Just as Lee trained and sometimes sparred heavyweight king Klitschko, Donovan spent his first camp in the company of Fury, learning the tricks of the trade inside and outside of the ropes which have prepared him for his big night on Saturday.
In boxing, as in life, there are ups and downs with Lee losing his first world title opportunity when stopped by Julio Chavez Jr in 2012, just months before his great mentor succumbed to colon cancer.
It was under the tutelage of Adam Booth that Lee scaled the mountain with a highlight-reel knockout of John Jackson preceding the title win against Korobov.
As much as the methods and lessons of Steward have moulded him as a coach, so too have those learnt under Booth and the coaches who guided him as an amateur.
“When I look back at my life, being with fantastic coaches like Nicholas Cruz Hernandez, Zaur Antia, Billy Walsh, Gary Keegan, then Emanuel, SugarHill [Steward], Joey Gamache, Adam Booth to finish my career – you pick up so much,” he acknowledged.
“I still do the training with these guys that I did with Adam, all the physical circuits.”
That stable has been growing in number and stature with Lee helping heavyweight Parker get his career back on track with some eye-catching wins against Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, while Sheeraz and Whittaker have sought out his services to get them to the summit.
The Ballybrack Boxing Club in Dublin is a positive environment as the wins keep building, and Lee is confident Donovan can lead the way with the first world title for his team.
“I just look at him now and see a world champion.
“The great fighters have an aura about them, how they carry themselves, and I can see that in Paddy. By going out there, being focused and disciplined, he will win.”
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