Calling it “a dream come true," Peter Quillin is heading back to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he will challenge southpaw 160-pound titleholder Andy Lee on April 11 in a Premier Boxing Champions bout on NBC.
Peter Quillin will face titleholder Andy Lee at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on April 11.
Quillin (31-0, 22 knockouts) will face Lee (34-2, 24 KOs) in the co-main event, along with a 143-pound catch-weight clash between Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson.
"To be able to fight at home in Brooklyn and win a title on such a big stage is a dream come true," Quillin said. "I'm honored and excited to be a part of something that is great for my career, but also for the sport of boxing as a whole."
It will be Quillin’s third time fighting at Barclays Center. He scored six knockdowns en route to winning a 12-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Hassan N'Dam in October 2012, and floored Fernando Guerrero four times on the way to a seventh-round technical knockout in April 2013.
Quillin made three defenses of the title he won against N'Dam, including a 10th-round TKO of Gabriel Rosado in October 2013, followed by a unanimous decision over Lukas Konecny in April 2014.
Quillin relinquished his title in September rather than face then-undefeated Matt Korobov.
Lee then won the vacated championship by stopping Korobov in the sixth round in Las Vegas in December.
"I know that I’m going to win on April 11 and become champion once again," Quillin said. "Then, I’m going after anyone and everyone at 160 pounds."
Lee has won his past six fights, four of them by knockout, since being stopped in the seventh round by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June 2012.
During that time, Lee has fought twice in the Big Apple, scoring an 87-second KO of Darryl Cunningham in May 2013, and rising from a first-round knockdown for a sensational fifth-round KO of John Jackson at Madison Square Garden in June.
"I'm looking forward to returning to New York and defending my title against Quillin. I'm at the peak of my powers now," Lee said. "I cannot see myself losing to anyone. I want to be recognized as the best [160-pound fighter] in the world, and beating Quillin will go some way to proving that."
- Topics
- Peter Quillin
- Andy Lee
- Lee vs Quillin
