[caption id="attachment_67220" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Andy Lee, right, goes on the offensive against Bryan Vera. WWW.HIGGINSPHOTONYC.COM"]
There were flashes of Thomas “The Hitman” and hints of Lennox Lewis and other Kronk stable greats in the memorable performance. But most of all it was Andy Lee fulfilling his potential as a world-class fighter and avenging his sole defeat with a masterful display.
Showing remarkable ring craft, poise, sharpness and grit, Limerick’s Lee dominated Bryan Vera over 10 scintillating rounds at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City last Saturday to atone for a controversial loss three years ago.
Lee [27-1, 19 KOs] dropped Vera [19-6, 12 KOs] in the second round en route to preserving legendary Kronk trainer Emanuel Steward’s incredible record of having never lost a rematch.
More importantly, career-wise, the unanimous points win, by scores of 99-90 [twice] and 98-91 left Lee, who’s 27, on the cusp of a world title shot.
Minutes after he’d electrified the Boardwalk crowd, world champion Sergio Martinez entered the ring to defend his WBC Diamond title against Darren Barker - an amateur conquest of Lee’s.
Martinez scored an 11th round TKO but not before getting his nose broken and bloodied by the Englishman [23-1, 14 KOs].
Lee and Steward were left licking their chops.
ENCORE
The plan going into the rematch was for Lee to fight Vera like he did the first time - just with more patience.
Lee controlled Vera early with a snappy right jab, but his most damaging shot would be a sneaky, rapier-like straight left. The punch set up the only knockdown in the opening stanza of their first meeting in March 2008 and again floored Vera on the bell in the second round this time.
There were “oohs” and “aahs” from the 4,376 crowd whenever Lee landed the punch and it was testimony to Vera’s toughness that he absorbed the punishment.
The Texan must have realized that he was in for a long night after coming out quickly in the second and at some point connecting with a big right. Lee took it well and regained the initiative, decking his man on the bell.
In the third round, Lee caught Vera with a smashing uppercut that Vera instinctively countered. There was a roar from the crowd.
Before the end of the round, Lee would connect flush with another booming uppercut. There’d be no counter this time from Vera.
The American suffered a cut above the left eye in the fourth stanza after he backed Lee into the ropes. Lee, however, took most of the shots on the gloves and fought his way out.
He was clearly painting a masterpiece at this point. His sharp punching and movement highlighted the difference in pedigree and skill between him, a former Irish Olympian, and the Texas slugger.
Said Vera: “I was trying to get him with a big punch, but he was [elusive].”
“Andy showed that he’s a seasoned, mature fighter,” a delighted Steward said. “He kept Vera off balance all night and never got hit with two punches in a row.”
The trainer, who’s worked with Hearns, Lewis, Evander Holyfield and several other greats in the past, said had the fight been scheduled for 12 rounds, Vera would have been stopped.
At any rate, Lee was denied a second knock down in the sixth, when, with his back to Vera’s corner, he landed an uppercut and span out. The advancing Vera stumbled and at least one glove appeared to touch the canvas, which technically is a knock down. Referee Steve Smoger didn’t call it.
Vera was rocked again by a straight left in the seventh stanza but had his best outing in the eighth. At one point, he strafed Lee with body shots and connected with an uppercut. Later, he scored with a hard right.
Lee tried to put Vera away in the last two rounds. However, the Texan refused to die amidst a barrage of shots. They went toe-to-toe for the last two minutes of the fight and when it was over, Lee, hands raised, sank to his knees in jubilation.
“I was trying to knock him out but it’s hard,” he later noted. “With Bryan Vera, offense is defense. He’s not a counter puncher so I had to keep the pressure on him.”
Ranked second in the world by the WBA and WBO going into the bout, Lee said the significance of his victory could not be overestimated.
“This win is immeasurable. It was years coming and if not for tonight I’d have been haunted the rest of my life. I’ll fight anyone; no middleweight wants to fight me,” Lee declared.
It was indeed a defining victory for the Irish middleweight and one that virtually guarantees him a world title shot - possibly against Martinez the now 48-2-2 [27 KOs], California-based Argentine.
SEANIE SHINES
Seanie Monaghan was an impressive winner in his first six-rounder. The wildly popular Long Island light heavyweight turned it on after the opening stanza to stop Texan Kentrell Claiborne 54 seconds into the fourth.
Monaghan [9-0, 6 KOs] broke Claiborne down with a variety of punches and after four heats, the referee had seen enough.
“I trained very hard and knew I had what it takes to go six rounds,” said Monaghan, who received a rousing ovation from some 250 traveling fans.
ROONEY BEATEN
Kevin Rooney, meanwhile, dropped a four-round unanimous points decision to Danny Lugo of Philadelphia.
Rooney [2-1, 1 KO], the son of former Mike Tyson trainer Kevin Rooney, Sr., only picked up the pace in the fourth and final stanza. He finally let his hands go and landed some ferocious uppercuts but it was too little, too late.
All three judges scored it 39-37 for the previously winless Lugo [1-1]. There were no knockdowns.
