Lee Selby Hopes to Make U.S. His Second Fighting Home

by David P. Greisman

When Lee Selby defends his featherweight title this Wednesday against Fernando Montiel, it will mark the first time bout for “The Barry Boy Assassin” outside of the United Kingdom.

His 21 wins (8 by knockout) and 1 loss all came in his home country. The Montiel bout will be the co-feature of a Premier Boxing Champions card on Oct. 14 in Glendale, Arizona, airing on ESPN with a fight between Devon Alexander and Aron Martinez in the main event.

“I’m really excited to fight in America making my American debut,” Selby said on an Oct. 12 media conference call. “Back home in the U.K. I’m quite well known. I’m a big star in boxing. And now I want to spread that across the world. I want to become a worldwide star. Fighting in America and winning and looking good is the way to do that.”

That means Selby would actually prefer to fight on this side of the Atlantic Ocean more often than he’d prefer to lace up the gloves in more familiar confines.

“Ideally, I would like to have three fights a year, maybe two in the U.S. and one in the U.K.,” he said.

Selby said fans in his home country understand that mission and are rooting for him to succeed.

“It’s a real big deal for a British fighter to come out to America and represent their country,” he said. “There’s only been a few that have been able to do it successfully. I hope to be the next fighter from the U.K. to hold my ground in the U.S.”

Selby is coming off a May win over Evgeny Gradovich, taking a technical decision in a cut-shortened eight-round bout and winning Gradovich’s world title. This will be the first defense for the 28-year-old.

Montiel, 36, is 54-4-2 and has won eight straight since his rough 2011. It was in that year that Montiel was on the receiving end of the perfect Nonito Donaire left hook that helped end Montiel’s time as a 118-pound titleholder. After a pair of wins, Montiel stepped in with Victor Terrazas and lost a unanimous decision. His most recent appearance was a March decision over Rogelio Jun Doliguez.

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