The Irish have long had a proud boxing tradition, and even though John Duddy is a fine, entertaining fighter with plenty of good reasons for fans to cheer, the real next Irish star isn't Duddy -- it's middleweight counterpart Andy Lee, born in London but residing in Limerick.
Lee fought eight times in 2007, and blew everyone out of the water. Under Manny Steward's tutelage, the southpaw bomber is being fast tracked. Steward thinks Lee has the tools to beat Kelly Pavlik right now, but that's going to wait a while. Do expect to see Lee on the HBO undercard for Pavlik's fight against Welshman Gary Lockett on June 7, though.
This kid is the real deal, and you won't find a prettier right hook than the one that destroyed former contender Carl Daniels last March 16 at Madison Square Garden. Woof.