Andy Lee calls for challenges as he outlines Paddy Donovan roadmap
Andy Lee wants more ‘challenging’ fights for rising Irish star Paddy Donovan.
Donovan had to dig deep and overcome real adversity for the first time since turning over when he successfully defended his WBA Continental welterweight crown against Williams Andres Herrera in Belfast last weekend.
His coach, former middleweight world champion, Lee was delighted with the southpaw’s display and equally as happy he received and passed a gut check.
In fact, he wants more of the same across a busy year to ensure, ‘The Real Deal’ is world title-ready by 2025.
“We don’t have confirmation of when his next fight is,” Lee explained, “but if Katie Taylor is to fight in Dublin in May, which has been rumored, I’d like to have Paddy fight in another challenging fight.
“It would be nice to fight in Limerick to bring bigtime boxing back to Limerick. And then a big fight towards the end of the year. With that number of fights, he should be right on course, putting himself in as one of the top contenders in the welterweight division.”
The 25-year-old stylist, endured two tough rounds against stubborn Argentine resistance at the Ulster Hall last weekend but responded well to secure a fourth consecutive knockout win.
Reflecting on the win and the performance Lee, who also coaches Jason Quigley and Joseph Parker, was delighted the former underage amateur standout showed his grit and fighting spirit.
Lee said: “I’ve very happy with how he performed, considering it was a short training camp with Christmas in the middle of it. He had only found out about the fight in late December, so he only had four or five weeks.
“He stepped in and did a good job. Herrera came on strong around rounds five and six, but Paddy showed his character and got the stoppage in round seven. I was very pleased with that. He’s maturing and that was a very mature performance. He stepped up well and didn’t panic when it looked like Herrara was coming on strong. Paddy kept his composure and found the punch to get the stoppage.”
