Virgin Islands came out strong and pinned his opponent against the ropes. Sensing he could end the fight, he began to unload but as he wound up to throw a right, Andy Lee uncoiled a perfect counter right hand which felled Jackson like a tree. Referee Benjy Esteves jnr took one look at the motionless Jackson on the canvas and waived the fight off. A delighted but more likely relived Lee celebrated with trainer Booth and he now moves onwards to a possible title shot.
In the nights other bouts Junior Middleweight Jorge Melendez was shocked by late replacement Javier Maciel. The Puerto Rican bomber, who was originally supposed to face Yuri Foreman, was sucked into a slugfest with the Argentinian. Whilst Melendez stood his ground it was his opponent who had the sharper work and dictated the pace of the fight.
A fourth round which saw Melendez docked a point for repeated low blows & then be put down by a right hand made his task even more difficult and though the full ten rounds were about as close as they come he entered the final stanzas of the contest knowing a knockout was probably required. With Maciel working the body in the
Wilfredo Vazquez Jr was on the end of a split decision loss to former foe Marvin Sonsona. The Filipino almost ended the contest in the first with a vicious hook to the body, yet the man from Bayamon, Puerto Rico managed to rise to knees and then set about turning the fight into a gruelling battle. The contest wasn’t one for the purists with referee Steve Willis having to step in on more than a dozen times with low blows and clashes of heads littering the contest.
In the end it was Sonsona who came out on top, (96-92; 96-92; 92-96) to exact revenge for the loss he suffered 4 years prior.
On the undercard Andy Lee produced one of boxings greatest comebacks and knockouts when defeating John Jackson – son of former world champion Julian Jackson.
In his first fight as a light-middleweight things got off to the worst possible start for the man from Limerick, hitting the canvas following a heavy overhand right. Lee, who relocated his life and training base two years ago, showed grit and determination to get up from the first knockdown of his career. Despite getting up things didn’t fare much better in the 2nd round, Jacksons superior speed causing the Irishman plenty of problems.
Though he managed to find some success in the 3rd he was struggling to get any foot hold in the contest, Jackson upsetting his rhythm with his constant change of stance and the right overhand right found its target repeatedly.
As the fight entered the fifth, Lee was behind on all three judges’ scorecards 39-36 and it looked like he was going to get stopped as the man from the
latter stages, he managed to hold Melendez off for unlikely majority decision victory.
“I had to come from adversity, which makes this win all the sweeter,” said Lee. “He fought well and he is a strong kid. He was coming on in the fifth, but I caught him with a peach, and that was the equaliser.”