The details of Andy Lee’s first title defence have been revealed and it’s all good news for the Irishman’s pocket.
The Limerick southpaw is set to make $1m (€865,000) when he takes on the undefeated Peter Quillin at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York.
According to today’s Daily Star, the bout will take place on April 11 and will be his first fight since his sixth round finish of Matt Korobov for the WBO middleweight title last month.
It was suggested last week that the London-born fighter would be realising a dream by making his first championship defence in Dublin against Denmark’s Patrick Nielsen on the week of St. Patrick’s Day.
But Andy Lee has obviously seen the New York fight as the better option for him at this stage and, with $1m up for grabs, we can’t really blame him.
In terms of exposure, the bout against Quillin makes sense for “Irish” as it will be broadcast across the U.S.A. by NBC, who are planning an explosive return to boxing broadcasting.
It could also set up a sensational bout with Floyd Mayweather due to the fact that the main rivals to “Money”, namely Saul Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, are so heavily associated with NBC’s rival HBO while Al Haymon, a partner in the NBC deal, is Mayweather’s adviser.
