Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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talent patrol Chicago native Mike Lee hopes a hometown bout is in his future. in his next fight on June 8. The match will take place at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and be broad- cast nationwide as part of ESPN's Friday Night Fights. His star may be rising, but Lee hasn't InsIght from his time as a pit runner at the Chicago forgotten his roots: He has fond memories Recognize his face? Lee recently starred in Subway's "Famous Fans" campaign alongside other pro athletes like swimmer Michael Phelps and NBA All-Star Blake Griffin. mike lee A 64 michiganavemag.com Board of Trade—a gig that surely honed his sparring skills—where he interned for Iowa Grain and EHedger. Lee also has found a way to put his experi- ence in finance to good use, taking an active role in his contracts and negotiations. "Anything that has to do with my personal finances or well-being, I've been involved with," he says. "That's important, knowing that I'm not someone who can be taken advantage of, even though I'm young." While Lee is betting on his future—he aspires to be the world light heavyweight champion—he also is realistic. "There is a blueprint," Lee says. "Whether or not it goes how we planned it, you never know. There are going to be speed bumps along the road." THE WHEATON NATIVE IS PACKING HIS PUNCH AND STEPPING INTO THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT. by chris silva fter graduating from the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, Mike Lee decided to take his role as a "Fighting Irishman" seriously and pursue a career in professional boxing. For the past two years, Lee has been working with revered trainer Ronnie Shields, whose clientele has included Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. Under Shields's tutelage, Lee has amassed an 8-0 record, including five knockouts, a record he plans to defend in front of a national TV audience To be the best will require plenty of sacrifice, some- thing the 24-year-old thus far has embraced. Since turning pro in January 2010, he's spent time away from his family in Wheaton to live and train in Houston, where he has relinquished any semblance of a regular social life in order to refine his craft; he even has had to deny the occasional craving for deep-dish pizza and Italian beef sandwiches. And he misses his morning runs along Lake Michigan. "I love running along the lake and seeing the skyline," Lee says. "It's my hometown so I have a lot of pride in that. When I have been home in between training camps, I run the lake, and it really brings me back. I'm excited for the next time, hopefully soon, when I get to fight back home and do the same thing." MA photography by felix sanchez