Lee has chance to keep Irish flag flying in Pula

LIMERICK middle-weight Andy Lee has a chance to fight his way into the Athens Olympics in the Croatian city of Pula this evening, as he takes on experienced Serbian Nikola Sjekloca in the European Championship quarter-final.

The bout, to be broadcast live on Eurosport this tea-time, will be his toughest test yet and while his coaching team were sheltering Lee from the increased media interest yesterday, they are confident the Castleconnell southpaw can continue his single odyssey to keep the Irish flag flying in Pula.

“We are trying to keep Andy quiet until this bout, to ensure he doesn’t have any distractions,” said IABA’s high-performance director Gearoid Keegan. “We want Andy’s 100% focus to be on this fight. Sjekloca is a very experienced campaigner, he has been around the block a few times. So, it will be a big test for Andy.”