Radio 5 Live's Boxing Commentator John Rawling: "Naseem won, but made few friends"

The Sheffield fighter was taken the distance for the first time in a world title fight and was booed by an ill-tempered crowd at the The Atlantic City Convention Centre.

Naz, who predicted a third-round knockout, looked uncommitted and boxed poorly throughout, despite never being seriously troubled by the Northern Irish challenger.

McCullough, by contrast, boxed industriously from the outset and won the wholehearted approval of the American audience.

Speaking after the fight, Prince Naseem was in characteristically arrogant mood and expressed no reservations about going the distance for the first time.

"It was written by God to go 12," he said.

"If he'd gone down in three he wouldn't have got such a beating. He just took a bigger beating by going 12."

He did have some words of praise for his gutsy opponent, who reacted as if he had won at the final bell when it was clear he must have been outpointed.

Naseem had to go 12 rounds

"He got plenty, plenty respect," said Naseem.

"He's got a big, big heart, but I boxed his head off. He's a very good fighter - strong, but a lot more limited than I thought."

Despite losing, McCullough appeared in ebullient mood and was quick to suggest a rematch.

"I stayed with him but he just kept running. I took the shots but he never hurt me once," he said.

"I'd like a rematch in Ireland or Britain in February or March. It should have been fought there anyway.

"Let's get it on back home with an audience of 15,000."

Naz frequently tried to infuriate McCullough with Ali-shuffles and his trademark dropped-glove stance, but the fighter from the Shanklin Road refused to be drawn and even took to mimicking his opponent in the later stages.

Support fight

Liverpudlian Richie Wenton had a disappointing night, losing in three rounds to Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera in the vacant WBO super bantamweight curtain-raiser for the Naz-McCullough fight.

Barrera floored Wenton twice with hefty left hooks to the body and the British fighter failed to respond to the bell a the start of round four.

The Mexican had a message for Prince Naseem, lifting the flaps of his trunks to reveal the words: "Naz you're next".