Excited Lee ready for ‘make or break’ battle in New York

Andy Lee has described his world title eliminator in Madison Square Gardens tonight as the "make or break" moment of his career.

Now campaigning at junior-middleweight, London-based Lee is relishing a battle with John Jackson, who has 15 knockouts in a 18-fight career.

“One of my friends said to me recently: ‘It’s time for you to get back to where you were and be the boxer you can be.’ I’m in a great position now,” Lee told the Irish Examiner.

“If I have any real intention of becoming world champion, I have to win this fight. I’m training hard and performing better. I always want to have the best performance, show all the experience I have and the new things I’ve learned. I’m due a good performance. This is make or break.”

Lee’s career slowed after a 2012 world title shot against Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr ended in defeat, relocation to London and a reinvention of sorts after the passing of his late great trainer Emanuel Steward. Lee is regularly reminded of his old mentor.

“Manny was the only coach I knew. I got a chance to say goodbye before he died as I got to spend some time with him in hospital.

“We were very close inside of boxing and outside of boxing — we lived together when I was boxing first. I think about him all the time.”

With Steward’s passing, Lee discovered trainer Adam Booth and is now campaigning for a world title again but down a weight division.

“Adam changed my training. The style is so different; it was a different way of being trained than Manny. I had to adjust. I’m a tall southpaw so fighters would try and expose my weakness; try and back me onto the ropes and box me on the inside where I was weak. One of the first things I addressed when I came to London was to be calmer on the inside, not looking to clinch but looking up and throwing shots back.”

Lee is relishing the prospect of “dancing under the lights of Madison Square Gardens” when the opening bell sounds. “There is a feeling of unfinished business and now there’s a chance to correct it and do it right.”

Cork middleweight Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan made a successful comeback in Boston on Thursday night, taking a decision against Jose Medina. Two judges gave O’Sullivan the decision while one scored it a draw.

“I have to give Jose Medina credit for a real battle. Definitely the toughest guy I’ve been in with and he gave it everything,” said the Cork boxer, who now has a record of 17 wins from 18 pro fights.

LA-based Dubliner Jamie Kavanagh beat Michael Clark with a fifth round TKO on the same bill.