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Giving Lee Selby a Closer Look!

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

Once described as the Welsh Mayweather, Lee Selby, 26-1, 9 KO’s is a guy who, according to his former promoter, Eddie Hearn, had the world at his feet and then sent them in the wrong direction. Coupled with what some see as the wrong decisions being made, 2017 is a year that Selby could do with forgetting.

A world champion since 2015, much was expected of his reign and many thought he would be supreme in his division and across the British boxing scene – it has not all panned out as it should have.

He is currently the IBF featherweight champion Selby completed his 2017 with a fight that was due to be a defense of his belt against Eduardo Ramirez 20-1-3, 7 KO’s. It was a fight that fell foul of a title fight as Ramirez was unable to make the weight as prescribed by the British Boxing Board of Control as being a safe weight; he came into the ring 8lbs over.

Ramirez, following the calamitous weigh in, then went missing when he was supposed to be at a press conference. He was eventually found but not after a frantic search for over an hour before he turned up and tuned out. There then began the questions as to whether or not the guy would even bother to turn up and fight at all. We need not have worried too much, blasted for being unprofessional, Ramirez entered the ring, danced competently round it, was beaten for the first time in his career and no doubt ended up with a fat pay cheque right afterwards.

Selby was lacklustre. A cut above dire he did enough to win and do so comfortably but it was far from the impressive end of 2017 Selby needed. The lack of competitive edge that came from not really putting your belt on the line – Ramirez being over the limit removed the risk of losing the belt – led to a very pedestrian 12 rounds for Selby.

It was so disappointing because of the way in which the year had developed up until this month.

The beginning of the year saw him sitting, ironically, at a Las Vegas weigh in, ready to fulfil a boyhood dream only to be told that his opponent, Jonathon Victor Barros, 41-5-1, 22 KO’s, had failed a blood test!

That interview afterwards with a distraught Selby was tough to watch. He knew that fighting on the undercard of the Leo Santa Cruz/ Carl Frampton fight as going to propel him, possibly into a fight with either one of the two headliners but now he was being lost in the wilderness.
His then UK promoter, Eddie Hearn, was bemoaning the lack of activity Selby had endured. He had wanted Selby in Wales and as part of a hero’s welcome home. This would have cemented Selby’s reputation and legacy. Instead he was chasing an American dream, signed to All Haymon and missing out on big domestic paydays, according to Hearn. With the Barros original fight lost, it seemed like Selby was just going to have to rebuild.

He did get the opportunity to fight Barros and brought him to the UK in July, but he went into the fight following the death – just days before – of his mother. To compound the tragedy, the death of his mother was followed a week after beating Barros by unanimous decision, by the death of his grandfather.

Selby has such resilience in abundance after a long and arduous path which has put him in the top 5 featherweights in the world – no matter who is ranking them. Between 2011 and 2014 he held the trilogy of British, Commonwealth and European titles in the professional ranks so he was well schooled in belt winning.

His only defeat on his record came early on in his career when, in his 5th fight, Samir Mouneimne 17-2-1, 5 KO’s managed to win on points over just 4 rounds. Four fights later he took the Welsh title, then the Celtic belt and since then has tried not to look back.
That British title came when he was the underdog against Stephen Smith, 25-4, 15 KO’s, yes, he of the ripped ear, but managed to stop the Liverpudlian in the 8th round with a left hand that must have been felt by all four brothers.

World honors came in May of 2015 when he beat Evgeny Gradovich, 23-2-1, 9 KO’s, when Gradovich, cut from an accidental head cash was unable to continue and the fight was declared a technical draw; Selby was ahead on all 3 score cards at the stoppage, thus won. With a successful defence in the bag before facing Barros, Selby was in the place most fighters dream of being; a reigning world champion. He had the world at his feet and could have gathered more baubles and more opportunities to secure his future.

What now? He wants the Leeds hero, Josh Warrington in Leeds, the Belfast man, Carl Frampton in Belfast and then a massive unification fight against whoever might be left standing, but first he is home to gather the attention of his critics. Seems like Eddie may have made an impression after all.

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