By Thomas Gerbasi

Mike Lee wasn’t paying particular attention to the numbers in his win column, but when his Friday fight with Aaron Quattrocchi was dubbed by promoters as “Going for 20-0,” he had to at least acknowledge this potential milestone in his pro boxing career.

“Other people made it more of a big deal than I did in my own head,” Lee said. “I’m the kind of person that won’t be fully satisfied until I get a chance to fight for a world title. That’s why I started and that’s why I’m doing this. So while I’m happy and enjoying the fact that I’m going for 20-0, it’s not the be-all end-all for me.”

He chuckles.

“But 20-0 has a nice ring to it.”

It does, but perhaps the more important numbers are in the rankings of the WBA, IBF and WBO, where Lee currently sits at 13, 12 and 11. That means with a win over Quattrocchi to keep him ranked, he could conceivably get a call at any time to be an optional title defense. After more than seven years as a pro that have been bumpy at times, that’s music to the ears of a 30-year-old who is starting to get to the good stuff.

“Everything from my mindset to the way I’m watching fights to training, now that I’m world-ranked in three of the four organizations, I’m hoping to creep into the top ten after this one, and it means so much more,” he said. “I could be a fight or two away from getting a shot at the title. So everything is amped up. It’s not that I wasn’t already motivated before, but it’s just becoming more real now. I’m progressing the way I’ve wanted to and it’s starting to get really exciting.”

Lee has been stepping up his level of competition in the last year, with a near-shutout win over 21-3 Chris Traietti his biggest victory to date and one where impressed ringsiders with his steady evolution as a boxer.

“A big turning point for me was the Traietti fight,” Lee said. “It was the first time I went 10 rounds and I remember Paulie Malignaggi was calling the fight and he was noticing that I was thinking in there. He said, ‘I like that Mike’s thinking; he’s moving, he’s using angles.’ And that means a lot to me. The Traietti fight was a big move for me and I started building from that. So I can feel it. I know the combinations are coming together, my reflexes are getting better, and everything is getting stronger and faster, and most importantly, smarter. I think early in my career I just went out there and used my athleticism and just bullied guys and got knockouts. But as you move up, fighters are smarter and I’ve just become a lot smarter fighter.”

Now he needs to put it all together and keep moving, because now that he’s in the top 15, that call can come at anytime for a big fight. For a fighter like Lee, that prospect has him more excited than ever about his career, but it can also be something that can take his eye off what’s in front of him. So while he is only entering his 20th pro fight, a loss would be crippling right now, so he’s not breaking out tape on the 175-pound contenders and champions just yet.

“There are definitely times when I do that,” he laughs. “And then I need to reel it back, especially right now, because I only have one guy to worry about on September 15 and that’s it. It sounds corny and cliché, but that’s how I’ve got to focus on this – one fight at a time. Whether it’s two fights or five fights until I get a shot at the world title, if I’m overlooking anybody, that’s a big mistake. I know that from playing football and baseball. You have to focus on the opponent in front of you.”

That opponent, West Virginia’s Quattrocchi (10-1-1, 5 KOs) is coming off the first loss of his career to Travis Reeves via second round knockout last November. He’s not expected to spoil Lee’s Illinois homecoming, but the idea that beating someone like Lee will get plenty of media attention and a big fight is an attractive idea, one shared by everyone that stepped between the ropes with the former Subway pitchman.

“It was the same as a lot of Notre Dame football seasons,” said the ND graduate. “People felt that beating Notre Dame when they were doing well was so huge it was like a win for their season. I don’t worry too much about that, but I do know in the back of my head that I got a lot of notoriety turning pro with Top Rank and getting Subway commercials, and I’m also 19-0. Everybody wants to spoil that party.”

So what’s to keep them from doing it?

“They don’t want this as bad as I want this,” Lee said. “I’ve gone through a lot of pain and injuries and many times I could have quit, but I didn’t and I’m here. I’ll do whatever it takes to win. People who know me, know that. I know that on the 15th I’m gonna be the faster, stronger, more athletic, smarter fighter. But most importantly, I know that he doesn’t want it as bad as I want it, and he’ll find that out.”