'If he'd managed to hold on, I'd have punched myself out' - Andy Lee

THE NEW WBO middleweight champion of the world Andy Lee has spoken of his relief at seeing referee Kenny Bayliss step in to stop his bout with Matt Korobov on Satruday night.

Lee – who became the first Irish middleweight in 20 years to claim a world title – fired a vicious right hook that caused his opponent to stumble in the sixth round.

However, despite unleashing a flurry of punches to follow up, it took Bayliss longer than Lee expected to step in and call a halt to proceedings.

“It was a bit of gamble. you’re throwing your punches and hoping you get him out of there,” Lee told the Second Captains podcast.

“If I didn’t stop the fight there, if he had managed to hold and or get through that, I would have punched myself out. It seemed like forever [before the ref stopped the fight].

And even though he’s had more than 48-hours to get used to it, the Limerick fighter is still coming to terms with being called the world’s best.

“I can’t get used to hearing it ‘middleweight champion of the world’.

“It’s still sinking in. It’s a great feeling. We just flew back from Las Vegas – I’m in London at the moment. The whole flight back I was just buzzing. I had to put my music on and, it’s not hard to describe, it’s just joy.

“It’s something I’ve worked all my life for and now I’ve achieved [it] and nobody can ever take that from me.”

In other Lee news, Limerick Council today confirmed the boxer would receive a public homecoming this Wednesday:

You can listen to the full interview here.

Andy Lee wins WBO middleweight world title

Tomorrow’s Andy Lee front page on the Limerick Leader is an absolute gem