Michael Conlan has beaten Ionut Baluta tonight in london to earn himself a potential world title fight later this year.
The Belfast boxer was pushed to the limit against a tough opponent as he relied on his class and quality to counter Baluta's work rate and quantity of shots.
As the 29-year-old looked to control the middle rounds, but Conlan was sweating over a judge's decision after Baluta finished the fight the better man.
Earning a majority decision, he was awarded the fight thanks to 115-114 and 117-112 scores after one judge scored the contest 114-114.
Extending his record to 15-0 as a professional, the win earned him the vacant WBO international title.
And Conlan now has his eyes on Steven Fulton for the WBO world title later this year as he secured a mandatory spot for the belt.
"I was very shocked by the draw scorecard. Baluta is a tough character and he has shown it in his last two fights. Game as they come, he told BT Sport.
"But he was missing with loads of punches. But when they called out a draw I started worrying. Also the second card (115-114), I don't know how that was called. But it was a good fight and good preparation for what's to come."
He added: "I'd go for Belfast in August with Stephen Fulton, 100 per cent. With the politics in boxing it might not be possible.
"But after beating the WBO number 9 that makes me mandatory for the title. If that can happen in August then brilliant, but if not then the winter in New York. That would be fantastic.
"I will stay active, I will fight in August. I would love to fight Fulton next, if not I will have a tune-up and take it from there.
"I know I have to be patient. You can't rush too quick. There are always roadblocks in the way. If I have to wait until December that is no problem, but I will definitely fight for the belt."
Conlan started well, establishing a sharp jab and showing off some impressive movement and footwork as he looked to edge the opening two rounds.
But his opponent threatened to drag him into a brawl as he looked to close the gap with powerful combos and a high work rate, however, Conlan was able to land the more meaningful shots more often early on.
Conlan looked to be finding his rhythm after the sixth round as he went on the front foot, but the Romanian provided plenty in the way of shots while Conlan brought a higher quality of boxing.
In the 8th round, Conlan began to turn the screw slightly as he targeted body shots to tire out the Romanian, picking his shots to dominate the round to open up a lead in points.
And the Belfast boxer continued to whether the storm late on as his class showed in what proved to be one of the most difficult challenges of his career.
After a difficult 10th round where he was outworked, Conlan looked to go back to his boxing in the penultimate round to pick off Baluta in the counter.
In the final round, Baluta looked to finish the stronger man but in an even first round it went down to the judges.
