Lee halts McEwan in Celtic Connecticut clash

Limerick middleweight Andy Lee posted a career-best performance on Saturday March 12 when he stopped Scotland’s Craig McEwan in the tenth and final round of their Stateside Celtic clash. Both combatants proved on the night that bogus titles are not needed when two hungry fighters are thrown in together. Both were looking to prove a point and climb the boxing ladder and in the process they also dismissed the notion that two southpaws always make for a bad fight.

This clash may not have pleased the baying, blood hungry patrons of the Las Vegas circuit but the Connecticut fans enjoyed an absorbing, exciting battle between two technically proficient boxers, both willing to stand and trade as well as step off and use their skills.

For my money, long range boxing was the safest strategy for Lee. Even though the 26-year-old enjoyed early success with his power shots, whenever he planted his feet, loaded up on the big right hooks and aimed to hurt McEwan (as seen in image courtesy Teddy Blackburn, Lee in red), he left himself open to straight counter shots.

When the 2004 Olympian stood off, doubled up the jab and let the left hand flow naturally, he looked the boss and caused the Scotsman to appear, at times, slightly one-dimensional. McEwan was tough, rugged and willing to move into punching distance and engage.

Andy was the man with the skills, using them to good effect in the opening three sessions. Through the fourth and fifth rounds the Irishman, trained by Emanuel Steward but with Sugar Hill and regular face Joey Gamache working his corner, appeared to tire a little. He was clutching, grabbing and noticeably holding on as McEwan’s strength suddenly became a factor.

The 28–year-old Scot was fresher and his frequent body shots were sucking the wind from Lee’s sails. But Andy was made of sterner stuff. Irish fight fans would recall his stoppage win over Willie Gibbs, when Lee rallied with less than 15 seconds remaining to halt Gibbs at the end of a rousing contest. He also held on and fiddled his way through a torrid tenth round against Affif Belghecham in Limerick, November 2009. He had grown physically and was now more experienced and savvy than the fighter who lost to Brian Vera in 2008.

So it proved in this fight.

Lee had left no stone unturned in his preparations and began to find a second wind around the seventh round. His jab came into play, he cut McEwan over the left eye and suddenly it was the Edinburgh native, now based in Hollywood, who was starting to feel a little sorry for himself.

In the ninth session Lee dropped in a southpaw lead and introduced a cracking left hand behind it. McEwan was flat footed, caught square-on and lurched back into the ropes, feeling the full effects. He fiddled through the remaining seconds of the round and waddled back to the corner, smiling and punching his gloves together, but clearly hurt, his senses were at sea.

I wondered whether the corner team – minus Freddie Roach, who was in the Philippines training Manny Pacquiao - might pull him out. Craig’s demeanor was understandably despondent; he was hurting and blood spewed from his nostrils as a result of the perfectly timed Lee left hand. McEwan lumbered out for the last round, spurred on by cries of “stay on your feet” from his corner team. They imagined it was close and they were correct – level on two scorecards (85-85), Craig held a two-point lead on the third (86-84).

A rejuvenated Lee rendered the cards academic when he landed another sweet left hand, in the final round, and sent his fatigued opponent to the canvas. Veteran referee Steve Smoger knows a beaten fighter when he sees one and waved it off immediately, with 56 seconds of the tenth remaining.

Both men deserve credit for taking this fight. It was McEwan, who stepped in for John Duddy when the Derry man decided his heart was no longer in the fight game, that paid the price and falls to 19-1 but his come-forward nature means that more opportunities will surely come knocking. Lee will likely face sole conqueror Brian Vera next and aim to erase that blemish off the record. McEwan had himself beaten Vera over 10 rounds back in May 2009.

If Andy takes care of business then he should be in line for a crack at Sergio Martinez, who stopped Sergei Dzinziruk in the show headliner here.

“Sergio has great speed, he’d be a tough challenge for me,” Lee said post-fight. He was also critical of his own showing. “Overall, I wasn’t happy with my performance,” he stated. “I hurt him early in the fight and I think that worked against me. I loaded up too much. Basically I was flat-footed until I switched it up. It wasn’t my best performance but it was a great victory. It was hard, we are friends. I respected him before the fight and more now.”

“I’m proud of Andy Lee’s performance,” enthused promoter Lou DiBella. “I’ll talk next week with Manny (Steward) but it won’t be Sergio Martinez next. This made Andy an HBO fighter – the best thing he can do.”

I would still like to see Lee mix it with Matthew Macklin or Darren Barker at European level, fights that would raise great interest in Ireland, particularly if staged at the University Arena in Limerick. But with a potential world title chance now on the agenda who could blame Andy for chasing the American dream?

If Martinez decides he has bigger fish to fry after all then despite his new HBO status, Lee could yet be back to entertain his hometown faithful. Whatever happens next, he was the boss on this occasion, just like he had been when bettering McEwan as an amateur. Lee took his professional record to 25-1 (19).