By April Drew

Unbeaten middleweight boxer Andy Lee cruised to his sixth win of his professional career after beating New Jersey native Dennis Sharpe on the Wladimir Klitshcko/Calvin Brock undercard at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

Sharpe, 31, who had won 17 of his 22 fights before Saturday, was Lee's toughest opponent to date.

“It was definitely my toughest fight so far but it was a great experience,” said Lee after the fight.

“I didn't box as well as I could have but overall I am pleased with the win and the margin of victory which was a fair reflection as I felt I outclassed him.”

Lee, 22, a native of Co. Limerick, fights out of the Kronk gym in Detroit under legendary trainer Manny Steward. He started the first round with confidence, keeping his opponent at a safe distance with his superior reach, landing his jab at will. As the round progressed Lee upped the tempo with swift jab and cross combinations.

He began the second round working the jabs, and it became clear that his unorthodox southpaw style seemed too much for his opponent to handle.

Sharpe tried to come back, but Lee's speed in the ring and particularly his jab was finding the mark easily keeping his opponent at bay. Lee's significant height advantage also began to show over his smaller opponent Sharpe.

During the third round Lee continued where he left off, catching his opponent with a right hook to the head. Sharpe seemed to be stepping up the pace with some combinations of his own, but again Lee's speed came to the fore and he avoided danger with his powerful right jab that dazed his opponent.

Lee came back into the ring for round four of a scheduled six rounder, with more urgency, as his superiority over his opponent became apparent. A quick start to the round showed that Lee was trying to secure a knockout with his razor-sharp uppercuts and jab. Sharpe was unable to penetrate with more than one punch at a time.

Round five began with Sharpe knowing he was well behind in the fight. He resorted to backing Lee into a corner and throwing numerous wild punches, but it was clear that he was becoming tired.

Lee slipped back off the ropes with speed and continued his assault on his bewildered opponent. Lee's one moment of worry on the night came at the end of this round, when an innocent clash of heads saw him receiving a gash over his right eyebrow.

After Lee was treated for his cut, he entered round six with the intent of finishing the job, although the blood from his cut prevented him from seeing clearly in the final stanza. How-ever, he remained in control of the fight up until the final bell, intelligently keeping his opponent at a distance.

The decision was unanimous from the judges, all three of whom scored the fight 60-54 for the Irishman.

Lee was scheduled to fight again in December, but a decision is pending due to the cut he received over his right eye.

“I don't know at the moment if I'll be fighting my next fight because I need to give his cut above my right eye time to heal so time will tell,” he says.

Lee was in good company in the Garden on Saturday night. The legendary three-time world heavy weight champion Muhammad Ali came to see his daughter win her 21st straight professional bout against Shelly Burton of Montana. Also in attendance at the Garden was actress Lucy Liu, actor Dustin Hoffman, boxing legend Lennox Lewis, and assorted members of the New York Mets.

The feature bout of the evening saw world heavyweight champion, Klitschko retains his title against Brock after a knockout in the seventh round.