Big Cowboys Stadium Moment
First-round knockout: Houston boxer Mike Lee levels his foe, adds NFL tailback &Wayne Newton to the entourage
Mike Lee — the Houston-based boxer with the backstory that promoters, journalists and fans alike cannot help but latch onto — enjoyed his biggest night yet on the gigantic stage of Cowboys Stadium.
Lee knocked out his opponent, Keith Debow, just one minute and 33 seconds into their fight Saturday night. And he added two more big names to his burgeoning entourage — former Notre Dame and NFL tailback Ricky Watters and Wayne Newton. Yes, that Wayne Newton.
The connection that drew Watters to Lee's corner is clear. Both Lee and Watters went to Notre Dame, even if the 41-year-old Watters has 18 years on Lee. (You can also bet that Watters didn't study finance, and he certainly was never on the fast track to a career on Wall Street, like Lee). But Newton — Mr. Las Vegas?
Such is life on the rise.
And that's exactly where Lee finds himself, now 3-0 in his young professional career, clearly being groomed to become a big, money-producing name in the boxing world. The man with the Notre Dame finance degree who is fast with numbers and faster with his fists. Lee keeps getting put on the undercard of bigger and bigger fight cards — with Saturday's Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito fight (easily won by Pacquiao) the most significant yet.
If Lee felt the pressure of the ever-increasing expectations, he didn't show it. He wasn't fazed by the monstrous scoreboard and bright lights of Jerry Jones World. He wasn't bothered that Debow was a left-hander. He simply sent the southpaw to the mat with a left-hook, overhand right combination to the head that followed a body shot — barely halfway through the first round.
Soon, Lee will return to Houston to train under former Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield teacher Ronnie Shields at Savannah Boxing Club, in preparation for his next fight. And Wayne will have to go home.
Editor's note: For more on Mike Lee, check out Carolina Astrain's exclusive CultureMap video and story.