BOXING:BERNARD DUNNE'S promoter and manager, Brian Peters, kept reminding people at the O2 arena that Saturday's bill was a celebration of Irish boxing, amateur and professional.
In the headline support bout, the Detroit-based south paw, Andy Lee, kept his long-term world title hopes on a straight road, although, not without some early difficulties against the robust and occasional sparring partner, Alex Sipos.
While Sipos had some pedigree as a former European title challenger, he had lost four of his last six fights.
The straight up, come forward type of operator, however, found his punches landing in the opening rounds against the Limerick stylist and from that gained some early momentum.
With trainer Emanuel Stewart in his corner, Lee first suffered a cut in the opening round from the rough, knock about Sipos. Throwing big, swinging rights, the early rounds were dangerously punctuated with the Sipos occasionally finding his range.
But by the sixth round, the Irish middleweight had settled and a right hand put his German opponent on the canvas, Sipos unsteadily returning to his corner at the bell.
Lee, who was added to the card when his appointment for last Monday night in Madison Square Garden was cancelled at short notice, convincingly won the fight, 99-91, with some of the ring rust shaken off but some of the sharpness yet to return.
It takes his record to one loss in 18 outings, that coming when the referee stopped his fight against Brian Vera last March.
Saturday’s fight was his first since beating Willie Gibbs in Limerick on July 19th of last year.
“He wanted to win. I knew that coming in,” said 24-year-old Lee. “Thank god I won. I was a bit ring-rusty after the long lay off, but no excuses.”
Amateur lightweight world champion, Katie Taylor, also exploded to life in front of the biggest Irish boxing crowd since Mohamed Ali took Blue Lewis to Croke Park with 25,000 people watching in July 1972.
Taylor defeated American amateur lightweight, Caroline Barry, 27-3 over four two-minute rounds to consolidate her position as the best female amateur in the world.
Twenty-eight-year-old Barry from Detroit, who has Cork ancestry, certainly came to fight in her first visit to Ireland.
However, Taylor’s speed and strength rarely allowed her opponent to cause any worry, the final 27-3 result leaving no doubt as to who won the fight, if a little over generous to the Irish girl.
Another highlight of the night was Andy Murray’s successful claim on the vacant European Union lightweight belt.
Murray, a three time Irish amateur champion from Cavan, won on a unanimous decision against Spain’s Daniel Rasilla.
Murray, who warmed up for his title chance by stopping Ali Wyatt from Torquay in three rounds at Craigavon just six weeks ago, went into the fight with a perfect 14-0 record.
The Santander-based Rasilla had been beaten just once in 13 professional outings. But 26-year-old Murray won the verdict of three judges over the 12 rounds 119-109, 116-112, 115-113.
