Preview - Lee vs Saunders
- britishboxingblog
- Dec 16, 2015
- 3 min read
It has been a while since we have witnessed a real 50/50 world title fight, let alone one in this country. That is exactly what we have this coming Saturday in Manchester. It also just happens to be the first all-traveller world title boxing match in the history of the sport. Billy-Joe Saunders will be hoping he can emulate his heavyweight counterpart, Tyson Fury, in winning his first world title in 2015. In the opposite corner, however, stands Tyson’s cousin and current WBO middleweight title holder “Irish” Andy Lee.
Frank Warren has many critics but even his staunchest detractors can’t deny this has all the hallmarks of a classic. Bout for bout, it arguably surpasses last week’s PPV offering (which turned out a lot better than many expected it must be said) and the main event is too close for even the bookies to call. At the time of writing both fighters are listed as 10/11 to win with several betting outlets and as the cliché goes, they rarely get it wrong.
We will discuss the undercard in more depth in a separate piece, so this one is all about the main event. As suggested, both men have a great shot at victory here and both will feel supremely confident they bring something the other man won’t be able to deal with.
Without doubt, Andy Lee is the more experienced of the two overall and has mixed in higher company in his career. With just one unavenged loss on his ledger (against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.), Adam Booth’s boxer has an underrated record, having been in with some of the most dangerous middleweights out there. He has fought away from home on many occasions, having formerly been based in the United States under the tutelage of legendary trainer Manny Steward. Recently he has gained a credible draw with former champ Peter Quillin and upset the odds to stop dangerous puncher Matt Korobov this time last year.
As well as his superior experience, Lee also boasts a significant advantage in power. With 24 stoppages from his 34 victories, Saunders will have to be on his toes for the full twelve rounds if he wants to hear “And the new...” at the end of this one. It is worth noting that Lee was behind on the cards of both his Korobov win and an unbelievable comeback KO of John Jackson, during his brief stay at 154 lbs.
The fact that Lee can be outboxed will give great belief to Billy-Joe who, as a 2008 Olympian, has an excellent amateur background. This is not to do a disservice to Andy Lee, who represented Ireland at the same games in Athens 2004. Based on their respective styles, expect Lee to take the centre of the ring and Saunders to box and move. If Saunders can keep his concentration, and not get dragged into a tear up as he has done in the past, he definitely has the skill and the chin to make this an awkward night for the Irishman. In his recent bout with Chris Eubank Jr, Saunders appeared to abandon his slick boxing in favour of trading with his rival. He did concede some rounds during the second half of the fight but proved he can mix it up when he has to and his whiskers remained intact, despite shipping a couple of heavy looking shots.
A clash of two southpaws can often produce an awkward looking clash of styles however this one has all the potential to blend instantly as there is a lot of pride at stake, as well as middleweight gold. Both men also have fantastic trainers in their corners which might come into play, as the fight progresses. They have both shown they take heed of the instructions from Adam Booth and Jimmy Tibbs when necessary and this may come down to who makes the best adjustments during the bout. We tend to avoid bold predictions here at British Boxing Blog (and I thought Smith-Fielding would go the distance!) however I see this playing out similarly to Eubank-Saunders. Billy-Joe will look to box his way into an early lead and while his opponent will come on strong in the championship rounds I feel he has enough about him to win a close points decision.
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