Andy Lee to headline show in Chicago

Middleweight Andy Lee (22-1, 16 KOs) will return to the ring on September 17 when he fights Michael Walker (19-4-2, 12 KOs) at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago in a fight scheduled for 101 rounds.

According to boxrec.com, Lee will headline the show, which is being promoted by 8 Count Productions.  Walker, a 32-year-old experienced professional from the Windy City, has gone 1-4-1 in his last six and lost his last three consecutive fights.

At 5’7”, the durable Walker will give up a significant height advantage to the 6’2” Lee, who will hope to solidify his spot in the world rankings with another win.

Manager/trainer Emanuel Steward said in recent interviews that Lee would be staying busy over the next few months, and that seems to be very much the case.

According to boxrec.com, Lee is also scheduled to fight on October 2 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana against a yet to be named opponent.

Right after the Irish Voice went on summer break, Lee knocked out James Cook (11-4-1, 8 KOs) in the fifth round of their fight at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma on July 30. The 26-year-old Irishman had a comfortable evening against his completely outclassed opponent.

It was Lee’s bodywork that did the damage, and a hard left-hook to the body in the fifth round brought a premature end to proceedings.
In other news, light welterweight Jamie "The Nuisance” Kavanagh (2-0, 1 KO) is back in action this Thursday when he fights Damian Tinker (3-3, 1 KO) at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on August 26.

Kavanagh trains out of the Wild Card Gym in LA with Freddie Roach and has had a perfect start to his pro career, notching up victories in May and June.  The contest is scheduled for four rounds.

Also in action during the recent summer break was another light welterweight trained by Freddie Roach, Dean Byrne, who returned home to have his first fight as a professional in his native Dublin on August 7.  The Crumlin man took on Latvian Konstantins Sakara and impressed on his Irish debut with a TKO victory in round four.

The 24-year-old has expressed an interest in a bout with fellow unbeaten Irish fighter Andy Murray, in what would be an intriguing fight indeed. With the win, Byrne moves to 13-0 with six knockouts.

In other middleweight news, Derry middleweight John Duddy (29-2, 18 KOs) was talking to the Irish Mirror earlier this month about his future and how he is taking a rest after his loss to Julio Cesar Chavez (41-0-1, 30 KOs) in San Antonio on June 26.

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Nster.com