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Boxing

28th Dec 2014

WBO put Andy Lee on the clock over first title defence

New champion has two weeks to strike deal on fight with Billy Joe Saunders

Gareth Makim

It’s been a great Christmas for Andy Lee but it’s back to business for the new WBO middleweight champion.

Lee has been given an ultimatum from the WBO to sort out the details of his first title defence, which will come against British contender Billy Joe Saunders.

Saunders is the mandatory challenger for the belt, which Lee won with a knockout of Matt Korobev in Las Vegas earlier this month, and the Irishman’s camp have until January 12 to negotiate the details of the fight before a purse bid is ordered.

Lee is desperate to fight in Ireland, either in Limerick or Dublin, and Saunders’ promoter Frank Warren is keen to make that a reality, but failure to reach an agreement would take the decision out of Lee’s hands.

 

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Andy Lee