Anyone who has ever asked Billy Lyell about his career plans is sure to have received a two-part answer. The young contender is always quick to point out his desire to give the fans what they want, and then adds that he’s eyeing a world title. The Mahoning Valley native looks to deliver this Friday night in Morgantown, WV, while hoping to get back on track since his loss to world titleholder Sebastian Sylvester in January.
Lyell will take on Martinus Clay in the main event of a live online pay-per-view brought to you by NESportsTV.com. The fight, along with a full undercard, will be available to fight fans for the very reasonable price of $8. You can purchase the fight by visiting http://nesportstv.com/payperview/ .
This week, I had the please of catching up with NESportsTV blow-by-blow analyst Peter Czymbor to discuss Friday’s fight. In putting together the card, Czymbor says that he and his colleagues were focused on featuring an exciting fighter whose caught the attention of boxing crowds throughout the region. He recalled Lyell’s victory over “Irish” John Duddy as the moment that the junior middleweight claimed a spot on boxing’s main stage.
“One of our most-watched broadcasts was the John Duddy-Charles Howe fight. Then, one morning last April we caught word that this Billy Lyell kid out of Ohio beat Duddy. We were like, ‘Who’s Billy Lyell and why was he fighting John Duddy?’ Just like that, legitimate boxing fans began to take notice of the guy.”
Czymbor describes Lyell as underrated in today’s middle divisions and seems impressed by his ability to fight on short notice. “He’s more talented than people think and he’s always ready,” says the commentator. “I think people like a guy who takes a title fight in a week’s notice and keeps moving forward. There’s something appealing there.”
It’s been a long career for Lyell since turning pro in 2003. Having experienced some of the highs and lows boxing has to offer, recent years have signaled a renaissance for the fighter. A back-and-forth decision loss to phenom Vanes Martirosyan readied Lyell for a stunning split-decision win over former number-one contender Duddy, which then lined up a crack at Sylvester’s IBF crown.
A veteran of 29 professional bouts, Lyell feels he has finally hit his prime. The move back down to 154 lbs. should prove a better fit for the gritty pug, whose power never really served as a gamestopper at middleweight. With prospects like Ronald Hearns, Omar Henry, and Shawn Porter hanging around the junior middleweight division, Lyell seems to be in good standing to secure an interesting, fan-friendly fight down the road.
But before pondering what’s to come, Billy Lyell focuses on the obstacle ahead.
The fight is Friday night and will air live on http://nesportstv.com/payperview/.
Keep punchin’ . . .
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