Click here to watch Andy Lee's incredible knock-out of John Jackson to win NABF title
Newly crowned NABF light-middleweight champion Andy Lee rose early in New York this morning to chat to Off the Ball about last night’s title win, and the now famous knock-out punch that brought it about. A clearly elated Lee told Off the Ball that the shot that floored Jackson “was perfect”.
Lee was struggling by the fifth round at Madison Square Garden last night, with a first round knock-down looking like it would be the start of a bad night at the office for the Irish southpaw. It had been an action filled bout to that point and Lee admitted today that with both fighters throwing power punches it was merely a matter of time before somebody ended up on the canvas. The crucial punch came as Lee countered a flurry from Jackson.
“Whoever landed was going to get the knockout and I knew, even though he was on top I was still in the fight you know and I just kept low. I knew when he was coming on that was the time to catch him,” Lee told Off the Ball.
Jackson moved forward, pinning Lee against the ropes and going for the knockout, but a quick escape and a perfect counter-punch, saw Lee reverse his opponents momentum and clinch the title.
“I could see him coming...and I just stepped low and turned my hip and my shoulder into the punch and that was it. I knew as soon as it landed, I knew it was a knockout, it was over,” Lee said.
“You don’t always land those shots. It was just perfect.”
The win had Lee’s name trending on Twitter in the United States and the attention hasn't abated today, with the punch going viral. Aside from being a good win against a good fighter, the victory has put Lee in the mind of U.S. TV as a fighter who can bring entertainment. As he continues in his new weight division – having moved down from middleweight – Lee can now hope to take on some exciting future fights in the U.S.
“There’s some good potential fights out there and we’ll see what happens. HBO were very excited by the fight and they want to have me back on,” he told Off the Ball.
Listen to the full Andy Lee interview via the player below or download it on iTunes
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