The first televised fight was the middleweight championship bout between Irishman Andy Lee and Brooklynite/Middleweight champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin.
The first round started out with Quillin dropping the Irishman on the seat of his pants with a looping right hand, while avoiding Lee’s right hook with 30 seconds left in the round. The Irishman seemed hurt but stood his ground as Quillin attacked with a few seconds left in the round. Andy was wobbled again, but the ropes held him up. The referee was very gracious in not counting again and giving Peter credit for another knock down.
It seemed as if Quillin was on his way to securing another win on his record, but we have seen Andy Lee in this position before with less dangerous opponents. Lee was able to come back with his hail mary right hook. This was a spot where he had been before, but fans and his corner probably would rather not be in. Quillin dominated much of the early rounds staying out of reach of Lee’s punches and dropping him again in the third round, while Andy complained of having tangled his feet with Quillin.
Quillin seemed on his way to securing another win in his hometown by finding his range with his right hand, and keeping Lee on a short leash. Then, as drama always unfolds in the squared circle, in the seventh round Quillin realized Lee might have some Irish luck in his fists. Lee dropped Quillin with a right hook that got his attention, but did not hurt him completely. As Quillin managed to survive and continue fighting, Andy now had made the point that he was not coming into this Brooklyn night quietly.
The fight continued to shift a bit into Lee’s favor as Quillin seemed to lose steam. Many of his critics had pointed this out before, stating what would happen if he ran out of gas against the ultimate comeback kid. As the fight progressed, Lee seemed to even out the score cards and ultimately secured himself into a decision. A decision that did not hurt either fighter, but did take away a win that few critics believed Quillin deserved.
In the end, both fighters came out on top with a draw. Whether you call it a hometown decision for Peter Quillan, or a luck of the Irish decision, it would be interesting to see who each would face next in this talent rich Middleweight division.