At the opening press conference for ‘The Showdown at Thomond,’ Andy Lee heaped praise on the challenger for his WBO middleweight title, Billy Joe Saunders.

The Limerick man predicted that “it’s gonna be a very hard fight, it’s not like a hand-picked fighter that we’ve chosen to come over here.”

Lee continued, “I’m fighting one of the best middleweights in the World – he’s British champion, European champion, Commonwealth champion, undefeated, and number one contender for a long time – he’s gonna be coming in with a spirited challenge and it’s gonna be a hard, hard fight – he’s gonna take a lot of beating”

When asked whether he would engage in thrash talk, Lee steered clear of criticising his opponent arguing that “How can I not respect him? He’s undefeated, an Olympian as well”

When analysing his slick southpaw opponent, Lee pointed also to the Hertfordshire man’s mental attributes, noting that “what I see as strong is his will, his strength, his passion and how much he wants to win a fight – that’s gonna take a lot of beating”

Lee knows first-hand the character it requires to be a road warrior and thanked his English opponent, saying that “it takes a lot to travel, I know, I’ve done it myself. He’s coming into my hometown, I’ve been doing that all my career.”

<