While Caleb Plant’s record shines bright, as does his being the super middleweight champion, Mike Lee isn’t that far behind.
Lee will put his unbeaten record on the line when he challenges Plant on Saturday, July 20 as part of the FOX Premier Boxing Championship Fight Night event from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The card serves as a lead-in to the Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman pay-per-view event.
“I have strong belief in my power. I think to put yourself out there and drive through adversity, it’s going to be more mental than physical and god knows I’ve had my ups and downs especially with my illness and being in and out of hospitals. But I’m here now and I’ve won seven fights since I was diagnosed with my auto-immune disease and I’m here doing what people thought I could not do. Whether it’s the boxing media or doctors, I’m defying the odds, so why should July 20 be any different,” Lee said. “What’s kept me going through the ups and downs is the love for this sport and the love for moments like this. I always knew this world title shot would come if I kept grinding and grinding and putting in that work when people weren’t watching. Ultimately, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it on the days that I doubted myself.”
Lee, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, has continued to carry over his success from the classroom to the boxing ring.
“Notre Dame means so much to me. I worked so hard to get into that school and that school gave back so much to me as well. To be a part of that Notre Dame community and have friends like Golden Tate and Justin Tuck, who won Super Bowl rings, I want to be a part of that. I want to be a part of that championship legacy and continue to keep giving back,” Lee said. “I’ve fought on big stages before. I’ve headlined a card at Notre Dame that had 6,000 people. I’ve headlined Chicago fights too, so this is nothing different. It’s not like I’m some unknown challenger coming in to the spotlight. I thrive in the spotlight and have had some big moments since the beginning of my career. This is just another day in the office.
“I think Caleb Plant is going to see a Mike Lee he’s never seen. He’s going to feel that power. He’s talking about knockouts, but he hasn’t knocked anyone out in his past seven fights. Wait until he feels my power. It’ll only take one and you’ll see the doubt that will plant in his head.”