Boxing In Ireland: Lee vs. Thiam Headlines May 15 Limerick Fight Card

Former European Champion and two time World title challenger Mamadou Thiam has been confirmed as Andy Lee’s next opponent for their headline clash on the Yanjing Fight Night at the University Sports Arena, Limerick on Saturday, May 15th.

The Senegalese born fighter has a fearsome reputation as one of the sports biggest punchers with an incredible 43 of his 46 wins coming by KO and he will undoubtedly be looking to stretch that to 44 KO wins when he arrives in Limerick next month to derail Lee’s European and World title ambitions.

Promoter Brian Peters believes that Thiam could prove to be the final hurdle for Lee ahead of a possible challenge for Darren Barker’s European title. “If Andy can get past Thiam then I believe that his next fight should be for the European title and I’d be very confident of bringing that fight to Limerick,” revealed Peters.

“Thiam cannot be overlooked though, he has a 94% KO ratio which is phenomenal and he also has all that top level experience so he is a real dangerman,” said Peters. “He is one of those guys who throws every punch with bad intentions. His record speaks for itself, he’s a veteran of 54 fights and 50 of those have ended inside the distance so it’s safe to say that this is a guy who rarely relies on the judges.

“He can punch equally as hard with both hands and he’s been operating at a very high level throughout his career. He needed just two rounds to win the European title at Light Middleweight and he made five successful defences with all those wins coming by KO. Like a lot of big punchers he can be vulnerable himself but that all adds to the excitement,” continued Peters.

“For me throughout his career both in the amateur and professional ranks Andy has always performed at his best when he’s been faced with a real threat and that’s exactly what he will be coming up against in Thiam. Andy will need to be very careful but he’s no slouch either in the power department so I think it’s safe to say that it’s a fight that will produce fireworks.”

Now 38 Thiam’s globe trotting career has already seen him fight in ten countries (France, Guadeloupe, the U.S., Germany, Canada, Hungary, Denmark, Bosnia And Herzegovina, Croatia and Switzerland) and included six European title fights and two unsuccessful World title challenges at Light Middleweight to boxing legend Felix Trinidad and Santiago Samaniego.

Lee is currently training for the bout in the U.S. and will have been a keen observer at the weekend as the WBC and WBO World Middleweight titles changed hands with Sergio Martinez’s impressive points win over defending champion Kelly Pavlik.

The undercard for the Yanjing Fight Night has also been strengthened with the news that World and European Champion Katie Taylor will also feature in an international amateur contest at the University sports Arena as both the professional and amateur codes work hand in hand on a pro-am event.

The card will also see two Irish Professional titles up for grabs with local fan favourite Jamie Power clashing with John Waldron for the Irish Light Heavyweight title while Mayo’s Michael Sweeney will be out to end Dubliner Ian Tims unbeaten record in a grudge match for the Irish Cruiserweight title.

Undefeated Cavan star Andy Murray will be looking to continue his perfect record and follow on from his impressive win over Oisin Fagan in the main event on RTÉ’s last Pro Box Live show. The 27-year-old lightweight has 18 straight wins to his name in the pro ranks and is currently rated number 3 in Europe.

Recently crowned Irish Heavyweight Champ Coleman Barrett will also be in action. The Galway native has won all but one of his 12 pro fights to date with his only defeat coming to Olympic Gold medallist and new European Champ Audley Harrison in last year’s Prizefighter final.

Limerick fight fans will also be excited by the return of Cuban heavyweight phenomenon Mike “The Rebel” Perez to Shannonside. The Cork based southpaw is unbeaten in 8 pro contests and in his last Limerick appearance the former World Junior amateur Champion needed just 41 seconds to chalk up another KO victory.

Perez’s compatriot Luis Garcia will also be out to impress. Despite having had just 5 professional fights the 22-year-old Super Middleweight is already ranked in the world’s top 50 and has been described by many boxing insiders as a special talent and a future World Champion.

Another intriguing contest on the bill will see Mullingar’s Paddy McDonagh taking a major step up in class as he tackles former Irish Champion and Andy Lee opponent Ciaran Healy in just his third pro fight while the Limerick based Galwegian Alan Donnellon makes his professional debut in a Light Middleweight contest.

Tickets for the Yanjing Fight Night priced €30, €40, €50, €60, €75 and €100 are available from Ticketmaster (phone 0818 719 300 or visit ticketmaster.ie) and all usual outlets.