Andy Lee beats Matt Korobov to win vacant WBO middleweight belt

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Andy Lee clinched the vacant WBO world middleweight title with a sixth-round stoppage victory against Russian Matt Korobov in Las Vegas.

Lee, 30, who was born in London and represented won the belt in his 36th professional contest.

He landed a right hook in the sixth and followed that with more punches before referee Kenny Bayliss stopped the bout.

This victory sets up a contest between Lee and Billy Joe Saunders.

The Englishman, who beat Chris Eubank Jr on a split decision last month, is the mandatory challenger for the WBO title and that fight could take place in Ireland.

Korobov, 31, suffered the first defeat of his 25-fight professional career, while Lee has now won 34 of his 36 fights, with 24 of those victories coming inside the distance.