Andy Lee believes Burnett bows out happy

Injury forced him to retire much earlier than expected and with his peak fast approaching, but Ryan Burnett bows out of boxing content, reveals Andy Lee.

The former WBO middleweight champion of the world knows the Belfast fighter well from their time spent working under respected coach Adam Booth.

After speaking to the former unified world champion since he announced his retirement late last week, the Limerick fighter turned respected pundit and coach, revealed Burnett is not just happy with his decision, but happy to hang to them up.

It’s not that Burnett had enough of boxing, rather that he can live with leaving the game considering what he achieved and what he overcame.

When speaking on Off The Ball’s Off The Brawl, Lee reiterated what Burnett revealed in his retirement statement.

“I think he’s quite happy though. He’s happy. It’s not, ‘It’s been taken away from you,'” Lee explained.

“I think he’s quite happy in his life, speaking to him, and he feels quite content. And that’s all you want and it’s important to know. The biggest decision, I think, is knowing when to hang it up.

“It’s the biggest decision he’ll make. To turn pro, to pick a trainer, all those are important. But once you’ve done that, knowing when it’s over… and I think Ryan walks away having achieved a lot more than people were expecting.

“Remember when he couldn’t even get a licence when he hadthose brain scans issues. And you guys know him. He’s a good kid and he’s achieved so much.

Paddy Donovan and Jason Quigley’s coach also claimed there was no point in Burnett fighting on if he wasn’t going to do himself justice in the ring.

Having unified bantamweight world titles and banked life changing money, Lee believes Burnett made the right decision.

“I think he’s financially set and why come back and get beat just because of an injury,” he said.

“Why keep forcing and keep going and not be 100% in fighting and not doing yourself justice? I think he’s quite content with his decision.”