steward said having Lee stay with him is good for the soul.
"He's a colorful kid," Steward said. "We eat, sleep, play pool and watch fight films. The chemistry between us is good."
Despite leaving her shores, Andy Lee is still a big name in Ireland, where world-class boxers have been few and far between over the years and sports such as Gaelic football, hurling and rugby union produce most of the stars.
The country will be waiting for reports on Lee's pro debut.
"The folks in Limerick and Detroit are very similar," Lee said. "They're hard-working, blue-collar people who enjoy themselves and have a sense of humor. I've been made to feel very welcome here, and, of course, I miss everyone back in Ireland, too. I want to put on a good fight Friday for everyone. That's my goal."
Hurrah for Hilmer: Hilmer Kenty, Kronk's first world champion, will be honored Friday night at Joe Louis, the site of his title win 26 years ago.
March 9, 2006
What: Kronk professional boxing.
What: Andy Lee (pro debut), Limerick, Ireland, vs. Anthony Cannon (1-0), Saginaw, middleweight.
Also featuring: Johnathon Banks, Aaron Pryor Jr., Anthony Dirrell, Octavio Lara, Angie Simpson, Lonnie Zane and Larry Carter.
Young Irish middleweight Andy Lee, one of his country's most popular athletes, is in Detroit to prove a couple of things -- that he's a good boxer, and that he has a solid future in the Motor City.
Lee, from Limerick on the River Shannon, is fiercely proud of his heritage, but he won't flaunt it Friday night at Joe Louis Arena, where he will make his pro debut. He wants to become known as a Detroit-based fighter from the Republic of Ireland -- not another overseas boxer traveling through town.
Lee, 21, will wear a small shamrock on his boxing trunks, and his corner workers will carry an Irish flag into the ring. But while living and training in Detroit for the past few weeks, he has formed a strong bond with locals, who have taken him under their wing.
In facing Anthony Cannon (1-0) of Saginaw, Lee said he just wants to be boxer Andy Lee -- "no nickname, no song and dance. I'm here to fight and show my skills," he said. "I'm still Irish, but I'm fighting in America and I want to entertain the folks of this great city and do justice to the Kronk."
Emanuel Steward, dean of the Kronk Gym, where Lee is working out, thinks Lee is one of the most naturally talented fighters he's seen. Steward, who has signed Lee to a five-year contract, rates him on par with Sugar Ray Leonard and Kronk's current teen sensation, Isiah Thomas, as amateurs.
"Andy is a gifted and coordinated boxer," said Steward, who has opened his home to Lee. "He's very intelligent and mature for his age. He shows aggressiveness in his boxing. He wants to box you, but he also wants to knock you out."
Lee made the quarterfinals in the middleweight division at the 2004 Athens Olympics, only to lose a controversial decision to a fighter from Cameroon.
Almost immediately, the Irish Sports Council offered Lee a lucrative grant to remain an amateur and represent the country at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Lee said he never signed the contract, though many of his fans in Ireland thought differently.
"It would have taken care of my education and funded me to the next Olympics," Lee said, "but I didn't actually sign it."
Instead, Steward, who had kept close tabs on Lee as an amateur, made the rangy Irishman an offer he couldn't refuse: to come to America, train under him and become part of the world-famous Kronk organization.
"It was the biggest decision in my life, and still is, to come to America," Lee said. "My life has changed; it's all about a new challenge. But it's something I had to do. Some of my friends back home have never, ever been out of Ireland. I'm a young fella and this is a chance of a lifetime."
Steward believes Lee's move to Detroit was the right one.
"The same thing could happen to Andy in Beijing that happened to him in Athens," said Steward, who knows the ins and outs of the often-puzzling world of Olympic boxing. "It's a computer game and political game, and Ireland doesn't really carry much clout. I think Andy thought about it and decided to get on with his career."
Lee has been living in a room at Steward's home in Rosedale Park in Detroit, helping with the chores and sharing cooking duties with his new manager/trainer.
"Emanuel is a down-to-earth guy," Lee said. "He cooks. I cook. We take turns."
What's for breakfast?
"We eat cereal, boiled eggs, bacon -- stuff like that," Lee said. "It's pretty unbelievable that I'm here, in Detroit, cooking for Emanuel Steward."
In turn, Steward said having Lee stay with him is good for the soul.
"He's a colorful kid," Steward said. "We eat, sleep, play pool and watch fight films. The chemistry between us is good."
Despite leaving her shores, Andy Lee is still a big name in Ireland, where world-class boxers have been few and far between over the years and sports such as Gaelic football, hurling and rugby union produce most of the stars.
The country will be waiting for reports on Lee's pro debut.
"The folks in Limerick and Detroit are very similar," Lee said. "They're hard-working, blue-collar people who enjoy themselves and have a sense of humor. I've been made to feel very welcome here, and, of course, I miss everyone back in Ireland, too. I want to put on a good fight Friday for everyone. That's my goal."
Hurrah for Hilmer: Hilmer Kenty, Kronk's first world champion, will be honored Friday night at Joe Louis, the site of his title win 26 years ago.
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