ANDREW Selby is the new British flyweight champion after beating Louis Norman on points at the Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff.

All three judges gave St Joseph’s fighter Selby the verdict by handsome margins of 119-110, 120-109 and 120-109.

Selby’s success came in only his fifth outing as a pro and just seven months into his career in the paid ranks, a record for a Welsh boxer in claiming a Lonsdale Belt.

After a solid first round, Selby got into his stride more in the second, although Norman showed good speed around the ring.

That was until he was caught by stinging right hand that got Selby’s supporters on their feet.

The Welshman continued his assault up to the bell, landing several sweet shots that had Norman in trouble.

His quick hands make Selby such a dangerous fighter and the right again proved profitable in the third.

Norman’s face was already beginning to mark up, but he stuck to his task manfully going into the fourth.

Eager to impress his fans, Selby remained on the front foot, not giving Norman any time to settle.

Selby switched his attention to the body more in round five and on more than one occasion unleashed a combination of punches that put his rival under pressure.

You could tell by the look on Selby’s face that he was enjoying the fight, the former Olympian clearly keen to show what he could do.

Although on top, Selby hadn’t managed to deliver a blow that looked like it could end the fight, and that was still the case as the seventh round got underway.

As the pace inevitably slowed, Norman found a way through the Selby defences, albeit fleetingly.

Towards the end of the seventh both men caught each other in a blur of swinging fists.

Norman was certainly gaining confidence as the bout wore on, with even a smile coming across his face as the eighth drew to a close.

After pointing at his own chin as if showing his opponent where to hit him, Selby caught Norman with a crunching body shot in the ninth, before following it up with more punishment.

The next was Selby’s after a bit of showboating, but as the 11th round started it was clear to see that Norman had made some impression on the Welshman, whose left eye had begun to swell up.

Both boxers embraced as they got the final round going, and the pair still looked like they had plenty left in the tank.

The fight was stopped momentarily for Norman’s gum shield to be retrieved from the canvas, after which cries of ‘Selby, Selby, Selby’ rang around the arena.

And there was a standing ovation for the pugilists as the bell brought an end to a hard-fought clash.

There were also wins on the night for Selby’s fellow St Joseph’s fighters Mitch Buckland and Morgan Jones, who both kept their unblemished records intact.

Super-lightweight Buckland eased to a comfortable points victory (60-54) over Frenchman Mohamed Larabi in their six-round contest.

Jones, meanwhile, was far too good for Richard Harrison, cruising to a third-round stoppage triumph in their four-round light-heavyweight encounter.

However, middleweight Frankie Borg couldn’t make it a clean sweep for St Joes as he was stopped by Northern Ireland’s Conrad Cummings in the last of six rounds.