By Dan Fitz-Simons – During a conference before his “less than spectacular” win against Affif Belghechem, Andy Lee emphasized that three middleweight belts were held in Germany (Sturm, Zbik, and Sylvester). The statement showed where Lee is focusing his attention. Andy also said the reason he took the Belghecham fight was that he wanted to move up in the EBU ratings. Andy’s win places him at number 8, with Swiss fighter, Yves Studer (23-0) ahead of him at number 7. Studer, with only 6 KOs and no rated opponents, could be Andy’s next victim.
However, Manny Steward might decide to move Lee up a few notches to face more highly rated EBU opponents, including Amin Asikainen, Jamie Moore, Darren Barker, Domenico Spada, or Mahir Oral.. The ultimate target is EBU champion, Mathew Macklin. A fight against John Duddy could also be in the cards. But Steward probably wants to keep Lee away from the hard charging Duddy after Andy’s shaky performance against Belghecham, in which he was staggered by the 35-year old, light-punching French champion.
Yet the Belghecham fight wasn’t a complete disaster. After all, Lee won before a capacity crowd and moved closer to a European belt. He cleverly used his reach advantage on the outside, throwing stinging combinations, and vicious right hooks to the body. His most effective weapon was a punishing right hook that hurt Belghecham in the fifth round; it’s a shame Lee didn’t throw it more often. On the other hand, many of Andy’s jabs were pawing, “stay away from me” punches, and the contrasting styles of both fighters made for a boring evening.
Lee’s fight plan went well until the 9th round, when Belghechem threw caution to the wind, and began closing. The Frenchman caught Lee with a few shots, backing him into the ropes. Lee countered with sharp combinations, but the tempo of the bout had changed. A brawl erupted in the last round, and Belghecham pounded Lee, who seemed to be out of gas. Andy was wobbled while back peddling, but he managed to hang onto his opponent until the bell. Lee won, but his stamina and ability to mix it up on the inside remain suspect.
It’s possible that Lee’s disciplined strategy might have changed if Steward had been there. Joey Gamache handled Andy’s training because Manny was overwhelmed by the Pacquiao-Cotto extravaganza. Moreover, he trained for this bout in New York, not at the usual Kronk Gym in Detroit. From now on, Steward should be in Andy’s corner, personally directing his training. Ideally, Andy needs to go the distance in a tune-up with a more experienced journeyman, who could provide him with valuable in-fighting techniques while testing his stamina.
There are plenty of tough, B-level pros like Matt Vanda (42-9), Steven Bendall (29-5), and Sam Soliman (37-11), who probably couldn’t beat Lee, but would certainly give him a useful run for his money. Sooner or later Andy will have to face a banger on the inside, and the shades of Brian Vera are still there. Fortunately Lee is only 25, and Manny hasn’t moved him along too quickly; there’s still time. Another year with three or four more contests would be adequate to prepare Andy to take on Macklin, Sylvester, or Zbik for a European title.