Fight or farce? Lee’s opponent changes yet again

IRISH middleweight boxer Andy Lee has been forced to deal with yet another change of opponent just 36 hours before his scheduled appearance in New York.

Detroit-based Lee, 21, has a slot on tomorrow night’s pay-per-view television card promoted by Irish Ropes in support of John Duddy’s IBA world and WBC Continental Americas titles defence against Anthony Bonsante at the Madison Square Garden Theatre. But while the Emanuel Steward-trained former Olympian has been preparing to stretch his unbeaten record as a professional to eight fights this weekend, he has had to contend with at least four different announced opponents.

Lee, from Limerick, was originally scheduled to meet Brazil’s Cleiton Conceicao until he was dropped following a defeat 10 days ago in Las Vegas. Then Hector Hernandez, of Arizona, came into the reckoning at the weekend, only for Lee to learn on Tuesday that he had been replaced by a New York journeyman called Levan Easley.

The farce did not end there, however, as Easley was to defect from the scheduled six-rounder on the same day as he had taken the fight, leaving Irish Ropes matchmaker Bob Duffy to bring in former middleweight title challenger Carl Daniels as the frustrated Lee’s opponent.

“It’s all been a little unsettling,” said Lee, as he prepared to fly to New York from Detroit yesterday morning. “It’s been a nightmare with the matchmaking for this fight but it seems to be sorted out now. I don’t know why there have been so many problems, but it’s been the worst experience I’ve had in my pro career. ” While Daniels, 36, has 49 wins to his name, seven of his 10 defeats have come in his past nine fights — the past six losses in a row — stretching back to a 2002 WBC, IBF, WBA middleweight title challenge which ended in a 10th round TKO by champ Bernard Hopkins. “It would be a good name on my record if I beat him,” Lee added, “but that’s about it.”