Andy Lee Retires

The middleweight ditched boxing, it didn’t ditch him.

- Elliot Worsell

VERY few boxers get the retirement thing right, but some, you can tell, are destined to call it a day at the perfect time and, better yet, avoid the temptation to return.

Andy Lee is one such boxer.

He announced his retirement from the sport on Tuesday (February 20), having won the WBO world middleweight title in 2014 and built a professional record of 35-3-1. In keeping with Lee’s character, the decision to retire will have been calculated, logical and right, which is why it carries greater weight than most.

“It’s a good feeling,” Lee told Boxing News. “It feels a little sad to say goodbye to a major part of my life. It has defined me and who I am. So it will take some time. But overall I am very happy with what I achieved and what I leave the sport with in terms of the fights I had and the life I had. I can’t complain.

“The plan was to win a world title and then once you achieve that you want to secure your future. I’ve done both of those things. And I’m one of the few people in the world who can say they have lived their dream.”