Billy Joe Saunders turned the middleweight division on its head by decisioning WBO World middleweight champion Andy Lee?
Saturday night at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, Lancashire, UK, a star was born. Hatfield pugilist Billy Joe Saunders (23-0, 12 KOs) decisioned WBO World middleweight champion ?Irish? Andy Lee (34-3-1, 24 KOs) and succeeded in turning the middleweight division on its head.
After twelve rounds of action, the fight went to the scorecards with Saunders getting the nod from two of the three judges with scores of 115-111, 114-112, and 113-113.
In the opening round both Saunders and Lee appeared tentative with hardly a single punch thrown in the first three minutes. That changed however, and dramatically so, when Saunders threw a sweet uppercut that landed flush on the champion?s chin.
The second round gave the punch purists a little more entertainment as Andy Lee weighed up his jab before connecting flush on the challenger?s chin with a signature left hook. Billy Joe Saunders retaliated, successfully landing a straight left of his own gaining a sly smile from the champion as the bell rang to end the round. To the naked eye, this matchup had back and forth written all over it, but that couldn?t be further from the truth.
The bell signaled the beginning of the third round with both men appreciative of the other?s dangerous boxing abilities. However, that was short-lived as Andy Lee connected with a left hand from the gods. To many a man it could have been a decision maker, but to Billy Joe Saunders,it was just another day at the office as he looked unfazed by Lee?s assault. As the two men appeared to open their tight defenses, Saunders came out on top. Throwing a ferocious right hook with precision, Andy Lee?s title defense was in tatters as he was sent flying to the canvas. Taking the eight-count and unsteadily getting to his feet, Saunders smelled blood and began landing at will on the champion. Lee was down again, but the fighting spirit in the gypsy soon had him on his feet and hanging on for dear life. The bell ended the round and Lee looked very thankful.
Andy Lee has said that it sometimes takes a few rounds for him to get his engine running. But as the fourth round began, it was hard to tell if his engine was still warming up or if he was still buzzed from the onslaught dished out by his English counterpart. In the fifth, Saunders was able to connect with a similar punch that rocked Lee to his boots in the third. But Lee, to his credit, stayed on his feet and began using his pawing jab to deter Billy Joe?s attack. It was apparent that Hatfield?s Olympian and now the world title challenger?s footwork skills were second to none. Utilizing these skills, he was able to take the sting out of Lee?s punches on more than one occasion.
It was clear as day that Billy Joe was coasting.
Andy Lee showed grit and determination when the chips were down. Throughout the second half of the fight and especially in the sixth round, he matched Saunders in terms of footwork, speed and utilizing his snapping left jab. Although there were no championship winning punches and combinations thrown back from Billy Joe, he oozed confidence combined with slick maneuvering skills which ensured he was never in any real trouble from Lee?s signature power shots.
In championship rounds, both fighters appeared to plant their feet. To me it signaled an intention to start showcasing their power shots, but it wasn?t to be. Saunders, almost unaware, tends to allow his opponents back into the fight. After dominating Chris Eubank Jr. for six rounds in their contest, he took his foot off the gas. Was he about to do the same with Andy Lee? It appeared so.
In the final round, I expected Lee to attack all cylinders but it soon appeared that he was holding out for a decision. Using his pawing jab and loading up the right, Saunders was able to see it coming but each time refused to punish the champion for it. Despite not being able to finish Lee off it was still a master class from Billy Joe Saunders and his team.
There is a new champion in town, and he has already called out the big guns.
