Andy Lee has spoken about his tough journey to the WBO world middleweight boxing title, saying that his victory over Matt Korobov had been his “last chance”.
Lee, who will return to his native Limerick for a civic reception on Wednesday, beat the previously undefeated Matt Korobov in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, Lee spoke his own long and difficult road to the title, and said he was still not fully used to the idea of being champion.
“Had it came to me earlier in my career, or had it been an easier journey, maybe I wouldn’t appreciate it,” Lee said.
“I’ve always wanted to be world champion, and I’ve always thought I would be. I’ve been a professional since 2006 – and there were days when I thought it might not happen – there were days when I thought I might not achieve it – and if it happened it would have been a bitter end.
"But thankfully I did it, I won on Saturday night, and it’s brilliant."
Lee spoke about how the setbacks he had faced throughout his career had in fact been instrumental in allowing him to develop to the point where he could successfully challenge for a world title.
“We’ve been saying here, that the journey is the destination,” he said. “It’s been made the more sweeter. For all the hard days, it makes me appreciate this very good day.
“It stands to you and it builds character. If I wouldn’t have had those hard days I wouldn’t be the man I am now and I probably wouldn’t be the fighter I am now.
"Without those hard days maybe I wouldn’t have had what it took to win on Saturday."
The Castleconnell fighter spoke frankly about what was at stake in Las Vegas on Saturday: he believed that, had he been unsuccessful, that would have been the end of his world title prospects.
“I’ve been there once before; I fought for a world title in 2012, and it didn’t end well for me. And so I was even more determined not to let this chance slip, because I knew it was probably my last chance at the world title.”
"Without those hard days maybe I wouldn’t have had what it took to win"
Reflecting on the fight, Lee said he and trainer Adam Booth had come up with a plan to withstand an early flurry from Russia's Matt Koborov before going on to take him out later in the fight.
“The longer the fight goes, he starts to slow down and becomes predictable,” Lee said.
"And so, even though he was ahead in the scorecards, it was still the early rounds and I was growing into the fight ... He could feel it and I could feel it too. I could see it in his eyes and in his demeanour when we were fighting: even though he was ahead in the scorecards I was growing in the fight. He got that sense too.”
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There were echoes of Lee’s previous win, over John Jackson, in the manner of his victory on Saturday night. In the earlier fight, the Limerick man was under pressure before dispatching his opponent with a great shot.
“It’s so rare to come back from a losing position, and then to do it twice in a row in such two high-profile fights – it’s mad! I’m pinching myself half the time thinking about it.”
Next for Lee is a return to Limerick for what will be a great celebration on Wednesday, then planning for his first defence of his title.
He has previously spoken about his desire to fight in Limerick, and he reiterated that this would be a dream come true for him.
“To win the world title has always been my dream. To step off the plane in Shannon [with the title] that’s been my second dream.
And then my third dream would be to defend my world title in Ireland – hopefully Limerick; if not, Dublin, but anywhere in Ireland.
"Get one of the best fighters in the world to come to Ireland, and put on a great show.”
Asked about possible challengers, including Billy Joe Saunders, who became mandatory opponent by seeing off Chris Eubank Jnr, Lee sounded a confident note.
“Whoever it is, I don’t mind. Let them come and let them try and win. After my last two fights whoever is coming to fight me is going to have two thoughts about it, because they don’t want to get hit with that right hand.”
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