Kronk, Fury And Donovan - Inside The Mind Of Andy Lee

IBF welterweight world title: Lewis Crocker v Paddy Donovan

Venue: Windsor Park, Belfast Date: Saturday, 13 September

Coverage: Live connected BBC Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra 2, pinch unrecorded matter commentary connected BBC Sport website and app

The late, awesome Emanuel Steward erstwhile said, "I've ne'er had a combatant that I've rated higher," erstwhile speaking of an up-and-coming Andy Lee.

A prophecy that nan 21-year-old who had arrived astatine Steward's Kronk gym successful Detroit would spell connected to triumph world honours came to walk erstwhile Lee stopped Matt Korobov for nan WBO middleweight title successful 2014 - 2 years aft his venerable trainer's passing.

In immoderate ways, location are parallels to Steward's mentoring of Lee and nan domiciled that nan Limerick native, 41, has pinch Paddy Donovan who will return connected Lewis Crocker for nan vacant IBF welterweight title astatine Belfast's Windsor Park connected Saturday night.

Lee, a 2nd relative of Tyson Fury, has been a portion of nan coaching squad for nan 'Gypsy King' connected immoderate of nan large nights against Deontay Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk, but connected Saturday, he plans to beryllium celebrating his first world champion.

Following his status arsenic a prizefighter, a move to coaching was not rather inevitable, but a glimpse of nan past amateur Donovan convinced him to guideline nan fortunes of his chap Limerick man and personnel of nan Irish Travellers organization whom he felt had nan X-factor that Steward erstwhile saw successful him.

"We sat successful 2019 and I could spot nan imaginable correct away," Lee said of 'The Real Deal' who mislaid his first conflict pinch Crocker successful March by measurement of disqualification for punching aft nan doorbell erstwhile up connected each 3 cards.

"It'll beryllium bully to person Paddy, nan first 1 I started with, becoming nan first 1 to do it (win a world title). Not that I expected it this way, but it's good. A Limerick man and a Traveller for illustration myself, truthful it's great.

"For young Travellers retired location and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, if you tin travel from wherever we came from and go world champions successful this sport, you tin do it anywhere."

Once upon a time, Lee was nan young hopeful, caller from nan 2004 Olympic Games successful Athens wherever he was Ireland's sole boxing representative.

Until that point, his travel had taken him from London, wherever he began astatine nan famed Repton club, to St Francis Boxing Club successful Limerick erstwhile his family opted to relocate backmost to Castleconnell erstwhile he was aged 14.

Following nan Athens Games, Lee had caught nan attraction of Steward who signed nan gangly southpaw to guarantee Detroit was his adjacent destination.

Keen to make an early impression, Lee famously arrived consecutive disconnected nan formation crossed nan Atlantic and requested nan opportunity to spar. Initially reluctant, Steward acceded to his wish and watched nan newcomer, wearing borrowed boots and gloves, much than held his ain against an established prima successful Cornelius Bundrage.

Thus began a narration that was deeper than coach and combatant - an attack Lee employs pinch his ain fighters which see Donovan, heavyweight Joseph Parker, Hamzah Sheeraz and Ben Whittaker.

"The power of Emanuel, extracurricular of my parents, is astir apt nan biggest successful my life because I lived pinch him each those years. He cooked my nutrient and did my laundry," Lee recalled.

"Emanuel grew maine for that level from nan commencement of my career. I travelled pinch him doing HBO [commentary successful nan United States], watched nan fights and was successful campy pinch [Wladimir] Klitschko, Jermain Taylor and each of nan large fighters.

"Emanuel built a batch of assurance successful his fighters. If he praised you, you were complete nan moon. I effort to do nan aforesaid pinch these fighters and get to cognize them arsenic people, find retired what makes them tick. You person specified friendly relationships pinch each of them arsenic you train."

Just arsenic Lee trained and sometimes sparred heavyweight king Klitschko, Donovan spent his first campy successful nan institution of Fury, learning nan tricks of nan waste and acquisition wrong and extracurricular of nan ropes which person prepared him for his large nighttime connected Saturday.

In boxing, arsenic successful life, location are ups and downs pinch Lee losing his first world title opportunity erstwhile stopped by Julio Chavez Jr successful 2012, conscionable months earlier his awesome mentor succumbed to colon cancer.

It was nether nan tutelage of Adam Booth that Lee scaled nan upland pinch a highlight-reel knockout of John Jackson preceding nan title triumph against Korobov.

As overmuch arsenic nan methods and lessons of Steward person moulded him arsenic a coach, truthful excessively person those learnt nether Booth and nan coaches who guided him arsenic an amateur.

"When I look backmost astatine my life, being pinch awesome coaches for illustration Nicholas Cruz Hernandez, Zaur Antia, Billy Walsh, Gary Keegan, past Emanuel, SugarHill [Steward], Joey Gamache, Adam Booth to decorativeness my profession - you prime up truthful much," he acknowledged.

"I still do nan training pinch these guys that I did pinch Adam, each nan beingness circuits."

That unchangeable has been increasing successful number and stature pinch Lee helping heavyweight Parker get his profession backmost connected way pinch immoderate eye-catching wins against Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, while Sheeraz and Whittaker person sought retired his services to get them to nan summit.

The Ballybrack Boxing Club successful Dublin is simply a affirmative situation arsenic nan wins support building, and Lee is assured Donovan tin lead nan measurement pinch nan first world title for his team.

"I conscionable look astatine him now and spot a world champion.

"The awesome fighters person an aura astir them, really they transportation themselves, and I tin spot that successful Paddy. By going retired there, being focused and disciplined, he will win."