By Matthew Paras – It’s been two years since Andy Lee’s knockout loss to Bryan Vera, trying to repair his image in the process. Tonight the Irish native, fighting out of the Kronk Gym in Detroit, fought Chicago native Michael Walker (19-5-2, 12 KOs) in his latest comeback win at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. Lee impressively stopped Walker in eight rounds.
Lee (23-1-1, 17 KOs) started out cautiously pawing his jab, but also setting up his right hook and straight left hand in the process. Lee took control in the next two rounds with a series of beautiful uppercuts. It was a new weapon that dominated Walker. Normally fighters end a combination with an uppercut, but Lee started combinations with them. In round three, a marvelous left uppercut from the outside connected midway through the round sending Walker to the canvas..
Still determined, the knockdown didn’t stop Walker from being able to apply pressure in the next few rounds. In round five, Walker’s aggression was able to have some effect. With the use of straight right hand leads, Walker was able to corner off Lee and pound him in the corner.
It seemed like momentum was shifting towards Walker and concerns at ringside if Lee would again gas out were apparent. In round seven, Walker had his best round by landing digging body shots that ended up being his best punches of the fight.
Lee impressively silenced whatever doubts writers or fans had in the next round. Coming out at the beginning of round eight, Lee looked determined and started landing uppercuts again, a punch which disappeared throughout the middle rounds. However, it was the right hook to the body that set up the finishing touches. A picture perfect right hook to the body had Walker slump against the ropes and then into the corner.
Sensing the opportunity, Lee jumped on him, throwing a series of combinations. Referee Celestino Ruiz gave Walker a good amount of time to show that he could fight back, but Lee’s punches were just too well put together and Walker was still hurt from the body shot. Unable to defend himself, Ruiz stopped the contest giving Lee his eighth comeback win. Time was 2:03.