Jason Quigley: 'I know that I am world level . . . I know that's where I belong'

In the autumn of 2019, two Irish boxers met for lunch to shoot the breeze.

Jason Quigley and Andy Lee were not just comparing notes. Little did any of them realise, it was actually the start of a blossoming relationship.

Quigley had just suffered a first loss, at the brutal hands of Tureano Johnson in a defence of the NABF middleweight title in California.

If he was unsure as to his next move, Quigley got clarity with his coffee. Something felt right about linking up with Lee, who had retired but had just started coaching the exciting Paddy Donovan.

Their journeys were so similar, their outlooks the same. Soon, Lee would have Quigley in a stable he hadn't intended to have.

“Having him is priceless,” Quigley says as he readies for a first fight in sixteen months and a first bout at the National Stadium in Dublin since he ditched the amateur vest in 2014.

“To hear Andy's story is enough to give anyone the belief that they can do things. Having Andy around me, I'm really thankful. I came back here, we had lunch and we were in the gym the next day. We just had a good conversation. I'm so grateful to have him with me.”

Lee suffered a shock defeat to Brian Vera in his 16th pro fight in Connecticut in 2008. He would avenge that loss three years later, going to Atlantic City to overcome Vera.

In 2012, he was stopped in the seventh round by Julio César Chávez Jr. in El Paso, but a points win over Anthony Fitzgerald began to pave the road to glory.

In December 2014, Lee – now trained by Adam Booth after the harrowing loss of his mentor and Kronk superemo Emanuel Steward in 2012 - famously stopped Matt Korobov in Las Vegas to take the same WBO middleweight title Quigley fought for in November 2021.

Andy Lee

A second round stoppage and a broken jaw in defeat to Demetrius Andrade left Quigley frustrated.

“I didn't get a chance to show that to myself or to anyone in the last fight,” he says.

Lee understands.

He felt those same pangs after Chávez Jr. and needed the Fitzgerald win to ignite the flame.

“When you come from such a high it can be hard,” he says. “It'll be the same for Jason; he will have to find some motivation.”

Lee would've understood had Quigley wanted to hang up the gloves.

Quigley took time to consider his options. When he saw a path back to the top of the sport, he was ready for the hard graft again.

“You have to really want it,” Lee says. “Now is the time. It would be easy for Jason to retire. It is”” easy to become disillusioned and lose faith and belief in yourself. The desire has to be deep inside to reach your goals.”

Quigley has not fought at the National Stadium – where he won ten Irish titles – since May 2013.

A win over Rachid Hamai from France on May 5, 2013 represents his last time to joust at the iconic venue on the South Circular Road.

Over the last year-and-a-bit, Quigley has aided Sheer Sports Management's operations in Ireland with the Los Angeles-based company having recruited Brett McGinty and James McGivern, both of whom fight on Saturday's bill.

Jason Quigley won the Irish Elite middleweight title in 2013. Photo: Sportsfile

Quigley faces Anatoli Hunanyan (9-8-1, 5KOs) in the headline act of the show jointly run by Sheer Sports and Elite Promotions.

“There is a deeper meaning to this fight and me coming back to fight here,” Quigley says.

“Boxing has given me a lot. Professional boxing has been struggling in Ireland and I want to leave it in a better place when the day comes when I do leave it behind – but there are plenty of chapters still there for me.

“I want to make sure that pro boxing in Ireland is in a good place. This partnership is brilliant. We both have the same mindset and the talent Ireland has is second to none, it really is. There is no better place to kick start this ball rolling and we're all really excited. We have some big, exciting things happening for pro boxing.”

Quigley isn't just back to tick a box. The Ballybofey man has made clear he has big intentions.

The Andrade fight in New Hampshire came of the back of an impressive points win over Shane Mosley Jr. in Las Vegas for the NABO middleweight title.

In an ideal world, Quigley and Lee would've preferred another couple of fights to build on their work before taking on a shot at the world crown.

Boxing works in mysterious ways, though. Quigley had waited hard and worked hard for his chance.

Quigley says: “Andy wasn't changing me into a completely different fighter. He was adjusting me, not just technique, but mindset as well.

“It was a work in progress when the Andrade fight came up. It was a hard opportunity to turn down. That's what you get into this sport to do.”

The broken jaw healed and Quigley dabbled in a bit of Gaelic football with Sean MacCumhaills in 2022 as he carefully considered his next move.

He was on duty at the National Stadium in November, at an Elite Promotions show, and was in the arena early.

As he bounced off the ropes and shadow boxed for a few seconds, the mind wandered back and Quigley smiled at a couple of his team at ringside: 'I'd love to fight in here again'.

The bug had bitten him again.

“I had to surround myself in an environment of good, honest people who had my best intentions at heart,” he says of the time away.

“I had to be patient. Losses will either make or break you. It won't break me. It'll make me and you'll see the start of this on Saturday.

“I know that I am world level. I didn't get a chance to show that to myself or to anyone in the last fight. I know that's where I belong. I will be back among that crop of world champions again. This is the first step now. I want to bring one of those major titles back to Ireland again.”