BOXING NEWSIRELAND'S Andy Lee floored American middleweight Willie Gibbs with a superb left en route to securing a dramatic inside-the-distance - by just over 10 seconds - win at the University of Limerick on Saturday night.
With the fight looking set to go the full 10 rounds, Gibbs, who had landed a thudding right seconds earlier, was left occupying a large area of floor space after being felled by a stunning reply from the Limerick man who boxes out of the famed Detroit Kronk.
The Philadelphia puncher, nicknamed "The Gladiator", beat the count, but clearly unsteady on his feet was battered into a neutral corner and looked set to visit the canvas again before his corner threw in the towel.
Referee Emile Tiedt, a son of the late Fred Tiedt, who won a silver medal for Ireland at welterweight at the 1956 Olympics Games in Melbourne, confirmed if the bout had went the distance Lee would have claimed nine of the 10 rounds with both boxers sharing the fourth frame.
Tiedts summary of proceedings at a packed Sports Arena were an accurate reflection as Lee had dominated from the start, using his right jab to keep his opponent outside the danger zone whilst landing a wide variety of punches to the American's head and body.
The Limerick southpaw, Ireland's only boxer at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, went into Saturday's fight against Gibbs on the back of his shock defeat to Texan Brian Vera in Connecticut last March.
And the 24-year-old, who received stitches to wounds to his forehead and over his right eye after the fight following clashes of heads with an opponent eight years his senior, admitted the pressure was on at a venue which is just up the road from his family's home in Castleconnell.
He said: "It was a must-win fight for me and the pressure was definitely on. To lose two in a row would have been unimaginable to tell the truth, defeat was not an option, as they say. But I was always confident that I would win. I looked across at his corner just before the start and I said to myself that there is no way I am going to be beaten, not here in my own town in front of my own people.
"But fair play to him, he has got a tremendous heart and he never stopped coming forward and I have total respect for the way he performed here tonight and I think that both of us can grow from this. I definitely feel that I have matured and have learned from the Vera defeat. I have learned to be more patient and not to rush things and not to get carried away by the crowd who were simply magnificent tonight."
Meanwhile, Saturday's injuries look certain to see Lee's next fight, scheduled for Chicago next month, called off, although the three-times Irish senior champion says that he will fight again before Christmas.
In the main support bout of Saturday evening, unbeaten Derry light welterweight Paul McCloskey had to battle all the way down to the final bell to earn a 97-93 points win over English champion Nigel Wright.
"I want a shot at British or European title from here on in. I feel I am ready for it now and the sooner I get it the better.
"Wright showed tremendous heart. It was one tough fight from start to finish and hat's off to him," said McCloskey after the 10 rounder.
On the undercard, Jamie Power, like Lee, an ex-St Francis Limerick fighter, brought the house down with 40-36 points win over Latvian Sandris Tomson and Irish light heavyweight champ Jason McKay retired Marcin Piatkowski in the third round.
Elsewhere on the undercard, John O'Donnell, Stephen Haughian, Canadian/Irish debutant Logan McGuinness and George Illieve had their hands raised in victory.
