Irish middleweight Andy Lee has admitted that he will be "proud" to defend his WBO title in front of his home fans in Limerick.
Lee makes the first defence of his world crown against Billy Joe Saunders at Thomond Park on September 19, and the London-born fighter has revealed that he will be fulfilling a dream by walking out in front of an Irish crowd as a world champion.
The 31-year-old told reporters: "I have driven past this stadium countless times and I've always dreamed of fighting here. As soon as I won the world title in December, my thoughts immediately turned to defending it at Thomond Park.
"This will be a global event that will be seen all over the world and I will be very proud to put Limerick on that stage. It's an honour and I hope that it goes some way to repaying all of the support that I have received over the years.
"I'm fighting one of the best middleweights in the world. He's British, European and Commonwealth champion, he's undefeated, and he's been number one contender for a long time. He brings a big challenge and I will be doing everything in my power to hold on to my belt."
Lee won the title by stopping Matt Korobov in December, before he got off the canvas to draw with Peter Quillin in a non-title contest in April.
Darren Plant
