Lee Selby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lee Selby |
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Selby in 2015
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| Rated at |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 69+1/2 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 14 February 1987 Barry Town, Wales |
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| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 28 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Lee Selby (born 14 February 1987) is a retired Welsh professional boxer. He was a world champion who competed from 2008 to 2022. Lee held the IBF featherweight title from 2015 to 2018. Before that, he won the British, Commonwealth, and European featherweight titles between 2011 and 2014.
Contents
Professional Career
Early Fights
Lee Selby started his professional boxing journey on 12 July 2008. His first fight was a win against Sid Razak in Newport, Wales. He won his first four fights.
His first loss came on 29 May 2009, against Samir Mouneimne. After that, Lee won three more fights. On 30 October 2010, he won the Welsh Area title. He beat Dai Davies with a knockout in the second round.
In July 2011, Lee fought James Ancliff for the vacant Celtic featherweight title. He won the belt by stopping the fight in the sixth round.
Becoming a Champion
On 17 September 2011, Lee Selby became the British and Commonwealth champion. He defeated Stephen Smith in Liverpool. Many people thought Smith would win, but Lee took control. He hit Smith with a left hand in the eighth round, and Smith could not continue.
After this big win, Lee said it felt like he had won a world title. He added that it was a dream come true since he was a kid. On 20 April 2013, Lee easily defeated Corey McConnell, an unbeaten Australian champion. McConnell's team stopped the fight in the fifth round.
Winning a World Title
On 13 July 2013, Lee Selby moved closer to a world title shot. He faced Viorel Simion, an unbeaten boxer from Romania. Lee won the WBC International featherweight title. He won by a unanimous decision, meaning all judges agreed he was the winner. Many boxing experts said this was Lee's toughest test yet.
In May 2015, Lee Selby achieved his dream. He won the IBF featherweight world title from Evgeny Gradovich. The fight ended in a technical decision. This happened because Gradovich got a cut from an accidental head clash and could not keep fighting.
Defending the Title
Lee Selby successfully defended his IBF featherweight title in October 2015. He beat Mexican boxer Fernando Montiel in Arizona. Lee dedicated this important win to his childhood friend, Darren Bray, who had recently passed away.
In July 2017, Lee prepared for another title defense against Jonathan Victor Barros. Just weeks before the fight, Lee's mother sadly passed away. His family wanted him to pull out of the fight. However, Lee decided to continue training and dedicated the fight to his mother. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Later Fights
On 19 May 2018, Lee Selby defended his IBF featherweight title for the fifth time. He fought against Josh Warrington, who had never lost a fight. Warrington started strong and landed some good punches. Lee got a bad cut over his left eye in the sixth round. Warrington was more active and landed more clear punches throughout the fight. Lee lost his title to Warrington by a split decision. This means the judges disagreed on who won, but most picked Warrington.
After losing his world title, Lee Selby came back with a win. He defeated Omar Douglas in February 2019. It was a tough fight, but Lee outboxed Douglas and won by unanimous decision.
In his next fight, Lee faced former world champion Ricky Burns in October 2019. It was a very close fight with many fouls. Lee managed to win on two of the judges' scorecards. The third judge scored it as a draw.
Lee Selby was set to fight George Kambosos Jr. in May 2020. However, the fight was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They finally fought on 31 October 2020, in London. Lee fought all 12 rounds but lost by split decision.
Lee Selby announced his retirement from boxing on 5 April 2022.
Professional Boxing Record Summary
| 32 fights | 28 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 1 |
| By decision | 19 | 3 |
Personal Life
Lee Selby is the brother of Andrew Selby. Andrew is also a boxer and represented GB Boxing at the 2012 London Olympics as a flyweight.
See also
- List of Welsh boxing world champions
