Andy Lee’s first title defence to take place in Dublin on week of St Patrick’s day

As if we didn't need enough reasons to get merry around Paddy's Day.

It's been revealed in today's Daily Star that Andy Lee will attempt to defend his WBO middleweight title in Dublin, sometime in mid-March. Lee will take on Danish standout Patrick Nielsen at the 3Arena and while a date is yet to be set in stone, it's understood that it's been narrowed down to either Saturday March 14 or 21 with the earlier date the more likely. The fight is reported to be worth a whopping €250,000 to the 30-year-old Limerick fighter who earned his title with a TKO victory over Matt Korobov in Vegas last month. Mandatory challenger Billy Joe Saunders was thought to be Lee's first defence but their meeting always had the potential to be delayed if both camps mutually agreed to it. The likely outcome of this turn of events is that, presuming Lee defends his title against Nielsen, the Irish southpaw will fulfill a dream by making his second defence against Saunders in Thomond Park in the summer.