Middleweight Andy Lee (20-1) beat France's Affif Belghecham (19-4-1) on points at the University Arena in Limerick on Saturday night.

Lee used his reach and jab to good effect for the vast majority of the fight, but he got involved in a brawl in the final two rounds to give his hometown fans a scare. 

The New York-based fighter got tagged in the final seconds of the fight, but managed to hold on for the final bell.

Lee emerged from the fight unscathed and with a 99-92 points victory under his belt, the 25-year-old can look forward to bigger fights in 2010.