We became aware of hydration, nutrition and psychology.įor years we were told boxers shouldn’t lift weights. ![]() We were training and preparing just as well, if not better, than the rest of the world’s boxers. We would go out at night to clubs and often drink. In the past, after you lost a fight and were out of the tournament, the trip turned into a holiday. One of the biggest things they changed was the attitude of the boxers. The country’s top amateur boxers trained full-time thanks to funding from the Irish Sports Council. Sometimes before a tournament you would go together to a training camp for a week or two before heading off to box the best fighters in the world. ![]() We would prepare for international tournaments individually in our own clubs, coming together on weekends to train with the appointed coach and spar with the other lads. In the past, Irish boxers were generalised for being strong, courageous, tough and having big hearts - but not for technical ability or skill. Gary Keegan had a vision to revolutionise Irish amateur boxing. To this day, I still practise some of the lessons I learned there. The influence of these three men and the philosophy of the High Performance Unit on the latter part of my amateur career was one of the main reasons I qualified for the 2004 Olympics. It was my first year in the senior squad and my dream then was to reach the 2004 Olympic games. It changed the way Irish amateur boxers lived and trained. In 2003, Billy Walsh and Zaur Antia were appointed head coach and technical coach to the Irish national boxing team by Director Gary Keegan as part of the new High Performance Unit. After that, the only man that can help you is your coach. Francis clubman’s International honours include a World Junior silver medal and a European Senior bronze medal.When fight-time comes and you stand in the ring, just before you walk to the centre to hear the referee’s final instructions, your promoter, manager and the rest of your team touch you on the gloves, wish you luck and leave the ring. A three time National Senior Champion the St. Lee has been one of Ireland’s best amateurs in recent years and was the sole boxing representative on last years Athens Olympic team. Hopefully that can happen before the summer.” Then maybe in his third or fourth fight he could come back to Ireland for his first fight as a pro back home. “No dates have been confirmed yet but the idea would be for Andy to have his first few fights early in 2006 in the U.S. “In the sport, Andy has proved himself to being a world class amateur, now is the perfect time aged 21 to make the transition to the professional ranks and excel to greater heights.””Ī date has yet to be confirmed for Lee’s pro debut but his advisor Damian McCaan who also runs the Kronk Gym in Belfast says he expects Lee to have a busy start to the New Year. ![]() I have no doubt Andy has a phenomenal talent to be an international star and is capable of being a world champion the Irish people can be proud of.” Steward is expected in Dublin next week to hold a press conference with Lee to but speaking from Detroit he said, “I am elated the waiting is now over and Andy Lee is joining the Detroit Kronk Gym. “I am over the moon that the deal is sorted, the perfect Christmas gift for any boxer I can now look forward to starting my professional career in the New Year.” Lee described agreeing terms with Steward as, “a dream come true”. training at Steward’s famous Kronk Gym in Detroit and spending time in a Californian training camp with Wladimir Klitschko. The Athens Olympian has spent the last two months in the U.S. Steward who has trained the likes of Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, the Klitschko brothers and Lennox Lewis hopes to add Lee to his extensive list of World Champions. The Limerick southpaw finally put pen to paper on Wednesday night agreeing terms with renowned U.S. After months of speculation Andy Lee finally put pen to paper on a five-year professional contract this week.
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