Andy Lee saving aggression for ring as title tension builds

Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders have adopted a gentlemanly approach towards each other throughout the build-up to their world middleweight showdown, but even Adam Booth, the champion's trainer, admits that a lack of 'trash talk' often makes for a hard sell in the modern-day fight game.

Ahead of Saturday night's bout for Lee's WBO world crown, the rivals continued to show a healthy level of mutual respect at yesterday's final pre-fight press conference.

If anything, that approach has been refreshing when compared to the bombastic bluster that has tended to accompany recent big fight nights, but the absence of any ‘verbals’ was, ironically, once again a talking point yesterday.

Having been in the corner of David Haye (no stranger to pre-fight dramatics) for most of his career, Booth is familiar with the usual promotional tools for stirring up attention, although he insists it does not necessarily have any positive or negative effect on a fighter or his opponent.

“Some people don’t understand that what goes on before is completely irrelevant if you’re confident in who you are,” said Booth. “Andy is an honest man and true to himself and so he knows he trains hard and he knows what he’s doing.

“It wouldn’t matter if Billy Joe came across the room wielding a samurai sword or whether he came with a cuddly teddy bear as a gift because Andy knows once he puts those gloves on and walks out of the changing room, he knows exactly how he is,” said Booth.

Promotion

What probably hasn't helped the promotion of the fight, which finally takes place on Saturday night at the Manchester Arena, is the fact that the build-up has now lasted some six months since the first fight launch in July.

Firstly, a planned September homecoming bout for Lee at Limerick’s Thomond Park was abandoned before a cut picked up by Saunders in sparring scuppered a rescheduled October date. However, promoter Francis Warren (son of established UK promoter Frank) insisted that ticket sales had been healthy for the finalised date.

“A lot of talk, a lot of build-up and even this morning we were on a radio show together, sitting in the studio. The two of us just want to fight now,” said Lee, who admitted that tensions had started to appear between himself and Saunders in fight week.

“I wouldn’t say it’s openly feistier but we’re both edgy,” said the Castleconnell native. “There’s no bad words so far. I just want to fight.”

Saunders, a former European and British champion who is undefeated in 22 fights, expressed similar sentiments.

“The talking has been done, we’ve had a along build-up. This is business now.”

Pro boxing has always relied on some hyperbole, but Booth did not dismiss the suggestion that Saturday’s bout was a ‘throwback’ fight, recreating the days when fighters did not feel the need to look into crystal balls to offer an analysis.

“It’s a shame,” said Booth. “There’s so much media nowadays and so much more of everything . . . and you’ve got to come up with different ways of selling the same thing.

Shaking hands

“If you look back to the ’50s and ’60s, when you had some of the most incredible fights, the guys at the weigh-in were shaking hands and smiling at each other like they were the best of friends.

“They were just gentlemen and yet they stepped in the ring and gave the most ferocious performance.”

Hopefully a repeat is on the cards this weekend.