When was the last time a sports crowd cheered for an Asian-American athlete in this city, in this country?
That’s easy.
During the 2011-12 NBA season, Jeremy Lin’s “Linsanity” was sweeping Gotham and the Knicks faithful.
There were Jeremy Lin hats and jerseys with his No. 17 peppering Madison Square Garden. He played in only 35 games, starting 25. Lin’s highlight was dropping 38 and seven dimes in a win over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. He made teammates jealous, got hurt and was gone almost as quickly as he arrived.
But what a run.
Lin, of Taiwanese-American descent, played all 82 games the next year for the Rockets and even picked up a championship ring with the Raptors in 2019.
Now, when is the last time the cheering was for an Asian-American boxer?
Take your time.
Look no farther than Brandun Lee a rising junior welterweight from Yuba City, Calif.
Lee is undefeated at 28-0 with 23 knockouts. Still, it was hard for him to gain respect.
At one point as an amateur, Lee notes, opponents would say, “Let’s fight the young Chinese kid.”
Lee was born to a Korean father and Mexican mom.
It was tough for Lee from Day 1.
“The moment I stepped into the gym,” he says, it was always, “Oh, he’s Korean. He can’t fight.”
Now his prowess as a fighter, especially with his two-fisted power, has started to make a name for himself and the opponents are taking notice.
“I can’t knock everyone out,” he says. “People are starting to take my knockout power very well.”
That’s what happens when the fighters in front of you get better and better.
But Lee faced his first roadblock as he has been on the shelf since April of last year. No, it wasn’t from an injury. With no fights on the horizon and Showtime, his home network leaving boxing, his contract was up with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) run by Al Haymon.
The free agent was scooped up by David McWater, founder and CEO of New York-based Split-T Management and just signed with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions of England
It was an easy choice to sign Lee.
“Why wouldn’t you?” asks McWater who also promotes WBO 140-pound champ Teofimo Lopez Jr. “He’s got to be the top fighter under 25 in the world.
“At 30-0, he’s going to be ready.”
Lee doesn’t turn 26 until April and while he’s nearing a title shot, he still has work to put in.
“He needs at least one [more fight]. He’s been laid off for so long because of the PBC thing,” says McWater.
Lee returns to the ring on July 27 at the O2 Arena in London on the undercard of the heavyweight showdown between Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora with his opponent to be determined.
“It feels different,” he says about fighting overseas though he’s traveled to Thailand and Japan while being inactive to give his body a rest. He’s been fighting since age 6. “I could get a new set of fans.”
Returning to the ring is worth the wait if a title shot comes soon, but he still fights continuing battles.
“It’s still a little like, ‘Let’s go fight the young Chinese guy,’” says Lee. “It doesn’t matter. When it comes to boxing, race doesn’t matter, gangs don’t matter, where you’re from doesn’t matter.
“It’s man-on-man … whoever has the best skill.”
Lee has the skill set with a crowd-pleasing style with some pop. At one point, he stopped 15 straight opponents. He got off the deck in Round 3 against Will Madera in 2022 to show his mettle and captured the 10-round decision.
With all he’s been through, Lee never stops trying to help and support other Asian-Americans who have been wronged.
Back in May 2021, a Filipino named Evan (his family didn’t want his last name used) was playing in a basketball tournament in Oakland and was attacked during a game on the court by another player.
League officials did nothing, but the video from the assault went viral.
Evan, only 14-years old, suffered a concussion.
Lee reached out to find Evan and his family by using his over 150,000 internet followers. This leads to the bigger question, how does one fight racism? How do you change racist or close-minded people?
“You can’t,” Lee declares. “Everyone’s programmed in their own way. It’s best to avoid these people. I don’t argue with stupid.”
“When COVID was at its peak, that’s when that Asian hate was going on,” Lee reveals. “Fortunately, it’s chilled out, but it’s still there. It all depends which areas you go to, which people you’re around, right?”
Lee doesn’t argue with stupid because he was raised properly by his mom and his dad, Bobby, who is also his trainer.
“My father came to America with nothing on his back and worked his way up,” says Lee. “He opened up his own business, built his own custom home and gave my brother and I a life that we’re very grateful for.”
He learned an important life lesson from his father/trainer.
“If you put your heart, if you put your mind to it and work hard, then you can become successful,” Lee says.
His goal is to be a champion, of course, but he already has his eyes on the future. Besides being a full-time boxer, Lee is also a full-time college student.
He earned an Associate’s of Arts degree at College of the Desert and he’s enrolled at California State University, San Bernardino aiming for his BA in criminal justice with future sights set on a master’s in business.
“I have seven more classes and then I’ll receive my bachelor’s,” he proudly reveals.
And the master’s?
“It’s taken me so long to get my bachelors, so maybe, maybe not,” he says, adding, “Maybe I need to [do it] to keep my mind sharp.
“I don’t want to be one of those guys who people are saying, ‘Brandun Lee ran out of money.’ In the next year or two, it’s going to be a good time to start to buy real estate across the U.S.”
He already thinks of a post-fight life while still in the game.
“After boxing, I’d like to use my criminal justice degree. My dream job is to walk around the airport with my dog and check people’s luggage,” he says.
Like a TSA agent? Why?
“I love dogs and love seeing new people every day,” he says with a laugh.
Lee has positioned himself well by signing with Split-T while being right in the middle of two talent-laden divisions.
“They’re both such wide-open divisions right now at 140 and 147,” says McWater. “[Terrence] Crawford is moving up.”
The former undisputed welterweight boss makes his 154-pound debut versus WBA junior middleweight champ Israil Madrimov on Aug. 2 in Los Angeles.
Lee is positioned in the right spot as the main champs at 140 are Devin Haney (WBC in recess), Lopez Jr. (WBO) while at 147 you have Jaron Ennis (IBF).
And don’t forget, there are 135-pound champs who may move up in weight like Gervonta “Tank” Davis (WBA), Shakur Stevenson (WBC), and Vasiliy Lomachenko (IBF).
With all those options, Lee wants to tackle the goal at hand.
“I want to do something at 140 before I move up to 147,” says Lee who is in no hurry because he’s still learning even with 28 bouts under his belt. “We may find our opportunities where we find our opportunities.
“I would like to get more opponents like Pedro Campa,” says Lee. He defeated him in a tough 10-rounder in April 2023, his last bout. He wants to keep fighting, “a top veteran like that. One who has a name, but not yet those world class fighters only because of my age.”
Why rush it?
“I just turned 25 and those top elite guys are in their high 20s or early 30s,” he says.
Lee continues to build on his boxing foundation to win a title no matter what obstacles or slurs are hurled his way.
“There’s a lot of cruel people out in the world and they’re always looking for the weakest link,” Lee says. “As a community, Asian, Black, Mexican, white, it doesn’t matter. Carry yourself with confidence, be proud of who you are, and the ultimate goal is to be happy in life.”
Winning a world title wouldn’t be too shabby either.