He's still very much an active fighter, but Andy Lee is fast becoming one of the finest sports pundits in the country.
There might well transpire to be a terrible irony to the fact that, throughout his career, Limerick's former WBO World middleweight champion has been somewhat underappreciated by the casual sports fan in Ireland, but his frequent recent appearances on both Off The Ball and Second Captains have seen his stock soar as an analyst of both his own craft and others.
Today, Lee was at the National Stadium to attend the media workout for Boxing Ireland's Celtic Clash 2 card on May 27th, which will be headlined by five-time Irish Senior Elite champion and standout RTÉ boxing pundit Eric Donovan [3-0, 2KOs] - a close friend of the Limerick man.
Naturally, the topic of a potential crossover fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor arose during Lee's discussions with the gathered press. Speaking to Eoin Ryan of RTÉ, Lee dismissed the fight as a contest with one analogy:
It's like asking a triathlete to swim against Michael Phelps.
In terms of a contest, I don't see it being a real fight. Mayweather is the best boxer of our generation. Conor McGregor is a great boxer in UFC but hasn't had a professional (boxing) fight. If it's a boxing contest, Mayweather wins hands down.
The triathlete vs Phelps comparison strikes as particularly pertinent in that McGregor, as a mixed martial artist, is a jack of all trades. Mayweather is a master of one. Crucially, Mayweather's is the one that counts in a boxing ring.
Lee did go on to admit the fight would be one of the biggest promotions in the history of boxing, and also one to which the build up would be particularly entertaining.
Away from Mayweather-McGregor, Boxing Ireland Promotions confirmed that Cork-based Cuban heavyweight and former world title contender Mike 'The Rebel' Perez will return to action on Celtic Clash 2. The feverishly-anticipated, bumper card takes place at the National Stadium on May 27th, and less than 100 of the 2,000 or so tickets remain.
We spoke with the event's promoter, Leonard Gunning, along with Donegal middleweight sensation Jason Quigley on the latest episode of our Irish boxing podcast. It's available to download on iTunes (simply search 'Balls.ie podcasts'), or you can listen to it in full below.
