Irish middleweight, Andy Lee (28W-2L, 20KOs) will return to the ring against Dubliner Anthony Fitzgerald (13W-3L, 1 KO) on February 9, 2013 at Belfast’s Odyssey Arena live on Sky Sports in Betfair’s ‘Unfinished Business’ boxing event.
This will be Lee’s first outing since he suffered a seventh-round stoppage when he gallantly challenged Julio Cesar Chavez Jr for the WBC middleweight title on June 16 in El Paso, Texas. Before the stoppage Lee was ahead on all judges’ scorecards.
In recent months Lee has relocated his training base to London from Detroit to be trained by one of the most respected and sought after boxing trainers in the UK, Adam Booth.
“It is a new start for me over here,” Lee explained. “I was in America for a long time. I fought for a World title but it didn’t work out so I felt I needed a fresh start and for me to come back here and train with Adam has been a fresh start.”
“If I had stayed over there I would have stayed in the same place physically and metaphorically in my career as well. When you fight for World titles and don’t succeed you have to ask yourself why you didn’t succeed and you have to evaluate things. I felt like I had gone as far as I could in Detroit and the only way forward was to change things.”
“It was tough losing my friend and trainer Emanuel Steward on October 25, 2012. I trained with Emanuel, lived with him and was very close with him. Before he was sick I had already made my mind up to maybe try things with a new trainer. Unfortunately he was sick and passed away and that was a tough loss for me and everybody who was close to him.”
“To get back to World title fights I have to win fights, it is as simple as that. We need one or two fights and then maybe fight one of the best lads from the British scene and that will put me right back in the mix and in touch of a title. I am not a million miles away, three or four fights and I am back in contention.”
Lee is presently ranked WBC # 7 and WBA #9 sees this fight opening doors in the UK and Ireland for domestic fights with fighters like Matthew Macklin, Darren Barker or Martin Murray and also complementing and progressing his boxing career in the USA.
Lee knows that the tough and durable Anthony Fitzgerald will be no walk in the park and with Irish pride on the line it will be an entertaining fight for the Irish fans.
The blockbuster Belfast bill is headlined by Carl Frampton’s shot at the European super bantamweight title against Kiko Martinez and also includes Belfast’s Martin Lindsay’s British and Commonwealth featherweight title challenge against Lee Selby.
Floor and tiered seats are on sale from the Odyssey Arena website www.odysseyarena.com priced £30, £40 and £60, while Ringside tickets at £100 and Inner-Ringside VIP tickets at £150 are both available from Matchroom Boxing’s website www.matchroomboxing.com
Joe Hand Boxing Gym to host PA Golden Gloves Regional Championships
PHILADELPHIA —On Saturday night, April 20, 2013, some of the best amateur fighters in the state will participate in the annual Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Eastern Regional Championships at the new Derby Ink Gardens arena.
After a one year absence, the Joe Hand Boxing Gym and Computer Lab is proud to host the tournament, marking the 17th year the gym has been involved with this great event.
“We are always honored to be involved with the Golden Gloves,” said Joe Hand Sr., CEO of Joe Hand Promotions and owner of the gym. “It’s a great opportunity for us along with so many of the local businesses to give back, and it helps some of these kids not only compete, but it gives them a chance to further their careers. And at the same time, it helps raise money for our boxing gym and computer lab, which helps hundreds of kids every year”.
The winners of the night’s bouts will advance to the state title on April 27 at a site hosted by the East Reading Boxing Club. The National Golden Gloves Tournament will be in Salt Lake City, UT, May 12-18.
There have been many great fighters who have fought in the Golden Gloves and have gone on to have distinguished professional careers such as Chazz Witherspoon, Danny Garcia, Teon Kennedy, Jesse Hart, Demetrius Hopkins, Rock Allen, Shamone Alvarez and Rasheim Jefferson.
The Derby Ink Gardens is located at 820 Spring Garden St., Phila., PA, 19123.
ABOUT THE JOE HAND BOXING GYM
Started by Joe Hand Promotions in 1995, the Joe Hand Boxing Gym has been a community landmark for over 17 years. Joe Hand, Sr., a retired Philadelphia police detective, saw the gym as a safe place for Philly’s children and young adults to hone their skills in boxing or spend time learning computer skills for their futures.
A world of opportunity is right here, as kids are mentored by educators and athletes, guiding them down what can be a difficult path. The Joe Hand Boxing Gym offers regulation boxing rings, brand new equipment and a modern computer center where children from the community can participate in the educational process.
The gym is located at 547 N. Third St., Philadelphia, PA, 19123
DELVIN RODRIGUEZ VS. GEORGE TAHDOOAHNIPPAH ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS FEBRUARY 15/MOHEGAN SUN CASINO
BRONX, NY (December 21, 2012) Tickets will go on sale this Saturday, DECEMBER 22 at 10am, as popular, world ranked junior middleweight contender Delvin “EL Peligro” Rodriguez battles George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah on Friday, FEBRUARY 15 in the ten round main event of ESPN Friday Night Fights at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, it was announced today by Joe DeGuardia, President of Star Boxing. Delvin Rodriguez
Priced at $75, $45 and $30 (with a $5 facility fee, and limited 1st row VIP seats at $150), tickets will be available through Ticketmaster, www.Ticketmaster.comphone (800) 745-3000, the Mohegan Sun Box Office, the Star Boxing website, www.StarBoxing.com or by calling the Star Boxing Office at (718) 823-2000. Doors will open on the night of the event at 6:30pm with the first bell at 7:30pm.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to bring Delvin back to the Mohegan Sun for the first time in three years. The fans in Connecticut have been extremely supportive of him throughout his career and he is very excited to return” said DeGuardia. “Going on sale this Saturday, these tickets make a great last minute gift or stocking stuffer for boxing fans.”
“For ‘Comanche Boy’ a fight against Rodriguez represents a terrific opportunity. This will be the first time he has fought on the East Coast and his first main event on ESPN so this is a chance for him to truly impress. He’s an undefeated Native American-Indian and a very colorful and aggressive fighter.”
A native of nearby Danbury, CT, the Dominican born Rodriguez, 26-6-3 (14KO’s), is among the most popular fighters on the East Coast having continuously drawn huge crowds to his all-action fights. In July 2011 on ESPN Friday Night Fights, perennial contender Rodriguez fought to a draw with Pawel Wolak in a legendary battle that was voted “2011 Fight of the Year,” returning in December 2011 to beautifully outbox Wolak towards a dominant victory at Madison Square Garden.
In June of this year, Rodriguez challenged WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin Trout, losing a hard fought decision in a nationally televised bout.
Fighting out of Lawton, Oklahoma and a proud member of the Comanche Nation, Tahdooahnippah sports a record of 31-0-1 with 23 knockouts and is coming off a third round stoppage of Gundrick King on SEPTEMBER 28 in his hometown winning the NABA USA Middleweight Title.
The Rodriguez/Tahdooahnippah bout will be contested at a catch weight of 157 pounds. An exciting undercard will be announced shortly.
The Mohegan Sun is located at I Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville, CT 06382. For more information please visit their website at www.mohegansun.com
