There was a time when Lee Cutler would lace up his boots, wrap his hands, and look around in awe and disbelief at what his life was like and where it had taken him.
Originally from the small town of Verwood in Hampshire, England, he moved to the coastal town of Poole, about 20 miles away, which is famous for its stunning beaches but not famous for boxing.
As a fledgling professional player, Cutler must hit the road, fight, sparring, and look for opportunities.
But in 2023, he joined the famed McGuigan gym, home to champions Carl Frampton, David Haye, George Groves, Josh Taylor and countless others. Cutler trains with Sean McGuigan’s No. 2 Josh Pritchard, a skilled former boxer who ended his 5-0 career with Changes in brain scans shortened his career as a coach.
Cutler was one of his star students who trained with McGuigan and his students, including WBC lightweight champion Caroline Dubois, IBF and WBO featherweight champion Ellie Scotney, Former light heavyweight world title challenger Craig Richards and undefeated 140-pound prospect Adam Azim.
Importantly, the former WBO lightweight champion is also on the stable Chris Billam SmithCutler boxed with him as an amateur boxer on the South Coast. They are good friends, now roommates in London and gym camp mates, both commuting from their homes in Dorset, about 100 miles away.
When Cutler first joined McGuigan, he wasn’t sure where he belonged. One blemish on his record is that he has been employed by some of the top names in the country, boxing, bankrolling bouts with the likes of Conor Benn and Chris Eubank.
That’s certainly why Cutler’s last opponent, Stephen McKenna, referred to Cutler as a “sparring partner” who was hired to be a walk-on rather than star in his own movie.
McKenna’s hypothesis and implication was that Cutler was sent to take the sticks away from Benn and Eubank, and that the McGuigans mounted him simply to withstand regular bombardment from the lightning-fast Azim.
But at McGuigan Arena, fueled by his surroundings and the attention Pritchard gave him, Cutler scored a breakthrough victory last month, defeating the highly touted McKenna twice in a thrilling , a shocking upset victory. McKenna compiled a 15-0 record (14 KOs) in his “home” corner at Liverpool.
Cutler is a 7/2 underdog. He has been inactive, largely due to issues outside the ring, and while the matchup looks attractive on paper, Mick Hennessy-promoted McKenna is expected to win.
The problem is, Cutler hasn’t read any scripts, and he can no longer be typecast as just a sparring partner.
Boxing McKenna’s co-presenter on Sky Sports at the Liverpool Exhibition Center was his way of showing he belonged. He belongs in the gym of McGuigan and other champions. He belongs to those gyms that have been to with big stars where he can hold his own. Now, he finally has a platform to showcase himself.
“To be fair, I think I was a sparring partner,” the 29-year-old admitted.
“When I’m here [near Bournemouth]we are traveling. This is how I learn, hit the road, sparring, etc. But since joining McGuigan’s gym, I’ve stopped posting pictures with people [from sparring] Because I thought I was on their level and I was a fan before and I was just there like, ‘Oh, let’s take a picture with these guys. ‘Now I don’t do that. “
Cutler currently has a record of 15-1 (7 KOs). Eubank Jr. actually took the last sparring photo when asked he One of them, too, is former lightweight and heavyweight champion David Haye.
“It was his birthday and he said, ‘Lee, jump in the ring and let’s take a picture together,'” Cutler added. “That’s how I see myself now. I’m not a fan who just hangs out with them. That’s what I say to Stevie [McKenna]. I was like, ‘You call me a sparring partner, but you’re the one who gets noticed in America and posts about who you’re sparring with every day.’ ‘
“In the gym I’m at, I’ve adopted that mentality and moved away from the sparring partner mentality.”
However, in 2024, things sometimes didn’t go his way. There was even a period when Cutler felt lost and isolated, and he considered bringing boxing into the mix. Cutler co-owns The Revolution, a gym in Ringwood that focuses on Hyrox and also has a boxing area where Lee can coach clients.
Last year, Cutler ran into some obstacles trying to secure a fight date. His name is associated with Junaid Boston, Sam Edgington and Ishmael Davis, in no particular order. An injury sustained during a boxing match kept him out for some time. Then, it looked like he might fight the Boston Celtics, only to draw attention to himself with a fight at middleweight against Connor Coyle, who has an attractive WBA rating. Cutler then seemed likely to fight O’Hara Davis on an October bill headlined by Azim, but a later shakeup brought light heavyweight contender Anthony Yarde into the mix. Cutler continued to wait. Ultimately, he held out until a week before Christmas for his first of the year, but he’s now grateful for it.
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We chatted in Cutler’s gym on a cold, crisp winter day. Wearing shorts and a long-sleeved top, he prepared to go for a run while continuing to look forward to his new date. Cutler believes that if his boxing career doesn’t take off, his future could be in this gym. Instead, the victory over McKenna provided a satisfying reward for Cutler during what was undoubtedly a struggling and challenging period.
“It’s been a tough year,” he explained. “It seemed like one thing after another and it was stressful, but I stayed consistent in the gym. I just stayed consistent and kept improving. And then it started showing up in my sparring and other things. McKenna’s The war was talked about earlier in the year but for some reason it didn’t happen but I’m glad it didn’t happen. And then it happened when it was supposed to happen. “I’m in a good position going into 2025.”
When Billam-Smith left camp and Cutler was alone in London, away from family and friends, he was in a low mood. Away from his own gym. He was in trouble financially. Then there were injuries.
“There was a point where I thought, ‘I don’t even know if I want to box anymore. I don’t know if I want this. Obviously, I’ve built a gym and we’re in it now and I thought, ‘I can Go home, spend some time in the gym, start making some money’ because boxing just didn’t feel like it was for me,” he recalled. “When I fight in December 2023 [defeating Kingsley Egbunike]and I was like, ‘Okay, this is it now. I just won the English championship. Everything starts from here. And that never seemed to happen. I just feel like… I’m in the gym all the time. I felt like I was wasting time and money, but I’m so grateful for it now because it helped me get through some of the hardest parts of my life. I’ve never experienced anything difficult in my life, but that was probably the hardest part, being away from home, away from family, away from friends, and holding on to this dream that I’ve always wanted since I was 15 years old.”
Now, Cutler looks back with gratitude for his struggles, the tough days, the investments and the faith others showed in him.
Still, going into McKenna’s game as an underdog – despite the team on the sidelines, with Byram Smith, Azim, McGuigan et al – Cutler wasn’t nervous; on the contrary, he felt like it was now It’s his time to shine; to prove he belongs.
“I took a lot of pressure off myself because I had a weird feeling. I was having a bad year and things were going on around me. I was under a lot of pressure at the beginning of the year. I was under pressure in that stable , I had to perform well, and then to be thrown in there with a guy who I immediately saw as a loser was a lot of pressure, but then I started performing better and better in the gym and I was like, ‘No, we’re here. Let’s do it now. ‘I don’t care who I fight.”
That shift was evident against McKenna, who he tackled to the ground a few times while also making some great defensive plays.
“I know how good I am,” Cutler continued, visibly emboldened. “I know the lads I train with and I get along better than anyone. Me and Adam had a falling out [Azim] I watched Adam bashing the big shot. Then they put me and Adam in there together, and it was a good sparring match. Don’t get me wrong, he hardly loses to anyone, and I still have a hard time beating him in a round because he’s so fast, but it’s more competitive than what I’ve seen him do to everyone else. So I started to gain confidence, and then I started fighting Steve, and I just felt like…the pressure was all gone. I was like, ‘I’m going to show tonight how good I am. ‘”
The only loss on Cutler’s record was a first-round stoppage loss to Brad Rea in 2021, nine games ago. But Cutler explained that this was a nutrition and training issue, not a chin issue. Although Cutler moved up in weight at middleweight, he was more uncomfortable than his current weight of 154 pounds. Now, despite losing some weight since then, he’s stronger, fitter and bigger than his previous 160 pounds.
Against Rhea, he recalled: “I felt absolutely nothing after the weigh-in.”
Nervousness meant he didn’t refuel either. That night, he caught a cold and was subsequently written off.
McKenna, 15-0 (14 KOs), barely batted an eyelid as punches bounced off him last month, and Cutler said he has yet to be injured in the fight. In fact, even after defeating the Irishman, Cutler was declared a rioter by Billam-Smith for appearing too complacent during the spell.
But then, photos emerged of Cutler with the rest of the team, and finally, he felt like he’d earned his spot alongside them. No imposter syndrome. He was with his people and they were excited for him.
High-profile fighters visit McGuigan’s gym every month hoping to fight them. Cutler watched them come and go. Sean’s needs require a solid team of quality talent to create balance and consistency, rather than struggling like some A-list stars regardless of their talent. But Cutler retained his spot despite his inaction.
“I started doubting myself a lot,” he recalls, referring to the difficult months of last year. “I was like, I shouldn’t be in the position I’m in. I was like, ‘I don’t deserve to be in this position right now, even though I want it.'” I ran a good race. I won the English title and so on, but I had world champions around me. “
That’s not even counting the other people who have walked through the doors of McGuigan’s gym.
“I just thought, I’m not far from any of this [Frampton, Haye, Groves…]. Like, I don’t deserve to be here. So, in one fight, in a co-main event, I was the underdog, but being able to breeze through it, in my mind, kind of gives me a foothold in the gym now. But I also feel like I’ve always felt a part of it because I think everyone likes me and it’s a great gym. I’m friendly with everyone, but now I do feel like I deserve to be there in terms of boxing. “
This win is also a testament to the hard work Pritchard puts into his students.
“We’ve been really close over the last year and he’s become a great partner to me and hopefully he’ll be proud of me on December 14th,” Cutler added. “Hopefully it shows all the hard work he’s put in. Obviously, he lost his license early in his career, so hopefully he can have a little bit of success through me now.” He spent a lot of time working with Sean, learning how Shaw Grace’s way and imparted all of this to me, I hope that shines through and I’m really grateful for the time and effort he put into me. “
Cutler’s not unreasonable dream of starring in a Bournemouth game has been achieved by Billam-Smith, as has Cutler’s promoter at Boxxer, Ben Shalom. This ambition has been outlined.
Cutler wants a big fight. He wants a big chance because he has shown that he is no longer just A sparring partner, but also a boxer who belongs at the top level of boxing.
