Limerick's WBO World middleweight champion Andy Lee defends his crown against undefeated Brit Billy Joe Saunders at the home of Munster Rugby next month, and in case you weren't already excited, this behind-the-scenes monologue has us boxing the ears off each other at Balls HQ.
The eloquent southpaw's newly rediscovered, cold and calculated approach in the ring is often echoed in his musings on the sport he practices at an elite level, and this is no different:
In life, when you have a fight on the street it's an instant thing, because someone's hurt you or upset you or injured you in some way, and it's a reaction- pure emotion.
Lee says.
But for two men to say, 'oh, hello, good to meet you, let's sign a contract and in six weeks we're going to fight in a certain venue,' it's an unnatural thing because there's not that emotion. There's not that instant there, you know? There's nothing personal there.
In saying that, there is an anticipation because you know the date's there, and you've built towards it.
And with that, the adrenaline comes because you know you're getting closer to this one moment that you've been waiting for for months, and usually there's a lot on the line. Not just your health, but money and prestige.
The newly-emerged footage provides a brilliant insight into the mind of Lee as a fighter, before he is pictured emerging from his dressing room sporting the Kronk colours ahead of his victory over Anthony Fitzgerald in 2013 - over a year before he claimed the world belt:
A fight is something that's going to happen- it's going to take place. And it's going to exist for the rest of your life.
It's going to be played and replayed, and it's going to be on the internet, it's going to be on video. It's only ever going to happen once but you're going to have to re-live it a million times.
That shot of Lee shadow-boxing in the tunnel as he's being told to soak up the 'Olé Olé Olé'-filled atmosphere genuinely made me punch the Balls whiteboard.
Roll on September 19th in Thomond Park.
[video: Luke Reardon]
