Cautious Lee cannot afford any slip-ups

BOXING PREVIEW:LIMERICK MIDDLEWEIGHT, Andy Lee, will understand tonight's fight with former European light middleweight Champion, Mamadou Thiam in the Limerick University Sports Arena, could be a gateway towards a European title shot or a trapdoor to boxing oblivion.

Lee, who has been training in Florida with Emanuel Steward, ahead of tonight’s fight, faces an opponent with a fearsome reputation for punching. An impressive 43 of Thiam’s 46 wins from 54 bouts have come via KO. He has also won his last four bouts for a total of just 17 rounds, three of them fought last year and one in April of this year against the unrated Hungarian Jozsef Siklodi.

Twice a word title challenger, the Senegal-based Parisian has already announced he won’t be relying on scorecards to continue Limerick sport’s disappointments at the hands of French opposition.

“Some people sell cars, some build houses, some people drive buses, I knock people out. I suppose I’m like a dentist because we both take teeth out for a living,” said Thiam, sharing a little too much detail.

Lee is a hot favourite with the bookies at 1 to 33 but promoter Brian Peters will not forget how his World Champion super bantamweight, Bernard Dunne, was laid low in a career-halting first round KO by Spanish puncher, Kiko Martinez in August 2007.

“I agree Thiam is very dangerous,” said former Irish Olympian Lee. “I’m prepared for a tough one and whatever he can throw at me.”

In Lee’s favour, he is facing a fighter more than 12 years older than him. At 38-year-olds Thiam will most likely rely on not having to go the scheduled 10-round distance. Lee has lost just once in 21 fights and has won 14 of those inside the distance.

But that one defeat against American Brian Vera two years ago slowed down his path towards bigger bouts and over the last two years both US-based John Duddy and Mathew Macklin, appear to have passed him by in the middleweight ranks.

Since then Limerick southpaw Lee has registered five wins. He sees tonight’s fight as a possible acceleration towards a European title. London’s Darren Barker is the belt he and promoter Peters are aiming for once tonight’s hurdle is cleared.

Lee is ranked at 17 by BoxRec, while Thiam is rated at 146.

Double World Amateur Champion Katie Taylor has been forced to withdraw from a meeting with Ukranian champion Oleksandra Sydorenko due to a nose injury.