Patience was the key attribute shown by Andy Lee on Saturday night last in front of a home crowd that saw him win out a points victory against the European Union Middleweight Champion in Affif Belghecham at UL Arena.
Although the title was not on the line, this win should move Andy into a better position to make inroads to challenging for a European or World title at some stage next year.
Over 2,000 people turned out at the Limerick venue to see Lee command the ring from the very first round as he used his reach and range to keep the French champion at bay. The Limerick Southpaw effectively used his strong jab to pin back the 35-year-old Belghecham. Taking almost two minutes of the opening round to throw his first punch, the French man almost seemed resigned to going the distance in this bout.
However, the French Algerian southpaw began to find points of attack as the fight moved into the later rounds and forcing Lee out of a rhythm where he controlled the fight.
Not known for his power, but more so his technical ability and lightening fast footwork, Lee landed several body shots that rattled Belghecham in the fifth and sixth rounds.
As the fight moved to the seventh and eight rounds, it was felt that the Castleconnell man had a clear points lead from his earlier controlled performance.
This brought Belghecham out of his defensive shell as he searched for a knockout punch throwing some big hits that landed beyond Lee’s guard.
Searching for his 20th career win and aiming to mark another excellent night of sport for the Limerick crowd, Lee countered the big hits of the French man with some powerful shots of his own and thus soaked the attack of the European Union Champion.
In a well fought battle, Lee saw out the win on a points decision in his favour with the referee scoring the bout 99-92.
Lee will now take some time off after what he noted as a tricky and difficult fight but still felt good enough to go another 10 rounds by the end of the bout.
The Limerickman thanked the crowd, Brian Peters Promotions and the sponsors who allowed him come home for another victory in his career.
Chants of “Andy Lee, Andy Lee, Andy Lee” rang out as the night drew to a close on another positive chapter in the career of this rising star.
Lee’s victory, that moves him to 11th in the active world middleweight rankings, was the final chapter in a successful night for the Limerick boxers as both Jamie Power and an impressive Willie Casey won their bouts in front of a buoyant home crowd.
