ANDY LEE IS set to return to the ring next month.

But the Limerick middleweight will have to wait for his eagerly-anticipated showdown against Britain’s “Dazzling” Darren Barker.

Lee (29-2) revealed today that his next fight will be on 18 May in Washington DC. His opponent has not been officially confirmed but the Irish Examiner reports that it will be Detroit southpaw Darryl Cunningham (28-4).

Lee is building towards his next world title shot as he looks to bounce back from his controversial TKO defeat against WBC champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Texas last summer.

The 28-year-old was last seen in February when he laboured to a points win over Dublin’s Anthony Fitzgerald on the undercard of Carl Frampton’s European title win in Belfast.

A meeting with Barker, who won the IBF title from Simone Rotolo last month, has been long been on the cards and Lee is hopeful that the two can touch gloves in the near future.

“I’m fighting May 18th in the States,” he told fans on Twitter. “After that, hopefully a fight [against] Barker can be made.”

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