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Andy Lee hoping for Irish homecoming next

Andy Lee [35(24)-3(2)-1] hopes to fight in Ireland for the first time since February 2013 when he returns to the ring next.

The Limerick middleweight has not fought in his home country since he edged out a ten-round in over Anthony Fitzgerald on the Carl Frampton v Kiko Martinez I undercard at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast over four years ago.

Lee ended a 15 month sabbatical with a relatively routine points win over KeAndrae Leatherwood at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night and is hoping for a return to big fights.

New gym-mate, and the man who deposed him of the WBO middleweight title, Billy Joe Saunders looks close to a massive Gennady Golovkin fight, with ‘GGG’ then aiming to face Saul Alvarez in at the tail end of the year.

With it looking likely that either Saunders or ‘GGG’ will hold all of the 160 belts before the Summer is out an immediate World title shot doesn’t look likely for Lee.

The father-to-be will take another short break but predicts a return to the gym by September and hopes to fight in Ireland next.

“I’m going home and the first baby is on the way in June. I’ll just look forward to that, enjoy it and I’ll be back in the gym in September and I hope to fight maybe in Ireland,” Lee replied when asked the ‘what’s next’ question.

Lee was hoping to make it three consecutive eye-catching Garden knockouts on Saturday, but claims the defensive nature of his opponent made that hard. However, upon further reflection, he suggested that the eight rounds may prove more beneficial than a blow out win.

“It’s always good to come back to New York and it’s always a pleasure to fight here. It took me a while to get going but he was a tough and awkward opponent. He stayed in his shell and he wouldn’t really open up and I could see he was very wary of my right hook, he was protecting that side all the time” explained Lee before detailing the effects of his ring hiatus,.”

“It took me a while to get into it. Around rounds four, five and six and then towards the end I knew he kind of just wanted to coast and try to go the distance.”

“It’s been a long time. I’ve been completely out of boxing for a year, I was at home and I wasn’t in the gym, but it’s good to be back and I think the rounds will stand to me more than if I had finished him in a round.”

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Integral part of the Irish boxing community for over 13 years

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