Andy Lee will look to return to winning ways on July 19th in his native Limerick but he realises he won’t have it easy when he faces Willie ‘The Gladiator’ Gibbs on the next Ladbrokes.com Fight Night.
The fight will mark Lee’s return to the ring following his shock defeat at the hands of Brian Vera in March. It was huge upset for the highly touted Irish southpaw who was rated one of the 5 best prospects in world boxing.
‘There’s no real point dressing it up and put a positive spin on the Vera fight,’ admitted Lee. ‘It was very disappointing but I’m ready to move on now and can’t wait to get back in the ring.
‘People have said that the defeat might lower expectations and take some weight off my shoulders but I didn’t have a problem with that weight because nobody’s expectations were any higher than my own.
‘I’ve taken some positives from it though, I definitely learned a few things from that fight so I’m keen to move on now and put it behind me.
'I’m really looking forward to the Gibbs fight because he’s very highly regarded. He’s only lost to the best so he has to be respected and a good win over him will get me right back on track again.’
Lee’s first preference was for a rematch with Vera but with the Texas man showing little interest in a return for the moment it’s something he’s willing to remain patient for.
‘We spoke to his people about a rematch but they weren’t interested. Maybe it’s something that can happen later on because that’s something I really want to put right but for now I’m just focusing on Willie Gibbs and getting a big win in Limerick.’
Gibbs is predicting a nightmare return to the University Sports Arena in Limerick for the hometown hero next month.
‘I’m still scratching my head about this fight,’ said a bemused Gibbs. ‘I mean the guy just suffered his first defeat and now they want him to suffer a second one straight away. It doesn’t make sense to me but I’ll do what I have to do and that’s come to Ireland to destroy Andy Lee.’
Gibbs will touch down in Shannon next month with the credentials to back up his impressive talk. The former USBA middleweight champion has a record of 20 wins and just 3 defeats with 16 of those wins coming via knockout.
A cousin of pound for pound great Bernard Hopkins Gibbs believes he shares more than a family tree with his fellow Philadelphia native.
‘Bernard came through the hard way and ended up right at the top of the game I’m going to do the same. I’ve had setbacks in my career with managerial and trainer problems but this is a great opportunity for me to beat an up and coming kid and make the world sit up and take notice of Willie Gibbs again.
‘Beating Andy Lee will put me back in the boxing atmosphere and can take me to a world title fight and that’s my goal,’ he said.
Gibbs had been in training for a July 12th date in Dublin against Matthew Macklin but when that fight fell through he was only too happy to switch his focus to Lee.
‘I don’t know what his team are thinking of with this fight. Do they honestly believe I’m going to come all the way to Ireland to lie down for him? I saw Lee’s last fight and he’s a good young fighter who’s shooting for his dream like the rest of us but he ain’t ready for me.
‘The fact that they even think they can take me shows they’re underestimating me. That’s a slap in the face for me and it’s all the motivation I need.
‘Rest assured I’m going to be packing my A game into my suitcase. People are saying that Lee can’t afford to lose this one well neither can I so I’m going to be a dangerous man in that ring. If it’s God’s grace for me to land that right hand then I know I’ll take him out.
‘I broke my right hand early on in the fight when I won the USBA title but still knocked the guy out in the last round with a double right hook.
‘I’m an old school fighter and I go in there and give blood, sweat and tears because that’s what the fans pay to see. The only problem next month is that the tears will be from Lee’s people.’
Despite his bold prediction, Gibbs believes Lee to be a good fighter. ‘I haven’t seen that much of him yet but from what I have seen he seems to be a good kid. I’m certainly not going to question his heart because any man that gets into that four cornered ring has heart.’
Gibbs has been to Europe before having competed in Russia, Germany and Poland during his amateur days but he says there will be a new addition to his luggage this time around.
‘I’m definitely bringing the mask to Ireland,’ said Gibbs referring to the Gladiator style mask that always identifies him as he makes his ringwalk. Ireland hasn’t seen the mask and they haven’t seen Willie Gibbs either. Everyone there is in for a big surprise.’
Lee however will be hoping that vociferous home support can see him record the 16th win of his pro career and get him back to winning ways.
'The Shannonsider made an emotional homecoming to his native city in February headlining the first ever professional boxing event in the city with a demolition of Argentina’s Alejandro Gustavo Falliga.
However in his next outing Lee suffered the first setback of his career with a shock defeat at the hands of Brian Vera in Connecticut in a fight that was televised live coast to coast in the U.S.
Now Lee has the opportunity to get back to winning ways in front of his home town support but with Gibbs in the opposite corner it promises to be a huge test for the Athens Olympian.
